Ebony Bird
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Is Zach Miller the Best Option left for the Baltimore Ravens at Tight End?

By William Brittain

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The Baltimore Ravens have a hole to fill at the tight end position and the available free agent options are starting to run out. The team showed interest in Scott Chandler, though it didn’t amount to much and he signed with the Patriots. Other options, such as Jordan Cameron (signed with the Dolphins) and Anthony Fasano (agreed contract with the Titans), are also off the market and likely priced themselves out of the Ravens’ range anyway. So who is left for the Ravens to bring in to help Joe Flacco continue his form of last year?

I have heard some talk of Jermaine Gresham as a potential option, though again he is probably too expensive and may be undergoing back surgery soon.  This leaves Zach Miller as the only eye-catching free agent tight end left.

Miller is coming off a down year in Seattle in which he missed 13 games due to an ankle injury, and has since been released after a failed physical. He was due to have a base salary of $1.05 million in 2015 and a total cap hit of $3.39 million after bonuses according to Spotrac. I would expect that considering his current situation he would agree to a significantly lower figure than this on a short, incentive filled contract.

If healthy, Miller could add significant value to the Ravens offense. He is a good safety blanket kind of target and has come up big in the red zone, hauling in 5 touchdowns and 18 first down receptions in Seattle’s championship year of 2013. He is a physical presence and would bring with him 7 years of experience to share with any younger guys the Ravens might bring in.

Another benefit to bringing in Miller would be that he wouldn’t affect the Ravens compensatory pick formula as he was released as opposed to being an unrestricted free agent. This is a huge advantage and would allow the Ravens to potentially target other free agents and still get extra picks in 2016.

If the Ravens don’t pursue Miller, I would expect that a tight end would be brought in via the draft. Maxx Williams could well be available in the late first round and Clive Walford might be available in the second, both of whom have been frequently mock drafted to the Ravens.

As I have said before, I expect the Ravens to draft a tight end whether they bring in a veteran or not, though a later round pick may be used if Miller is brought in.

Ultimately, this will come down to Zach Miller’s health and how much production the Ravens believe they can get out of him. Personally I think he would be worth an incentive filled contract (though there is a reason I don’t make those decisions) so we will have to wait and see. There have been no reports of interest so far, though there shouldn’t be any need to rush as he doesn’t appear to be going anywhere just yet.

Next: How does Lardarius Webb's new deal stack up?

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