Ravens Notes: Aiken, Guy
Defensive lineman Lawrence Guy has completed his visit with the Patriots and will continue taking meetings with other clubs, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). The Ravens, meanwhile, would still like to re-sign Guy, but their overall level of interest is unclear. PFR ranked Guy as the No. 12 interior defender heading into the free agent period.
- Three teams are interested in free agent wide receiver Kamar Aiken, tweets La Canfora (although he doesn’t identify the clubs). Aiken, 27, managed only 29 receptions for the Ravens in 2016 after putting up 75 catches the year prior.
Contract Details: Bennett, Bouye, Branch
Let’s take a look at the details of some recently-signed free agent contracts:
- Martellus Bennett, TE (Packers): Three years, $20.25MM. $6.3MM guaranteed. Base salaries of $900K, $3.6MM, $5.65MM. $2MM roster bonus due on first day of 2018 league year. $600K in annual per-game roster bonuses. $$250K annual workout bonus (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
- A.J. Bouye, CB (Jaguars): Five years, $65MM. $26MM guaranteed. $10MM signing bonus. Base salaries of $3MM, $13MM, $13MM, $13MM, $13MM. $500K annual workout bonus (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Alan Branch, DT (Patriots): Two years, $8.45MM. $3MM guaranteed. $2MM signing bonus. Annual $400K workout and weight bonus of $400K each. $3.55MM available via not-likely-to-be-earned incentives (link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com).
- Ted Ginn, WR (Saints): Three years, $11MM. $3MM guaranteed. $3MM signing bonus. Base salaries of $2MM, $3MM, $2.5MM. 2018 $500K roster bonus. $500,000 aviailve vie playtime, catches incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Tanner Purdum, LS (Jets): One year, $980K. $400K guaranteed (Twitter link via Dennis Waszak Jr. of the Associated Press).
- Brandon Williams, DT (Ravens): Five years, $52.5MM. $27.5MM guaranteed. $12.5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun).
- Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB (Falcons): One year, $775K (minimum salary) (Twitter link via Wilson).
Ravens, Dennis Pitta Restructure Deal
Dennis Pitta will be sticking around Baltimore. NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets that the veteran tight end has restructured his deal with the Ravens. We learned earlier this week that the organization had approached Pitta about taking a pay cut.
Pitta, 32 in June, was set to carry a hefty $5.5MM cap number in 2017. Last offseason, the tight end had restructured his deal, cutting his salary from $5MM to $1MM (he ultimately earned another $3MM in incentives).
The seven-year veteran had the best season of his career in 2016. He set career-highs in receptions (86) and receiving yards (729), and he hauled in a pair of touchdowns. The former fourth-rounder has spent his entire career in Baltimore, playing in 66 career games. Between 2013 and 2015, the veteran only took the field for seven contests.
It’s uncertain if the Ravens would have cut Pitta had they not agreed to an extension. The team is loaded at tight end with a depth chart that also features Ben Watson, Maxx Williams, Crockett Gillmore, Nick Boyle, and Darren Waller.
Ravens Re-Sign Anthony Levine Sr.
The Ravens have re-signed special teams ace Anthony Levine Sr. to a three-year deal, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
The former undrafted free agent has turned into one of Baltimore’s most reliable special team players since joining the organization in 2012. The 29-year-old hasn’t missed a game over the past four seasons, and he has 66 career games under his belt. In 2016, he finished with 11 tackles and one pass defended.
The veteran has served mostly as a reserve safety during his tenure in Baltimore, but he also started three games at cornerback in 2014. Defensive coordinator Dean Pees even experimented with playing Levine at linebacker last preseason. Besides his special teams prowess, the team clearly values his versatility.
Levine will presumably continue in this role next season, serving as the primary backup to Eric Weddle and Tony Jefferson.
Ravens To Cut Lardarius Webb
The Ravens are releasing defensive back Lardarius Webb, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). We heard earlier this week that the Ravens were likely to part ways with the fan favorite.
By cutting one of their longest-tenured players, Baltimore will save $5.5MM in cap room. Webb, 31, is being displaced after the team’s high-priced signing of former Arizona safety Tony Jefferson. Jefferson is several years younger, but the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus were nearly as high on Webb as they were on Jefferson last year. Webb was PFF’s No. 15 ranked safety, Jefferson placed in fifth.
Webb has spent his entire eight-year career in Baltimore, until today. In total, he has appeared in 111 games with 82 starts. Last season, the defender finished with 73 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in 16 games (16 starts).
The Ravens will surely be looking for additional help at the position, as the team is currently rostering only a pair of safeties in Jefferson and Eric Weddle.
Ravens Re-Sign DT Brandon Williams
The Ravens are keeping one of their top free agents in Baltimore. Defensive tackle Brandon Williams is re-signing with the team, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a five-year deal, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. The pact is worth $54MM, including $27MM in guarantees, which makes Williams the highest-paid nose tackle in the NFL, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Earlier Thursday, it was said that Williams’ agent was only working on a contract with the Ravens, though the Titans later found a way to get involved. The overtures from Tennessee didn’t work – Williams, 26, is sticking with the only team he’s ever known in the NFL and is in line to remain in Baltimore through his prime seasons.
Williams entered the league as a third-round pick in 2013 and has since totaled 55 appearances and 46 starts in Baltimore. Last year was the third straight 16-game campaign for Williams, who also started all of the Ravens’ contests for the second season in a row and ranked 39th in performance among Pro Football Focus‘ 127 qualified D-linemen.
Williams joins safety Tony Jefferson as the second major signing on the defensive side of the ball during this free agency period for the Ravens. After finishing an excellent sixth in defensive DVOA last season, the club also has free agent cornerback Morris Claiborne on its radar.
Contract Details: Garcon, Baker, Klein, Jones
Let’s take a look at some details of the free agent contracts signed today:
- Chris Baker, DL (Buccaneers): Three years, $15.75MM. $9MM guaranteed. $1MM in sack incentives each season (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post).
- Jack Crawford, DL (Falcons): Three years, $10.3MM. $3.75MM in 2017 (Twitter link via Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com).
- Pierre Garcon, WR (49ers): Two years, $23MM. $17MM guaranteed. Options for 2019 ($6MM), 2020 ($8.9MM), and 2021 ($9.6MM) (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
- Landry Jones, QB (Steelers): Two years, $4.4MM. $600K signing bonus (Twitter link via Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com).
- A.J. Klein, LB (Saints): Four years, $24MM. $4MM signing bonus. $9.4MM guaranteed. 2020 season will void Klein is on Saints roster on last day of 2019 league year (via Nick Underhill of the Advocate).
- Jeff Locke, P (Colts): Two years, $3.45MM. $1.25MM guaranteed (Twitter links via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com and Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star).
- Ryan Mallett, QB (Ravens): One year, $2MM. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- Akeem Spence, DL (Lions): Three years, $9MM. $3.5MM guaranteed. $1MM available via escalators (Twitter link via Peliserro).
- D.J. Swearinger, S (Redskins): Three years, $13.5MM. $9MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Kinkhabwala).
Ravens Pick Up Mike Wallace’s Option
Mike Wallace will be back in Baltimore next season. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports (via Twitter) that the Ravens have picked up the veteran’s $8MM club option.
The 30-year-old’s first season in Baltimore was one of his most productive campaigns in years. Following a down season in Minnesota, Wallace finished 2016 with 72 receptions, 1,017 yards, and four touchdowns. The veteran proved to be one of Joe Flacco‘s preferred targets, as Wallace, Steve Smith, and Dennis Pitta were the lone offensive options to finish with more than 100 targets.
With Smith set to retire, the Ravens would have been lacking wide receiver depth had they declined Wallace’s option. The veteran sits atop the team’s depth chart, followed by Breshad Perriman, Chris Moore, and Vince Mayle. The team also has a trio of exclusive restricted free agent wideouts in Michael Campanaro, Chris Matthews, and Keenan Reynolds.
Ravens RB Kenneth Dixon Suspended
The NFL has suspended Ravens running back Kenneth Dixon four games for violating the league’s policy on PEDS, tweets Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun.
Dixon, a fourth-round pick in last year’s draft, was part of a committee backfield employed by the Ravens in 2016. Dixon was the less-used part of that rotation, however, as he managed only 88 carries on the season. The 23-year-old put up 4.3 yards per carry on those touches, and also added 30 receptions.
Baltimore agreed to sign running back Danny Woodhead to a three-year deal today, and he’ll presumably handle much of that work that would’ve been assigned to Dixon.
Ravens To Sign Danny Woodhead
The Ravens will sign running back Danny Woodhead, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, adding Woodhead is now fully healthy after suffering a torn ACL during the 2016 season. It’s a three-year deal for Woodhead, tweets Michael Gehlken.
Woodhead, PFR’s No. 10 running back, was pursued by at least two other clubs in recent days, the Chargers and the Broncos. Despite spending the past four seasons with the Bolts, Woodhead is opting to head east for Baltimore. In sum, Woodhead’s decision may have simply come down to money, as freelance reporter Michael Gehlken reports (Twitter link) the Ravens “came strong” with an offer despite the interest from Los Angeles and Denver.
In Baltimore, Woodhead will join a backfield that ranked 21st in rushing DVOA and is currently manned by Terrance West (who received an original round RFA tender this week), Kenneth Dixon, Javorius Allen, and Lorenzo Taliaferro. If he is truly recovered, Woodhead looks like the easy favorite for third-down work in a Ravens offense that increasingly relied on the short passing attack in 2016.
Receiving prowess has always been Woodhead’s strong point, as the 32-year-old has managed more than 30 receptions four times, and twice gone over 75 catches. He’s been serviceable on the ground, as well, and could carve out a true rushing role in a Ravens offense that lacks a No. 1 RB threat. Injuries, however, have ruined two of Woodhead’s past four campaigns, as a broken fibula wiped out 2014 while the aforementioned ACL injury sidelined him last year.