Well, it looks like my prediction is coming true, the Baltimore Ravens don’t look like they will be using the franchise tag:
The Baltimore Ravens have a lot of work to do this offseason but applying a franchise tag will not be on their to do list:
John Harbaugh said the franchise tag is not in play for Brandon Williams or any other Ravens FA
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) March 1, 2017
This really shouldn’t be surprising news. The Ravens top two free agents are a right tackle and a run stuffing nose tackle. The franchise tag would overpay either player. While the Ravens would love to keep them, neither player is replaceable. The franchise tag just doesn’t make any sense this season, which the Ravens are wise enough to understand.
In an ideal world, the Ravens would never have to use the franchise tag. The tag offers a very steep price to the player in question for one year. It’s a desperation mode method of keeping a star player who’d rather hit the open market or have a long-term deal. The Ravens have to free cap space up to go after free agents. They can’t have a huge cap figure to retain Williams or Wagner.
Using The Franchise Tag Would Be Bad Math:
According to Sportrac.com the highest cap hit for an offensive lineman goes to Trent Williams of the Washington Redskins. His cap hit is over $15 million. Joe Thomas ranks at number five at $11.5 million. To franchise tag Wagner, he would get the average of the top 5 salaries of NFL offensive linemen. Anyone who thinks Wagner is worth that much has a very tough argument to make.
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Wagner is a right tackle. He is not a left tackle and he should not be paid like one. If there is a free agent that could get dramatically over paid it’s Wagner. When the market is this thin at offensive tackle, everything looks more appealing.
Firehouse Subs is the best for subs but when you don’t have it as an option, it’s a battle between Subway and Quizno’s. The second best option all the sudden looks pretty good. Wagner is the Subway of the free agency market. Instead of chicken that looks like plastic, you’re getting a tackle you definitely want to keep on the right.
Again, we look at Sportrac.com to give us some insight on the cap hits for defensive tackles. The top cap hit for a defensive tackle is the Miami Dolphins’ Ndamukong Suh. That’s over $19 million people. The fifth highest is Kawann Short which is over $13 million. That kind of cap hit is just not something the Ravens can sign up for, to retain Brandon Williams for one season. The Ravens are not exactly lacking on the defensive line. They can live without Williams, who doesn’t rush the passer much.
The Bottom Line:
The Ravens went 8-8 last season. I would rather the team spend money on things they didn’t have then things they already have. The playoffs are the goal. Bringing in a Terrelle Pryor or a Tony Jefferson could really make a difference. Signing Williams would be nice, but Michael Pierce is a suitable plan B.
Next: Baltimore Ravens Free Agency: Top 5 Cornerback Targets
The Ravens are wise not to use the franchise tag. It doesn’t behoove them to use the franchise tag in any of it’s forms. I just want to say, that I called it. Stay locked in to Ebony Bird for all your Ravens coverage. It is an exciting time of year. The NFL Combine, free agency looming and the draft in the near future, it really creates a buzz. We have you covered.