Prediction: Baltimore Ravens Will Not Use Franchise Tag
The Baltimore Ravens will not use the franchise tag this year. Using the tag wouldn’t add up:
The Baltimore Ravens probably won’t use the franchise tag this year. Rick Wagner is a good player, Brandon Williams is great, but neither player is worth the kind of money that the franchise tag comes with. When teams use the franchise tag, they are holding on to a player they can’t agree to a long-term contract with. The player gets one year of pay that is the average of the top 5 players at his position. Wagner and Williams don’t qualify for that kind of money.
A franchise tag should only be used as a last resort on a player that the team absolutely cannot lose. This time last year, the Ravens put the tag on Justin Tucker. Tucker eventually worked out a long-term deal, but this season he showed why he wasn’t replaceable. The Ravens would have lost a lot more games without a good kicker; the team only scored 32 touchdowns.
Wagner and Williams are players that can be replaced. Wagner would easily be replaced by Alex Lewis, who played left guard this offseason. Williams can be replaced by Michael Pierce, who looks like a younger and cheaper model of number 98. While losing either player is less than ideal, it isn’t the end of the world.
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The Franchise Tag Would Be Irresponsible
Using the franchise tag would be irresponsible. Wagner is a solid right tackle but he is a right tackle. It is debatable whether or not he is even a top 5 right tackle, so you can’t pay him like a top 5 offensive tackle. The Ravens found Wagner in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. They inserted him in the starting lineup in his second season. Lewis started at left guard in his rookie season and he was a fourth round pick. Keeping Wagner makes life easier for the Ravens, but it would be completely short sighted if the Ravens acted desperately to keep him.
The purple and black would be better with Brandon Williams than without, but his departure wouldn’t shake things up too badly. Williams is a run stuffing space eater. He is one of the best defensive tackles in football at doing that. He isn’t much of a pass rusher and that’s what defensive linemen typically get big money for. Timmy Jernigan is a run stopper and a pass rusher, and they’ll have to pay him next season.
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The Bottom Line:
If you’re thinking about using the tag on Kyle Juszczyk that will get complicated. Because he does more than just lead blocking, he would have a case for getting paid like a running back. That’s not happening on a franchise tag. Wagner and Williams are the only two players that would garner conversation of the franchise tag. That being said, the smart money is on not using the tag at all.