After spending all of his nine-year career in San Diego, safety Eric Weddle will be searching for a new home this off-season. Most know about what happened back in December, when Weddle stayed out at halftime of what would be the final game at Qualcomm Stadium against the Miami Dolphins, to watch his own daughter perform. Weddle was fined $10,000 by the Chargers, his own team, for his actions.
Weddle came out publicly and made it known that he was “furious” with the Chargers. Many, including myself believe this is one of the most ridiculous reasons for fining a player. Weddle came out last month and stated “I probably won’t speak to them (the Chargers) again.” The Baltimore Ravens could be interested in bring in Weddle, as they are in desperate need of help in the secondary.
Weddle isn’t the biggest guy, at 5 foot 11, and weighing 200 pounds (most of that weight comes from his beard) but he does play a solid game. in 137 career games, The 31-year-old safety has 850 combined tackles, 682 total tackles, and 182 assisted tackles in his career. Weddle has also snagged 19 interceptions in his career, which is nothing to write home about. However given a change of scenery, Weddle’s numbers could rise.
Weddle may not be cheap however, he made big bucks in San Diego and had a fairly big cap hit. The Ravens don’t have a lot of cap room, and they certainly aren’t looking to spend most what they do have on one single player. Given his age, Weddle may not be seeking as much money in the open market, and could take a pay cut to come to a contender.
From Eric Weddle to Eli Apple, Steelers will explore all options at DB https://t.co/zzHXd2wKgz
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 10, 2016
News recently broke that the Pittsburgh Steelers will take a long, hard look at signing Weddle, which would be bad news for the rest of the AFC North. If the Ravens have the opportunity to acquire a great safety and rob the Steelers all in the same move, it’s worth it.
Weddle is a stand up guy, he’s a great safety, and he’s loved by his teammates. Weddle is a “family first” kind of guy, and when he’s on the field he’s a hardworking safety. Weddle is the kind of player the Ravens love to have, and he could certainly help mentor Matt Elam, a young Baltimore safety that could use a little bit of guidance on and off the field.
Weddle would add consistency to the Ravens secondary, which is something they were without this season. Consistency is key on defense and the Ravens don’t currently have anyone back there that would provide the same type of stability Weddle can. If the Ravens can make a little more cap room, GM Ozzie Newsome should absolutely look into bringing Weddle to Baltimore.
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The odds of Weddle becoming a Raven are currently not that likely, due to the amount of cap space. I would keep an eye on him in free agency though, as it would not surprise me if the Ravens spent a little more to add Weddle. He would absolutely be worth every penny.