Tyrann Mathieu On Ravens' Radar?
In somewhat of a surprising sequence on Tuesday — some Ravens staffers were surprised by this move, per NFL.com’s Peter Schrager (on Twitter) — Eric Weddle is now a free agent. Although the 34-year-old safety said in January he would retire if he was not part of the 2019 Ravens, he backtracked on that. His stance remains to continue his career, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). On the heels of three Pro Bowl slates in Baltimore, Weddle stands to generate interest as a short-term fix. It will, however, be interesting to see how teams proceed at this position this year — after oddly brushing it aside in 2018. There are far more safeties available this year, giving this the feel of another buyers’ market.
- The Ravens already have several veteran contracts in their secondary, helping explain their reasoning to cut Weddle, but Jason La Canfora tweets they may be interested in Mathieu. Tony Jefferson‘s former back-line mate in Arizona, Mathieu would fit Baltimore’s desire for another playmaker at this position, JLC adds.
Ravens To Release Eric Weddle
The Ravens are following through with a rumored cost-cutting move. They will release Eric Weddle, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
This move will save the team $7.25MM. Weddle was going into the final year of his contract. He is about to join a crowded safety market.
Eric DeCosta was not definitive about keeping Weddle or fellow secondary 30-something Jimmy Smith. Baltimore’s secondary has been one of the NFL’s best during Weddle’s run, and he made three Pro Bowls during his three Ravens seasons. Weddle, 34, said at the offseason’s outset he would retire if he wasn’t a Raven, but the former first-round pick subsequently walked that back.
Tuesday will add Weddle and Landon Collins to the market. Barring pre-free agency deals, they will join Earl Thomas, Adrian Amos, Lamarcus Joyner, Tre Boston, Tyrann Mathieu, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Glover Quin and others in free agency’s deepest position.
Weddle did not miss a game during his Ravens run and combined for 10 interceptions between the 2016-17 seasons. The Ravens, who did not use their franchise tag on C.J. Mosley, will now hold more than $25MM in cap space. Their acclaimed defense may lose multiple big names, however.
Ravens To Meet With Dwayne Allen
Dwayne Allen‘s free agent tour is underway. On Tuesday, the tight end will meet with the Ravens, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Four Teams Interested In Dwayne Allen]
The Ravens looking for blocking tight ends with both Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams scheduled for free agency, so Allen could be a fit. Utilized as more of an offensive weapon in his early days with the Colts, Allen settled into a more blocking-forward role with the Patriots in the last two seasons. Allen could also provide veteran counsel to tight ends Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews, both of whom were selected in last year’s draft.
Allen, 29, recorded just 13 catches for 113 yards and one touchdown in his two seasons with the Patriots. In 2016, his last year with the Colts, he put up 35 catches for 406 yards and six TDs.
Four Teams Interested In Dwayne Allen
A market is already starting to take shape for Dwayne Allen. The Ravens, Bills, Dolphins, and Lions all have interest in meeting with the tight end, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Over the weekend, the Patriots parted ways with the 29-year-old, making him immediately available. The Patriots are open to bringing him back at a cheaper rate, but they might not get that opportunity given the early interest he is receiving.
Allen was set to enter the final year of his contract in 2019 with a base salary of $6.4MM. By cutting him, the Pats saved about $7.3MM in cap room, boosting their total cap space to roughly $25MM.
Allen spent the first six seasons of his career with the Colts before being dealt to the Patriots in 2017. After having compiled at least 350 receiving yards in three of his five healthy seasons, the 2012 third-rounder didn’t play as much of a role in the offense in New England.
In 29 games (16 starts), Allen only hauled in 13 receptions for 113 yards and one score. Allen also appeared in each of the Patriots’ six playoff games during that span, but he didn’t record a reception in those contests. While Allen has earned some recent praise for his blocking prowess, Pro Football Focus ranked him just 65th among 70 eligible tight ends in 2018.
Ravens Will Not Tag C.J. Mosley
If the Ravens and C.J. Mosley are unable to reach an extension agreement by the time free agency opens March 13, they may risk losing him.
The team will not use its franchise tag on the sixth-year linebacker, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This is not surprising, considering the tag system groups all linebackers together. Both edge defenders and off-ball ‘backers, despite their disparate values on the true market, both would receive $15.443MM if tagged. Mosley’s talents notwithstanding, that appears to be an untenable number for the Ravens.
New GM Eric DeCosta said in February he believed Mosley would be back in Baltimore next season. The parties have begun contract talks, but time is running out on the Ravens’ exclusive negotiation window. Mosley can begin talking to other teams March 11, when the legal tampering period begins.
Mosley, 26, is a perennial Pro Bowler, having been four times, and has anchored Baltimore’s linebacking corps for years. He is a three-down linebacker who stands to do well in free agency, if he ends up reaching the market. The Ravens have allowed plenty of impact defenders to leave via free agency in recent years, but they have done well to keep their cornerstone players. Mosley profiles as such, so the next several days will be interesting.
Jamie Collins‘ $12.5MM-per-year deal remains the top of the non-rush linebacker hierarchy, with Luke Kuechly‘s contract residing just below that. With Kuechly’s extension having occurred years ago and Collins not living up to his pact, Mosley can argue — in a $188MM-capped year — a case to be the game’s highest-paid off-ball ‘backer. But the Ravens are not notorious, their Joe Flacco deal notwithstanding, for these kind of accords. Teams in need of linebacking help are surely monitoring this situation.
Ravens Waive RB Alex Collins
The Ravens announced that they have waived running back Alex Collins. The move comes hours after Collins was arrested in connection with a Friday morning car crash. 
[RELATED: Ravens’ Nick Boyle Has 20 Teams Interested]
Collins, 25 in August, enjoyed a breakout season in 2017, but was something of an afterthought in 2018. After averaging 4.6 yards per carry as Baltimore’s lead back in 2017, he let down Ravens fans and fantasy players everywhere with a 3.6 yards per carry season. Now, the Ravens are moving forward with Gus Edwards as their lead back and Collins will try to hook on elsewhere.
Collins was unlikely to receive even the lowest possible tender from the Ravens, so the transaction effectively gives him an early jump on free agency. The rest of the league’s available players will not be free to sign until March 13.
Ravens' Nick Boyle Has 20 Teams Interested
- Ravens free agent tight end Nick Boyle has almost 20 teams interested in his services, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com. Boyle doesn’t quite light up a stat sheet, but he has blossomed into one of the league’s best blocking tight ends. The high level of interest in Boyle jibes with what Pauline has heard about this year’s draft – this year’s best TEs are likely to be overdrafted.
Ravens’ Alex Collins Arrested
Ravens running back Alex Collins was arrested early Friday morning after a car accident, (via Sarah Meehan and Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun). Police say Collins crashed his car into a tree roughly a mile away from the Ravens’ facility. 
Collins, 25 in August, was already in limbo this season as a restricted free agent. There were doubts that Collins would even receive a low-round RFA tender, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweets, and this latest incident could seal his exit.
Collins was a fifth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2016 but was a roster casualty prior to the 2017 season. After that, he hooked on with the Ravens, and his future looked bright. As the Ravens’ top back, Collins racked up 973 yards off of 212 carries (4.6 yards per carry) and six rushing touchdowns. He also added 23 catches for 187 yards in that season. His follow up, however, was less impressive. Collins averaged just 3.6 yards per attempt across ten games and slid down the depth chart.
The Ravens now plan on using Gus Edwards as their top tailback after he managed 5.2 yards per carry in a limited sample last season. Collins, meanwhile, will probably wind up elsewhere.
AFC North Notes: Brown, Ravens, Johnson
The Steelers‘ plan remains to trade Antonio Brown. But Kevin Colbert reiterated they will not pull the trigger if they do not believe the compensation is appropriate.
“We will only make a trade if it benefits the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Colbert said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. “He knows that. His representation knows that. That’s been clearly explained, and we’re willing to take a look. If there’s something that can be done to benefit both sides, great. If not, then we’ll deal with that when we get to it.”
Pittsburgh still wants to trade Brown to the NFC, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets the organization is prioritizing compensation over a preferred destination. Colbert said an intra-division trade is not ideal but did not put the Bengals, Browns or Ravens as non-starter suitors, saying “we haven’t eliminated anybody” from the trade picture. Colbert added more teams have reached out, which makes sense with all 32 teams in Indianapolis for the Combine. The Steelers would seemingly prefer to deal Brown before March 17, when his $2.5MM bonus is due, but Colbert said (via Pro Football Talk, on Twitter) the team is open to paying him the bonus and trading him later.
Here is the latest from the AFC North:
- New Ravens GM Eric DeCosta has said the team wants C.J. Mosley back, and a report indicated they also want to re-sign Terrell Suggs for a 17th season. DeCosta on Wednesday said he expects Brandon Carr to stay put. However, the new front office boss was not as certain on Jimmy Smith and Eric Weddle joining Carr in the 2019 Baltimore secondary, Jeff Zreibec of The Athletic tweets. Carr, who will be 33 in May, is due $7MM. Weddle, 34, has one season left on his four-year deal. It would save the Ravens $7.5MM by cutting him. After indicating he would want to retire if the Ravens didn’t want him back, Weddle recently changed his tune. Smith is just 30, and a release would cost the Ravens more than $6MM. But they could save $9MM-plus by making him a cap casualty. Baltimore currently holds barely $20MM in cap space.
- With Kareem Hunt now in the fold, the Browns‘ backfield is crowded. Nick Chubb will likely be the Cleveland starter for much of this season, with Hunt in line for a suspension that could comprise more than half of the 2019 season. Duke Johnson remains, too, and although he has done his best work in the passing game, Freddie Kitchens said (via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, on Twitter) the team is not planning to move its passing-down back to wide receiver.
- The Bengals refuted a report that they are trying to deal 2017 first-rounder John Ross.
Ravens Want Terrell Suggs Back
The Ravens are interested in bringing Terrell Suggs back for the 2019 season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Suggs is intent on playing for a 17th season, so it could be a matter of time before the two sides agree to a new deal. 
[RELATED: Ravens To Release WR Michael Crabtree]
Suggs is 36, but he has plenty left in the tank. Last year, Suggs recorded seven sacks, bringing his career total to 132.5. In the previous year, Suggs finished out with eleven sacks, leading to his seventh-career Pro Bowl nod.
Down the stretch of the season, Suggs claimed he wasn’t dwelling on his future in Baltimore. Still, it’s hard to picture him in any other uniform.
“Nah, there’s a lot of things that are always a possibility,” Suggs said. “You can’t really harp on the negative. It possibly could but that hasn’t crossed my mind like, ‘Oh my God.’ We’ve got business to handle. We’ll cross every bridge when it’s time to come there.”
The time to handle that business will likely be this week at the combine.