Potential Ravens Cap Casualties

With the Baltimore Ravens being projected to have just over $10 million free in cap space this offseason, the Ravens are going to need to free up some room and there are a few prime candidates to be released.

General manager Ozzie Newsome made it known during his end-of-season press conference that the Ravens will not restructure any contracts. This has always been the way that the Ravens have operated over the last few years.

Every season a few players are released to create more cap room and here are the four main candidates this season.

Outside Linebacker Terrell Suggs

2014 Cap Number:  $12.4 million

Cap Room Saved With Release:  $7.8 million

Why He Would Be Released
Also at the press conference, Newsome talked about Suggs, and indicated that he might not return next season. In the last year of a six-year contract, his cap hit is the third-highest cap figure next season and offers the biggest savings if let go of.

At the beginning of the season, the 31-year old looked to be on pace to contend for the Defensive Player of the Year award which he won in 2011. In the first eight games of the season, he had nine sacks, but in the final eight games of the season he had just one. This led to a streak of six-straight games with no sacks for Suggs.

Courtesy of ICON SMI

It wasn’t just his performance as a pass-rusher that dipped, as his run defense suffered in the second half of the season as well. Normally a strong run defender, he still played decent, but it was clear he wasn’t the same. It has been suggested that he gained weight late in the year and that is a viable reason. He entered the season in the best shape of his life and his performance early on backed that up.

Last season, the Ravens showed that they weren’t afraid to get rid of a key player who wasn’t willing to take a pay cut in order to improve the team as a whole. Wide receiver Anquan Boldin was traded after an exceptional postseason and he only had a salary of $6 million.

The $7.8 million saved by cutting him would go a long way to being able to re-sign left tackle Eugene Monroe, tight end Dennis Pitta and any other free agents that the front office may like.

Suggs’ disappearing act at the end of the season is a main reason why he could be cut. Combine that with one of the highest cap figures on the team, and he may be gone next season.

Why He Would Stay
Being in the last year of a contract, the Ravens could easily sign him to a contract extension that would keep him in Baltimore and reduce his cap hit this season. This is likely what the Ravens will try and do with him.

Also, he has been a Ravens his whole career and has been a key contributor for the entire time. The Ravens may not want to get rid of him as they hope he can regain his early season form. When he was playing well, him and Elvis Dumervil formed one of the best pass-rushing duos in the league. (Though the presence of Dumervil can also be seen as a reason why Suggs could leave as the Ravens will still have one of the better pass-rushers in the league on their defense).

It is likely that the Ravens will try and get him to agree to a new contract. That way the Ravens would be able to keep him one of their defensive leaders on the roster and free up some much needed cap room. If he doesn’t agree to a new contract, then the Ravens could let him walk.

Inside Linebacker Jameel McClain

2014 Cap Number:  $4.4 million

Cap Room Saved With Release:  $3.2 million

Why He Would Be Released
Part of a three-man rotation at the second inside linebacker spot next to Daryl Smith this season, McClain played in 10 games this season after starting the season on the Physically Unable to Perform List due to a neck injury suffered at the end of last season.

In these 10 games, he recorded 52 tackles and one forced fumble. These stats seem good, but his performance all season wasn’t that good. He would get pushed around in the run game and struggled in pass coverage. He has always been a better run defender than pass defender, but he seemed to take a step back this season in both categories.

This performance doesn’t warrant the $4.4 million cap hit that he will earn. Cutting him would save $3.2 million and every single dollar counts in terms of the salary cap.

Why He Would Stay
Like Suggs, McClain is in the last season of his contract so he could be extended at a reduced rate. The Ravens could also offer him a pay cut before cutting him.

Other than a contract extension or a pay cut, it is highly unlikely that he will be back. These two options seem unlikely though. The Ravens drafted Arthur Brown in the second round last year so he is the future of the position. They also have Josh Bynes who can play inside linebacker and both of them performed better than McClain this season.

The only way that I see him sticking around next season is if he agrees to return at a reduced rate.

Punter Sam Koch

2014 Cap Number:  $2.8 million

Cap Room Saved With Release:  $1.6 million

Why He Would Be Released
Drafted by the Ravens in the 2006 NFL Draft, Koch has been the Ravens punter ever since and was signed to a five-year contract in 2011 which keeps him in Baltimore through 2015.

This season, his performance punting the ball wasn’t as good as the last few seasons as he ranked 22nd in the league in net punt average (38.9 yard average). He also ranked tied for 13th in punts inside the 20-yard line (27), tied for the fifth-most touchbacks, ranked 13th in yards per punt (46.0) and had the third-most punts in the league this season (90).

These stats show that he was an average punter this season. His contract pays him as an above-average punter, so the Ravens need better performance from him based on his contract.

The Ravens could easily spend a late-round pick on a punter or bring one in as an undrafted free agent to take over for Koch or at the very least compete for the job. I see the latter route as the most likely option for the Ravens. They did this with kickers Billy Cundiff and Justin Tucker a couple years ago.

Why He Would Stay
Throughout his time in Baltimore, Koch has been the definition of a consistent punter and his stats back this up.

While he had a down year this season, a rookie punter could come in and produce worse than Koch did this season. With head coach John Harbaugh being a former special teams coach with the Philadelphia Eagles before joining the Ravens, he is going to want to have the best special teams unit possible.

His contract is a bit of a detriment, so the Ravens will likely bring in an undrafted free agent to compete with him for the starting job. This wouldn’t free up the cap space until after free agency is over, but it would give the Ravens more cap flexibility for the rest of the season and for the following season.

Fullback Vonta Leach

2014 Cap Number:  $2.33 million

Cap Room Saved With Release:  $1.75 million

Why He Would Be Released
Actually released by the Ravens after the draft last year because the Ravens drafted another fullback, the Ravens re-signed him to a two-year deal in July after Kyle Juszczyk, the fullback drafted, failed to impress in mini-camps.

This season, Leach’s playing time was very limited as the Ravens’ offense spread the ball out more with three wide receiver sets for the majority of snaps. Part of the reason why the offenses spread it out more was because the run game failed to produce so they tried to pass the ball more.

A traditional fullback — a dying bread in the NFL — this left him out of the offense for the most part and had him playing only a few snaps each game. Even when he was on the field, he couldn’t spark the run game as the problems extended farther him.

Since the Ravens drafted Juszczyk in the fourth round of the draft, it is highly unlikely that Leach will be back next season. He was only brought back because Juszczyk wasn’t deemed ready to play this season, but after a full year in the league, he should be ready to play next season. Also he is a less traditional fullback — one who is a good receiver — so he is a better fit in the new offense.

Add that to the fact that the Ravens can save $1.75 million by releasing Leach, it seems very likely that the 32-year old will be gone next season.

Why He Would Stay
The only reason that I can think of for why he would stay with the Ravens is if Juszczyk suffered a season-ending injury and the Ravens needed a new fullback. With that being said, that is highly unlikely to happen so expect Leach to be released soon after the Super Bowl.