Many players will be looking for a new home after next week’s round of salary-cap casualties, which ones will the Baltimore Ravens be looking at?
ESPN reporter Dianna Russini recently tweeted out a message she received from an unnamed NFL head coach, that message stated
"“It’s going to be a massacre next week all around the league.”"
This is of course in regards to what we expect will be a massive trend around the NFL of teams doing their best to lighten the load on their wallets.”
Although we did learn recently that the upcoming league salary cap will be higher than the initially agreed-upon $175 million, it still means that teams will be forced to make some tough decisions on players who still have something left in the tank.
We’ve already seen this begin with the likes of Kyle Rudolph and Golden Tate among others in recent days, so let’s take a look at a few players who may find themselves looking for work next week, and donning the purple and black shortly thereafter.
Philadelphia Eagles TE Zach Ertz
We’ll start with a player who’s been the subject of potential trade talks amongst the Flock since the middle of last season, Zach Ertz. Ertz is coming off of what was by far his worst season as a pro, only amassing 335 yards on 36 catches in 11 games.
The truth is, with all of the turmoil that surrounded the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2020 season (most notably at the QB position), it’s no surprise that Ertz had such a down year when combined with a lingering high ankle sprain.
While some people may be upset with the Ravens investing a noteworthy contract at tight end instead of a wide receiver, let us not forget the success of the 2019 season. A season in which a large part of Lamar Jackson winning MVP was due to the arsenal the Ravens had at that position.
Ertz was one of the models of consistency league-wide before this season, and pairing him with Andrews would give defensive coordinators fits if he returns to form. The Ravens could hit pay dirt by striking when this iron isn’t as hot as it used to be.