Could defensive end Chris Canty get cut?

Defensive End Chris Canty had a rough 2013 season and many fans expect him to be on the cut list soon. But that is far from a definite.

Canty was signed at the beginning of the 2013 season, coming from the New York Giants after being released in a salary cap move based on his production. After starting in 13 games for the Ravens, Canty had a total of 30 tackles and 2 sacks to go with 4 passes defensed and 2 forced fumbles. While his stats arent awful, Canty didnt live up to expectations for a starting defensive end in the Ravens' defense and was labeled as a bit of a disappointment.

With the Ravens drafting a few players for the defensive line back in April, most fans have assumed that Canty is going to be cut and replaced with a young player. While his $3.16 million salary cap hit this season could help see Canty out the door, the Ravens value veteran rotational depth on the defensive line that has been hit with injuries over the years.

With Kapron Lewis-Moore and Brent Urban as Canty's main competition, the Ravens will clearly want to wait until training camp to see if they feel confident enough in either player to cut Canty. While Lewis-Moore and Urban are both sleeper picks to perform exceptionally well this season, neither is remotely proven players and likely both have weaknesses to their game that the Ravens aren't fully aware of yet.

That leaves Canty on the inside currently and unless he has a terrible preseason or the young players below him have a terrific preseason, it is more likely that Canty plays for the Ravens in 2014 only to be replaced in the starting lineup as the season and either Urban or Lewis-Moore progresses. In that situation, Canty is likely cut next offseason when his cap hit is $3.33 million with very little dead money, making him a much easier candidate to be released.

However, if Canty is going to be released from the team this year, it will likely be one of the last cuts to be made while the Ravens ensure that they have someone to replace him. As preseasons progresses, keep an eye out on Canty's performance and the transaction list around the last preseason game for his name.