As of now, the Baltimore Ravens are 28th in the NFL in total cap room going into the 2017 season. Per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, Baltimore can more than double its current cap space with a few noteworthy cuts, including Lardarius Webb.
Elvis Dumervil, Shareece Wright, Jeremy Zuttah, Kyle Arrington, Kendrick Lewis, and Webb can all be cut to create $20.3 million in cap space, per Hensley.
Personally, I believe it would be beneficial for Baltimore’s 2017 roster to release each of those players, aside from Webb.
Wright descended through the depth chart as the year went on. Zuttah was the weakest link on the starting offensive line and was prone to penalties. Arrington and Lewis were afterthoughts from the horrendous 2015 secondary.
Dumervil has been a great Baltimore Raven when healthy and on the field. It would be tough to let go a player who is only one sack away from 100, but the Front Office must decide if it can rely on younger, less proven pass rushers going forward.
Webb is the one player on the list who I deem indispensable to the 2017 roster.
Webb and counterpart Eric Weddle started all 16 games side by side in 2016. Weddle is the ultimate team player and a great coach to have running a secondary. Being that it was Webb’s first year playing full time safety in the NFL, Weddle was an asset to Webb’s development.
Webb noticeably became more comfortable in his new position as the year went on, and Weddle played one of the best seasons of his fine career. The safety position was a strong point for the defense throughout the season. Why mess up a good situation between two veterans who have established chemistry, and can only get better?
Cutting Webb would be a mistake, and it would only cause more problems than solutions. Who would replace him? A first-round rookie? Baltimore has multiple holes on the roster already, self-inflicting themselves with another would be counter-productive.
As I stated in a past article, this secondary is one stud away from becoming elite. That’s with the services of Lardarius Webb.