Baltimore Ravens sign Jeremy Zuttah on two-year deal
By Joe Schiller
The Baltimore Ravens have brought back center Jeremy Zuttah on a two-year deal. Zuttah started all 16 games for the Ravens last season
Just over five months since being traded to the San Francisco 49ers, Jeremy Zuttah is coming back to Baltimore.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Ravens are signing Zuttah to two-year deal worth up to $6 million. To make room for Zuttah, the Ravens have waived wide receiver Kenny Bell.
The #Ravens have signed C Jeremy Zuttah to a 2-year deal worth nearly $4M base and a max of $6M with playtime, source said. Fills a big need
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 18, 2017
Zuttah was a consistent starter on the Ravens offensive line last season. He started all 16 games and earned a spot in the Pro Bowl.
Before people get upset about this move, you have to step back and think. The Ravens had to make a move to add depth on the offensive line. There’s really wasn’t much option on the free agent market and Zuttah is the best fit for the team right now. He’s familiar with Marty Mornhinweg’s offensive system and shouldn’t take long to transition back into things. The Ravens could very well still make another move, but signing Zuttah is certainly justified.
Now the debate comes when figuring out where Zuttah fits on the offensive line. Is he the Ravens starting center or does he come in strictly for depth?
I look at it this way. If Ozzie and the Ravens were so confident about Zuttah being the starting center this season, they wouldn’t have traded him away in the first place. Instead, they shipped him to the 49ers and swapped sixth round picks in the process. While there, Zuttah couldn’t even crack the starting lineup and was cut in favor of Daniel Kilgore, a fifth round pick in 2011. And let’s keep in mind, the 49ers don’t have an offensive line to boast about. Coming into this season they have rank as one of the worst units according to Pro Football Focus.
From what we’ve seen from Ryan Jensen this preseason, you have to feel relatively confident. He plays with tenacity and has held his own up front.
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Bringing in Zuttah helps for depth, but I can’t see him as a starter at this point. At 31, he’s an insurance policy to bring in to a unit that is in desperate need of depth this season.