When a team contemplates parting ways with a veteran player, mostly over salary-cap considerations, it bases the decision on several fundamental questions.
Are we getting enough bang for our buck from the guy? Can we get by without him? Is there a younger, cheaper alternative?
The Ravens, like every team, are asking those questions about a handful of veterans before March 9, when the NFL's financial calendar re-starts, a new cap takes effect and free agency opens. Some teams have already made "cap cuts" and I'm guessing the Ravens will chime in with their own at some point. They have a lot of needs and a relatively tight cap situation. They need to clear some space so they can go shopping.
Philosophically, I have no problem with them being aggressive. Eight of their 10 biggest projected cap hits for 2017 belong to players who are at least 30. That wouldn't be an issue if the players formed a winning nucleus, but the Ravens missed the playoffs for the third time in four years in 2016. Sounds like a rationale for change.
Of course, philosophy is one thing and reality is another. Every potential cut needs to be examined individually, always with those fundamental questions in mind.
It's easy to predict what might happen with some players. After hearing Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti criticize cornerback Shareece Wright at the end-of-season press conference in January, Wright, due to make $5.33 million in 2017, according to Spotrac, certainly appears vulnerable.
Wright was guilty of "playing poorly" and that "really set us back," Bisciotti said. Ouch. When the guy signing your checks says that, and it's out of character for him to call out any player publicly, you probably should get your resume in order.
Bisciotti also confirmed the team is weighing what to do about Elvis Dumervil, 33, an elite player who was limited by an injury in 2016.
"We're going to have to project whether he can get back to what he is," Bisciotti said.
Lardarius Webb is another tough call. He switched to safety in 2016, started slowly and performed better later. Now he's projected to be the team's seventh-highest-paid player in 2017. Those are classic "hmm" circumstances, but the Ravens don't have a younger alternative ready. I'm guessing they're seeing if he'll negotiate a pay cut – another common outcome.
Players who didn't suit up at all in 2016, such as cornerback Kyle Arrington, or players whose roles were reduced, such as safety Kendrick Lewis, would appear vulnerable. But some potential cuts become really tough when you ask those fundamental questions. Take wide receiver Mike Wallace, for example.
His first season in Baltimore went well, but the offense still sputtered and now he's due to earn $8 million in 2017, which would make him the team's fifth-highest-paid player. Meanwhile, he'll turn 31 during training camp. Almost any player in that situation becomes a potential cap casualty, especially if his team really needs to clear space, as the Ravens do.
Yet the idea of the Ravens proceeding without Wallace becomes daunting when you ask those fundamental questions.
Are the Ravens getting enough bang for their buck from him? I would say yes. Wallace caught 72 passes for 1,017 yards in 2016, with four of those receptions going for touchdowns. His 95-yard TD catch against the Steelers on Nov. 6 was the key play in the Ravens' biggest win of the season. That's a solid performance.
Can the Ravens get by without him? Quite possibly not. Steve Smith Sr. has retired. Kamar Aiken is a free agent. If Wallace also departs, that would leave still-developing Breshad Perriman as the only returning wide receiver among the Ravens' top four. That's a precarious situation. I expect the Ravens to add another veteran at the position, but it might not be a top-of-the-corps guy.
Is there a younger, cheaper way for the Ravens to replicate what they got from Wallace in 2016? I'm not sure there is. And hey, if you're already so short on offensive playmakers that you're turning over rocks in search of new ones, it's probably not a good idea to get rid of arguably the best one you already have.
I know the Ravens aren't lying awake at night awaiting my advice, but holding on to Wallace seems like the way to go.
