This offseason will likely be about getting Lamar Jackson the help he deserves. Last year, that's what Baltimore Ravens fans thought the team was doing.
But, as we saw over the course of this past season, the Ravens didn't do nearly enough. Wide receiver was still an issue. Running back was a revolving door. Jackson did not have enough help.
The problem, though, is that the Ravens will have to accomplish this without a whole lot of cap space to start the new league year.
The Ravens are one of the teams hovering just above the 2024 salary cap, with just over $7 million in cap space right now, per Over the Cap. Because of that, Baltimore might have to make some key moves to free up some additional space.
Ravens salary cap expert Brian McFarland recently spoke on Glenn Clark Radio about some potential moves the team could make, and one of them, in particular, might hurt.
.@RavensSalaryCap expects Patrick Ricard to be cut: "That's $4 mil in savings. He's a guy in the last year of his deal. He can get $4 mil somewhere else so I don't think he'll take a pay cut. He and Tyus Bowser are the most in jeopardy I'd say." #Ravens
— Glenn Clark (@GlennClarkRadio) February 5, 2024
Cutting Patrick Ricard might be necessary, but the Ravens would miss him.
The full back position isn't one that's often used by many teams in today's NFL, but Patrick Ricard is one of the best in the league. He is such a valuable piece to this offense and can be overlooked on many occasions.
Ricard has earned himself a Pro Bowl nod four times over his entire NFL career spent in Baltimore, which began back in 2017. He's become an elite pass blocker, is effective in the run game and lead bocking, and can even catch the ball on occasion.
He's one of those guys who operates fairly silently, but makes a big impact doing the little things. Ravens fans know this well.
Here are the numbers re: Ricard's cap situation with the Ravens:
Cut Pre-June 1: $4 million
Extension: $2.2 million in savings
Could he be extended with the Ravens still saving a bit of cash? Sure. But, according to the above report, it seems like he's going to be cut.
For the sake of covering that report entirely, too, linebacker Tyus Bowser seems to be a cut candidate as well. If the Ravens decided to cut Bowser with a. Pre-June 1 designation, they would save $5.5 million. If Baltimore extended Bowser, they'd save $3.5 million this year.
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