Ravens Reacts: Players The Ravens Should Considering Releasing This Offseason!
Will Mark Andrews be in purple and black next season?!
Welcome back to another edition of ‘Ravens Reacts’, a Cool Sports Newsletter series made by a die hard Ravens fan! The Baltimore Ravens season ended in an AFC championship game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, once again short of the grand prize. But the reason why this team was so good was because they got great play for cheap. Baltimore’s nine leaders in sacks this season made really no more than the league minimum. Three of Baltimore’s four All-Pro’s on the defensive end were on rookie deals, and their leading receiver plus the running backs that led the Ravens to the best rushing attack in the league, all were there for cheap. However, with a ton of those guys heading into free agency, and Baltimore knowing that they need to save money for a piece in free agency and re-signing some of their All-Pro’s, the Ravens can’t keep everybody. They have to give somewhere. The question is though, where do they give? Well, here are a few options as to where Baltimore can save money this offseason, in the releasing/cutting salary department!
Marcus Williams
To me this one is very obvious. Williams signed a five year, $80 million deal with Baltimore two years ago, and after a great start to the 2022 season, injuries and inconsistency have derailed Williams’ play and made him a backup behind Kyle Hamilton and Geno Stone. And while Stone is headed to free agency, Baltimore may be able to get him cheaper than most think, as he has a ton of interest in re-signing with the team. Now, if they release Williams they will still need to pay some of his salary. But considering he is a very old 27, inconsistent, injury prone, and not showing value at the position, a talk about a contract restructure or a release should not be off the table for Baltimore.
Ronnie Stanley
I’d be totally fine with this one. And it sucks. The Ravens signed Stanley to a 5 year, $98 million dollar contract back in 2020 for a reason, and that was because he was one of if not the best offensive tackle in the league. Lamar Jackson had no problems of pass rushers getting to him on Stanley’s side. He was amazing. But after breaking his left ankle in 2020, and then rushing back in 2021 and re-injuring it, Stanley missed 26 of a possible 33 games between 2020 and 2021. And even now two years later, it is obvious he is not the same player, ranking 37th among all tackles in football by PFF, and is continuing to get hurt. I wish we weren’t having this discussion, but with his play as of late and with the money he’s making, Baltimore should definitely release Ronnie Stanley, and move Patrick Mekari or Daniel Faalele to the full-time left tackle position.
Tyus Bowser
This one I wouldn’t feel as confident about if I’m Baltimore. Because Bowser is just two years removed from leading the team in sacks, and is still only 28. But guys, he is a very old 28. Bowser suffered injuries in the 2022 season, just a year removed from a seven sacks campaign. And in 2023, those injuries lingered, and never found himself on the field once last season. Now, Baltimore may want to keep his $5.5 million dollars/year around because of the uncertainty at the pass rushing position, and if Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy do come back if they produce the same way or anything close to it. But after injuries and finding himself out the rotation, $5.5 million is a good number to save for the 2024 books.
Mark Andrews
Many of you have probably just clicked off this article. But this is a take I’ve had now for a while. I love Mark Andrews. Always have, and always will. However, is he the same Mark Andrews? He’s still very good, but are 56 and 54 yards per game in back-to-back seasons worth $14 million per year? And more of the reason is actually who’s behind him. Baltimore can afford to let him go because Isaiah Likely is just as good. Likely totaled 54 yards per game after Andrews went down with a regular-season ending injury in Week 11, and five touchdowns in those six games, not to mention that Baltimore’s offense has averaged four more points per game (27) without Andrews since Likely joined the team than with him (23). Look, Andrews is great, and still one of the more consistent and reliable tight ends in the league. His connection with Lamar is also nothing to overlook as well. But when the guy behind him is on a rookie deal for at least two more seasons and playing just as well, Baltimore can afford to let their superstar TE go.
Let me know what you all think of these takes. We’ll see if Baltimore releases any of these four players this offseason to save money, and stay tuned for more Ravens offseason/free agency content in the coming weeks.
Signing off from the Flock, I’m Chase Coburn!
Chase Coburn
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