OTL: Cuts Incoming

It was a busy week in the NFL. Cuts abound as teams prepare for free agency next week, with a deadline to get under the 2024 salary cap by 4:00 PM Wednesday.

To this point, the Ravens haven’t done anything, but we know something is coming. It’s a sure bet! Speaking of which, if you’re the betting type, it might be time to learn more about the Canadian gambling scene.

I’ll take a Tyus Bowser released notification right about now

Just give me something pic.twitter.com/XHopKtVSzd

— RavensFlock20 (@Bateman_Szn7) March 7, 2024

There will be moves to be made, and to be honest, Tyus Bowser not being cut yet is surprising. There is no way he finds himself on the roster now. The Ravens need Cap room, and the relationship between the team and Bowser seems to be broken. One day, I want to know what happened to him because it is nuts. I just want to know straight up, no lies, what happened to Bowser because it seemed like he just gave up on the team. I understand that isn’t what happened, but his situation makes no sense from outside looking in. Hopefully, the truth will come out someday, but Bowser’s time with the Ravens is up.

As mentioned, some great players have hit the market due to other teams’ cap restrictions. The Bills and the Broncos have been the teams most active in cutting players so far.

With questions swirling about this roster and how it will replace a good chunk of talent, perhaps the Ravens can find value at the margins:

This is also why I’m not in panic mode over the #Ravens tight cap situation & need to fill holes. This is going to be a buyer’s market. The draft is how teams prefer to build more and more. The days of mega FA deals are becoming less frequent imo. Especially given the risk. https://t.co/p25W7MoVOs

— Dev Panchwagh (@devpanchwagh) March 7, 2024

The Ravens don’t normally sign big-name players in free agency anyway, but it looks like the market will agree with them this year. This can be helpful because it allows the Ravens, with basically no Cap space, to still add good talent.

We live in a post-combine world now, so news about meetings is going to start coming out, and one name has me thinking:

The Ravens have met with Georgia WR Ladd McConkey. pic.twitter.com/mtEsPgisD9

— 𝗥𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙀 (@LIVERavenNation) March 7, 2024

As some fans have pointed out, the Ravens have one wide receiver signed past 2024. So yes, they find themselves in the same situation every year, needing wideouts. Ladd McConkey has been a fast riser on my draft board for the last couple of weeks. I have him as a clear first-round talent, and his fit with the Ravens is great. He runs great routes and knows Todd Monken from Georgia. Given the way he keeps rising, this would be an unbelievable value pick and might not even be a BPA pick.

This week’s Mock Draft Friday gave me some unbelievable value that, if it happens, could be one of the best Drafts in the history of this franchise.

There is no way Byron Murphy II falls to thirty. However, he did in this Mock Draft, and I had to take him.

Murphy is a special athlete with the type of game-wrecking ability from the interior that teams have been chasing since Aaron Donald came into the league. He can stop the run well enough and has explosive moves from the Interior that can put guards and centers on their butts.

He has one big issue, and it might be the thing that makes him drop: his size.

Byron Murphy II is a DT prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.08 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 150 out of 1620 DT from 1987 to 2024.

Splits projectedhttps://t.co/jU98TbI0hC pic.twitter.com/nJg3t38TTm

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) February 29, 2024

Here is why this isn’t concerning, especially in the context that he falls to the Ravens: we already have size up front to help him. Murphy next to Michael Pierce and Justin Madubuike is going to be a combination that will be hard to beat, and it makes the defense nearly unstoppable. T.J. Tampa is a tall corner that will bring immediate impact. Tez Walker is a receiver who has fallen down my board, but in the third, his value was too good to pass up. Zack Zinter is a guard who is hurt right now but was probably going to go in the first two rounds, so getting him in the fourth is amazing value. Kamara is small but has explosive tools to work with. Foster is inconsistent and needs seasoning, but on day three we can work with that. Jawhar Jordan is another name who fell due to injury and is better than where he is projected to go, and Mustapha is a rocked-up Safety who can bring the hard hits as the last pick.

It is safe to say this would be a generational heist for EDC and is insanely unrealistic, but you know what? It is fun to dream.

Next week begins free agency for the NFL, and a flurry of moves could be on the way for the Ravens, or it could lead to more goodbyes that the fan base isn’t ready for.