After Jarvis Landry received the franchise tag, the Ravens have the cap for C Ryan Jensen

With Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry reportedly receiving the franchise tag, the Baltimore Ravens will have to look in a different direction in spending their money during free agency. The option that makes the most sense: re-signing center Ryan Jensen.

According to Spotrac.com, Baltimore has $7.8M in cap space as of now. Jensen, 26, finished with the ninth highest PFF rating among centers, with a 74.9 overall rating. Oakland Raiders center Rodney Hudson (81.6 rating, sixth best among centers) and New England Patriots center David Andrews (81.8 rating, fifth best among centers) are the closest comparisons to Jensen in play and age.

Hudson’s total contract is worth $44.5 million and he receives $8.9 million as his average yearly salary. The 28-year old becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2020. As for Andrews, his contract is at $9 million, with a $3 million salary. Andrews, 25, will become an unrestricted free agent in 2021.

The Ravens can make a number of moves to free up cap space, such as releasing wide receiver Jeremy Maclin ($5 million in savings), Danny Woodhead ($1.8 million in savings), cornerback Brandon Carr ($4 million in savings) and safety Lardarius Webb ($1.75 million in savings). By making these moves, Baltimore will have $12.55 million in savings, which would leave Baltimore with $20,355,815.

Baltimore would have way more than enough money to retain Jensen, who would most likely land a deal in the range of $3 million-$9 million a year. With the remaining money, the Ravens could still potentially sign a free agent wide receiver and this is without re-structuring the deals of players that will remain members of the team.

Retaining Jensen will go a long way in the team returning to the playoffs. Guards Marshal Yanda and Alex Lewis will return, along with offensive lineman Nico Siragusa. That’s going without mentioning how talented Baltimore’s offensive line was at pass blocking last season. The team was fifth in the NFL in pass blocking efficiency, according to PFF.

Despite not adding Landry, Baltimore can focus on drafting receivers or signing other receivers in free agency. This is just the beginning of the process.