BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 31: Wide receiver Tyler Boyd #83 of the Cincinnati Bengals rushes with the ball after making a catch in front of cornerback Brandon Carr #24 and free safety Eric Weddle #32 of the Baltimore Ravens to score the game winning touchdown at M&T Bank Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The Baltimore Ravens didn’t apply the franchise tag to C.J. Mosley and then in a shocking move released Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle.
The Baltimore Ravens have begun making preparations for free agency by trimming the fat of a couple of their star players. The team has elected to not use the franchise tag on linebacker C.J. Mosley, which makes him a free agent.
The Ravens continued their roster purge with the shocking release of Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle, according to Ian Rapoport.
Weddle’s release could be seen as a measure to open up some more money to re-sign Mosley. The loss of Weddle, who previously said he’d retire before playing for another team besides the Ravens, remains a productive player and a trusted leader and veteran presence. He didn’t have an interception for only the second time in his career and he did have a career-low three passes defended. However, Weddle only allowed a total of 111 yards in coverage all season, according to Pro Football Focus.
According to Over The Cap, the Ravens will save $7.5 million in cap space by cutting the 12-year veteran out of Utah who started every game in his three-tenure with Baltimore. The defense is now missing two incumbent elite starters. The only question is what the motive is behind letting Mosley and Weddle walk?
The Ravens have $26 million in cap space. They could easily allocate that space to retaining Mosley and try to find a younger, cheaper option at safety. It would make sense to choose Mosley over Weddle just based off age.
The trajectory of Mosley is still pointing up and it would go against team history of letting their stars walk after their rookie contract. Expect the Ravens to try and bring Mosley back. A younger replacement for Weddle could be free agent Tyrann Mathieu who turns 27 in May and is coming off an 89-tackle season where he started all 16 games for the Houston Texans.