Ravens Nest: Bad contracts have caught up to the Ravens

Ravens using 10 percent of 2017 cap on players no longer with team - ESPN.com

The Ravens are devoting 10 percent of their cap -- $16.7 million -- to players who have been cut before their contracts expired. Only the Los Angeles Chargers currently rank higher than the Ravens in "dead money."

Ravens preview: Baltimore now at a crossroads? - USA Today

Since the start of 2011 when Cam Cameron was directing Joe Flacco as Ravens offensive coordinator, the team has cycled through five play-callers. This year it’s Marty Mornhinweg’s turn, as he took over for fired Marc Trestman last season. The Ravens have had a top-10 offense in three of those years and were at least in the top half in another two, but they have had trouble scoring points in the recent stretch of seasons without a playoff berth. The Ravens averaged 22.6 points a game after Mornhinweg took over play-calling after the fifth game last season, and at three previous stops where he began a season as a new offensive coordinator, Mornhingweg has gotten results. With the San Francisco 49ers, the offense went from fourth to second in 1997. With the Philadelphia Eagles, it went from 23rd to fifth in 2006. And with the New York Jets, it went from 23rd to 21st in 2013.

THE COMPETITION 2017: OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS - BaltimoreRavens.com

Suggs will anchor one spot. While Suggs is in the twilight of his career, he’s still highly productive (eight sacks) and a major leader on and off the field. He feels in better shape than usual after spending the offseason training at the Under Armour Performance Center. The other starting spot is up for grabs after the Ravens parted ways with Elvis Dumervil. Judon showed a lot of potential as a rookie with four sacks, and he’ll see more snaps this season. The second-round pick, Bowser, will also contend for that spot as an all-around linebacker who is smooth dropping in coverage and quick getting after the quarterback.

Ravens Review: Perriman causes peril - Baltimore Beatdown

Flacco under-threw the ball, but due to the team’s position on the field, if Flacco would've led Perriman further, it would've been a very difficult catch in the back corner of the end zone. It was a very interceptable pass, but Perriman’s adjustment bailed Flacco out and turned the play into a success. The scenario you hope for is the one where only Perriman has the opportunity to make the play on the ball, and that likely would've been in the back corner, but it’s hard to argue with a play that yields the desired result.

Gary Barnidge is not the Ravens solution at tight end - Baltimore Beatdown

Barnidge exploded onto the scene in 2015, registering 79 catches for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns, as per ESPN. What did he do before or after that? The answer is not much. Yes, he played for the Browns and their inefficient offense. He also played for the Panthers from 2008 to 2012. Could you blame the scheme or poor QB play? Yes, you could but Barnidge would not be better than any of our current tight ends.

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