The Baltimore Ravens now turn to the offseason in preparation for the 2020 NFL regular season. The Ravens are set to have plenty of salary cap next season but will also have to figure out how to handle their 21 pending free agents. A few big contracts could push Baltimore to look at their current roster for some players who have higher cap hits but little dead money as potential cap casualties.
Using Over The Cap, we took a look at the Ravens’ potential cap casualties this offseason. That’s not to say any or all of these players will actually be cut but that they have the largest cap savings, making them more tempting. If all seven of these players were cut, Baltimore could have as much as $67 million in cap space for 2020.
CB Brandon Carr
Carr has started every game for the Ravens over the past three seasons and been a consistent force in the secondary. But despite the team’s success in 2019, it was not a banner year for Carr. He gave up 11.6 yards per completion as well as five touchdowns in coverage. He had only six passes defended and no interceptions, his lowest number since 2015.
Carr was used more at safety this season thanks to the addition of Marcus Peters to the combo of Jimmy Smith and Marlon Humphrey. He still found plenty of playing time but is clearly not the starting outside cornerback he once was.
The Ravens can save $6,000,000 by releasing Carr. Though it wouldn’t be shocking to see Baltimore cut him only to re-sign him to a more cap friendly deal to finish out his career.
DT Brandon Williams
I’m not just going after all the Brandon’s, I assure you. But Williams, like Carr, is a name to watch in the next few weeks.
Williams is set to count $14.17 million against Baltimore’s cap in 2020. This number seems very high for a player who played on just 53.9% of the Ravens’ defensive snaps last season.
While Williams is a solid player who is the leader on the defensive line, he doesn’t produce on the stat sheet like his contract indicates he should. In his 97 games with the team, he has just 6.5 sacks, one of which came in 2019 along with two tackles for loss.
Cutting Williams would result in a sizeable dead cap charge of $9.84 million but ultimately save $4.33 million. I would imagine that Williams will be a player that the Ravens hope to persuade to take a haircut of his salary ahead of 2020. His current price is just too high for a part-time player without a big play pedigree.
P Sam Koch
Koch has spent his entire career with the Ravens after they took him in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He had a career-low 40 punts in 2019, but still averaged 46.4 yards per punt. However, he will be 38 when the season starts and is due to receive the third-highest salary among all punters in the league at $3.25 million. As dutiful a servant as Koch has been over the years, a cheaper alternative can surely be found.
OL James Hurst
Hurst is strictly a backup along the Ravens’ offensive line, but quite a highly paid one. He is a top-20 earner at right tackle, ostensibly his base spot on the roster. But Hurst only played 18% of the Ravens offensive snaps last season, with 126 of his 197 reps coming in the two games he actually started. The Ravens can go younger and cheaper at this spot, saving $2,750,000 if they release Hurst.
QB Robert Griffin III
Griffin has been a solid and steady presence on the sideline during Lamar Jackson’s tenure as the starting quarterback for the Ravens. He saw limited action in 2019, although he did lead the team to victory in his only start in Week 17. The Ravens can save $2,000,000 by releasing Griffin this offseason and entrusting the backup role to 2019 sixth-round selection Trace McSorley.
S Tony Jefferson
Jefferson missed the bulk of the 2019 season after suffering an ACL injury in Week 5. But to be brutally honest, he wasn’t playing well before he went down.
Jefferson was targeted 13 times in five games, and while he only allowed seven completions, these came at a great cost. Jefferson gave up 247 yards and two touchdowns in coverage, while also missing 16% of his tackles. He has missed 13 games over the last two seasons.
Releasing Jefferson would free up $7,000,000 in cap space, which could come in handy should they attempt to pry Jamal Adams away from the Jets again and tie him down to a long term deal. Regardless, I’d be stunned if Jefferson were to remain a Raven on his current terms.
G Marshal Yanda
I have left this one until the last as I believe there is a realistic chance that Yanda makes the decision for the Ravens and opts to retire. Yanda has contemplated retirement for the last few years but this could very well be the one where he decides to hang up his cleats for good.
Yanda has been nothing short of magnificent ever since the Ravens took him in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He started 166 of his 177 games, went to seven Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro twice following the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Yanda was still among the best at his position in 2019, with Baltimore averaging a stout 4.8 yards per rushing attempt when running behind his right guard spot. Yanda was also only called for one penalty all season long.
However, all good things must come to an end. While the Ravens would probably love to keep him around for the last year of his deal, the choice may ultimately be Yanda’s to make. Either way, if he is off the roster in 2020 the Ravens will save $7,000,000 in cap space.
