3:00pm: The Ravens have officially released Leach and McClain, according to the team (Twitter link). GM Ozzie Newsome left the door open for their potential returns, calling Leach and McClain “our types of players” (Twitter link).
1:59pm: In a cap-clearing move, the Ravens will release fullback Vonta Leach and linebacker Jameel McClain, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). According to Zrebiec, the cuts aren’t official yet, but should be soon.
Both players had been entering the final year of their respective contracts in 2014. Leach’s cap number of $2.33MM will become $580K in dead money, creating $1.75MM in cap savings for the club. The room created by cutting McClain will be even more significant — the Ravens will turn his $4.4MM cap hit into $1.2MM in dead money, for $3.2MM in savings.
Leach wasn’t a significant part of the Ravens’ offense in 2013, seeing action in just 230 snaps, including nine in the last three weeks of the regular season. McClain, who renegotiated his contract last August, missed the first few weeks of 2013 while recovering from a spinal injury, then saw part-time action in 10 games. The longtime Raven’s performance over the course of 376 snaps ranked him 34th among 55 qualified inside linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required). Baltimore has interest in re-signing McClain at a lower rate, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
The cuts will create a little more wiggle room as the Ravens attempt to re-sign high-priority free agents, such as tight end Dennis Pitta and left tackle Eugene Monroe.