As the Baltimore Ravens prepare to take on the Tennessee Titans, there’s a chance this could be the final game of the 2019 season for them. Though the Ravens are huge favorites to win this game and Super Bowl LIV, that’s the nature of the postseason.
If this is indeed the week Baltimore’s season is completed, it could be the end of several key players’ tenures with the Ravens as well. I took a closer look at a few of the pending free agents and potential cap casualties that could be playing their final game in Baltimore.
S Tony Jefferson
When Jefferson was put on injured reserve, I wrote at the time about how he could have played his last down for the Ravens. With the emergence of Chuck Clark in his absence, it seems almost like a foregone conclusion at this point.
Cutting Jefferson would free up $7 million on top of the large amount of cap space Baltimore is already expected to have next season, according to Over the Cap. While Jefferson means a lot more to the franchise than his stat sheet, it’s a hefty amount to justify for a player that has been replaced effectively already.
OLB Matthew Judon
We got a taste of how bad the business side of football can be in the offseason when the Ravens saw C.J. Mosley, Za’Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs all leave in free agency for huge deals. Make no mistake about it, Judon is a player likely entering a very similar situation if they let him become a free agent.
While Baltimore has absolutely no top depth at outside linebacker or even a three-down starter opposite Judon, they simply might not be able to afford him. He’ll likely get contract offers at or better than Smith saw last season ($16.5 million per year average) if he hits the free-agent market while the franchise tag is expected to cost around $16 million, according to OTC.
We’ve seen the Ravens move on from players they’d really love to have because they cost more than Baltimore was comfortable giving up. There’s a real chance the same happens to Judon this offseason.
CB Brandon Carr
Carr has been a workhorse for Baltimore since joining the team in 2017. While he’s not quite the same player he was earlier in his career, Carr is still a talented and intelligent football player who is willing to do whatever a defense asks of him. This season with the cornerback depth chart full, Carr has played a bunch at safety, which has helped defensive coordinator Don Martindale do some great things.
However, the Ravens can save $6 million on their 2020 salary cap by cutting him. And with big money going to Tavon Young, there’s just not a lot of space for Carr left on the roster.
Though, while it’s doubtful Carr stays with Baltimore given his cap hit, I can absolutely see the Ravens cutting and re-signing him in a reserve role on a more cap-friendly deal.
CB Jimmy Smith
With cornerback Marcus Peters getting a three-year extension back in December, it pretty much spelled the end for Smith’s time in Baltimore.
The oft-injured cornerback is clearly on the back end of his career and hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2015 and has only managed the feat twice in his career total. Though Smith has shown he can still be a starting-caliber cornerback in this league, he wouldn’t have that primary role with the Ravens having both Peters and Marlon Humphrey in 2020.
Smith could very well find a franchise willing to overpay for his services this offseason, hoping he returns to form and can stay healthy. Maybe a change of scenery will do Smith some good as well.
DT Michael Pierce
Pierce is just one of 21 pending free agents for the Ravens in the offseason but he’s one that could draw a lot more interest than many are expecting. With the resurgence of powerful rushing attacks in the NFL this season, plenty of teams will be looking for a space-eating defensive tackle who can get upfield and make big plays in the backfield. And that’s exactly what you get with Pierce, who started all 14 games he was active for this season for Baltimore.
With the Ravens selecting Daylon Mack late in the 2019 NFL draft, Baltimore was already putting themselves in a good spot to let Pierce walk away in free agency. Though Mack spent this season on injured reserve, there’s still plenty of reason to believe that if Pierce gets serious interest in free agency, he’ll quickly price himself out of the Ravens’ checkbook.
LB Patrick Onwuasor
Onwuasor has shown flashes over his time with Baltimore which rightfully earned him a starting spot with Mosley leaving in free agency. However, Onwuasor wasn’t able to translate the opportunity into much, losing his mic’d helmet and eventually his starting role midway through the season.
Now with free agency quickly approaching, the Ravens have a difficult decision to make. Onwuasor hasn’t been very good this season and it isn’t wise to bet the defense on him improving as much as he’d need to in order to be the starting inside linebacker next season. If there’s little confidence Onwuasor can be the guy in Baltimore, he becomes a depth signing which is at a far smaller salary than he might be looking for.
If Onwuasor gets some interest in free agency and a chance to start for another team, the Ravens probably wouldn’t be able to match.
C Matt Skura
Though Skura is a restricted free agent, allowing Baltimore to tender him, that doesn’t guarantee they’ll be able to keep him. A second-round tender is expected to cost around $3.3 million with a first-round tender costing about $4.7 million, according to OTC. That might be a little too much for a guy who isn’t guaranteed a starting job next season with Patrick Mekari playing exceptionally well and Bradley Bozeman waiting in the wings.
Then again, starting centers are a serious commodity in the NFL. Even if the Ravens put a second-round tender on Skura, he could still draw interest from a handful of teams that need a starting center who was a part of the best rushing attack in NFL history.
G Marshal Yanda
Yanda will have a starting spot on Baltimore’s offensive line as long as he wants to play and he’s signed through the 2020 season. But Yanda will be turning 36 years old next season and simply might not want to go through another season, especially if the Ravens win Super Bowl LIV.
Though Yanda has always refused to talk about when he’ll call it quits, every offseason could just as easily be his last.
QB Robert Griffin III
Under Lamar Jackson, Griffin got a chance to really show what he could do against starting NFL defenses. Granted, most of his playing time came in the fourth quarter, but Griffin did get a full game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17 as well. There are a number of teams in this league that either don’t have a starting quarterback signed or could use an upgrade . . . and Griffin could easily be that guy.
Griffin would also be a really cheap option for a team looking to replicate Baltimore’s success with Jackson. Though Griffin is far slower and less athletic than Jackson, he comes with quite a bit of experience and has shown he can get the job done well enough.
However, Jackson isn’t a free agent, which would mean another team has to ring the Ravens’ phone and make a deal. That being said, I can’t imagine it would take a lot for Baltimore to let Griffin go, especially since they’ve been hiding Trace McSorley on their roster all season long to ensure no one can steal him while they groom him.
