Four Ravens Who Won't Be on the Roster by Week 1

It’s unlikely the Ravens make any seismic cuts before the start of the season unless they make some serious acquisitions from outside the organization to push someone down the depth chart.

They have more than ample cap space to operate for a change, but are spending way more money that owner Steve Bisciotti is accustomed to, and so saving a few million here or there before the regular season wouldn’t be shocking. And while we believe there is some serious risk paying Marlon Humphrey $19.25M this season, it’s also hard to see them playing hardball with him and moving off him having already doled out a $4M roster bonus.

But especially if they do at least sign a legit center in free agency, or maybe add a pass rusher or pass catcher, then parting with some expensive depth could be in order, and some recent draft picks who have yet to breakthrough as regular contributors have reached a point in their rookie deals where it might be time to move on.

G Andrew Vorhees

This team has a lot of money tied up in the guard spot after not really paying anyone to play it for years. Vega Ioane and John Simpson aren’t cheap, and Vorhees couldn’t stick when given the change to start and paying him $3.7M as a backup you really don’t hope sees the field feels a little rich. It would be one thing if he was trusted to snap the ball and man multiple positions in a pinch.

LB Trenton Simpson

At a very similar point to Vorhees, making almost the same salary. Both were in essence given starting jobs,, or very close to it, and neither could hold it down. Both struggled to the point where alternatives were preferred and more draft capital and/or cash was thrown into their positions.

When your payroll gets this high, there is some pressure to trim fat where you can and if Simpson looks like he’s going to be primarily a special teams guy then you take a late-round pick for him if you can get it and put that nearly $4M to use somewhere else, where it’s needed.

DT Broderick Washington

Yes, you take on some dead cap by letting him go, but you save $4M cash and cash is king. He’s carrying the 11th-highest cap hit on the team as it is. He’s been beat up and not nearly as effective as he once was and they can get some value out of early-down run-stuffer John Jenkins at the end of his career.

Every evaluator I’ve talked to this offseason loves Ravens late-round selection Rayshaun Benny and thinks he will see the field. Adding Calais Campbell to the mix means another 400 or so snaps along the defensive line there. And if Nnamdi Madubuike shows he can be back for the start of the season – obviously a big if coming off neck surgery – then signs could point even more to making a change here.

C Jovaughn Gwyn

This would only be saving a million bucks or so, and they did just bring him in, but this is a veteran who has barely players football. He has ties to run game coordinator Dwayne Ledford from their time together in Atlanta but if he doesn’t win the starting job (and he shouldn’t) then I don’t know that he sticks, They gave fell free agent Danny Pinter more money, and cutting Pinter would incur a $1.5M cap hit, and he has been a super-sub of sorts in his career prior with the Colts.

Feels like if Gwyn isn’t good enough to be their center he might be an odd-man out entirely. And they better get real about the center spot.

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