It's nice for Ravens fans to savor the production they may get out of veteran DT/DE Chris Canty…but certainly sad to see a talent like OLB/DE Paul Kruger walk away just when he was hitting his full potential.
Chris Canty, defensive tackle and defensive end…6-7, 317… 8th year out of Virginia…drafted in 4th round by Dallas in 2005…
The Ravens signed Chris Canty to a deal after having him in for a visit, and the veteran defensive end/tackle announced it on Instagram with a photo of the signed contract. The contract is a reported three-year deal worth $8 million, including $2.8 million guaranteed, according to the NFL Network’s Albert Breer.
The news comes after the Ravens already lost linebackers Dannell Ellerbe (Miami Dolphins) and OLB Paul Kruger (Cleveland Browns) to other teams.
Canty, 30, has spent the last four seasons with the New York Giants. He was released in February as part of a salary-cap purge.
The 6-foot-7, 317-pound lineman can help the Ravens in both run and pass defense. He was a starter the last four years for the Giants, but missed seven games last season with a knee injury. He finished the season with 26 tackles and three sacks.
A priority for the Ravens was to strengthen their defensive line, and Canty can help in that department. He has 8.5 sacks over the last three seasons and has been a productive player against the run.
Canty can play on the interior of the line and on the edge. The Ravens could use him to in the middle of the defense to challenge Terrence Cody for playing time, or he could also slide out to the end and complete with Arthur Jones and Pernell McPhee.
Any way you slice it, it's a great depth move for the Ravens. But it does not distract Ravens fans from the pain they feel in losing one of the up-and-coming OLB stars of the league in Paul Kruger…and a solid interior linebacker in Dannel Ellerbe.
Inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe has agreed in principle on a deal with the Miami Dolphins, according to The Baltimore Sun.
CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported that the Dolphins gave Ellerbe a 5-year, $35 million deal. The Ravens “never really got close,” according to The Sun.
If the report is accurate, the Ravens have a growing question mark in the middle of their defense, an area General Manager Ozzie Newsome said he wanted to improve this offseason.
Future Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis retired and now Ellerbe is reportedly leaving, which would mean the two Super Bowl starters are gone.
As such, Baltimore’s current inside linebackers are starter Jameel McClain, who is trying to return from a spinal cord injury, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Josh Bynes and Albert McClellan.
There were widespread reports that the Ravens were clearing cap space by signing quarterback Joe Flacco to a long-term deal and trading wide receiver Anquan Boldin so that they could afford to re-sign Ellerbe.
But the Ravens were not able to hammer out a deal with Ellerbe before free agency opened Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Ellerbe, 27, emerged as one of the Ravens’ top defenders last season.
Despite battling nagging knee, ankle and thumb injuries throughout the year, he still played in 13 regular-season games and started in seven, making 92 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Ellerbe particularly showed his value in the postseason, where he made 32 tackles in four games and intercepted New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in the AFC championship.
He led the Ravens with nine tackles in their Super Bowl XLVII victory over the San Francisco 49ers, and chased down running back Frank Gore on the 49ers’ final drive, allowing the Ravens to make their final goal-line stand.
The 6-foot-1, 240-pounder grew into an all-around, three-down linebacker in Baltimore after being an undrafted free agent out of Georgia in 2009. But he also consistently battled injuries and had some maturing to do early in his career.
Ellerbe became a full-time starter for the first time since 2009 last season when Lewis went down with a triceps injury.
The Ravens may show more interest in the market for an inside linebacker or two if reports are true.
The free-agent market at inside linebacker is not considered to be particularly strong, with a couple names being Rey Maualuga of the Bengals and D.J. Williams of the Broncos. It is a strong position in the draft with a few options in the first couple rounds, including Georgia’s Alec Ogletree and Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o.
Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome has seen his linebackers bolt for big deals elsewhere, from Ed Hartwell (Atlanta), to Adalius Thomas (New England) and Bart Scott (New York Jets). They've eventually replaced all of them.
Still, Ellerbe's teammates expressed their disappointment that he couldn't stay.
Even more depressing to most Ravens fans (although expected) was the loss of Paul Kruger in free agency.
The fifth-year outside linebacker reportedly reached a five-year deal with the divisional-rival Cleveland Browns, ending his run in Baltimore, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal is reportedly worth $40 million, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
Kruger agreed to the deal soon after free agency doors opened Tuesday afternoon.
Kruger was one of the top free agents on the market this year after racking up 13.5 total sacks, including 4.5 in the playoffs.
Last year was the best season of Kruger’s career, as he carried the Ravens’ pass rush while fellow outside linebacker Terrell Suggs battled through injuries. Kruger primarily rotated with rookie Courtney Upshaw, coming on the field for passing situations to get after the quarterback.
He started five games, made 42 total tackles, registered one interception and one forced fumble…and made numerous pressure moves that will not show up on a stat line.
Kruger was a second-round pick in 2009, and it took him until last season to grow into a prominent role on the defense. Early in his career, he played behind Suggs and Jarret Johnson, which limited his opportunities to get on the field before this season.
He made the most of his playing time last year and said after the season that he hoped to stay in Baltimore. But ultimately the Ravens couldn’t afford the big price tag for him, and now he’s headed to Cleveland.
It would have been in the Ravens' best interests to hold on to Kruger. But the team is so close to the cap space limitation going into the 2013 season, re-signing Kruger was an impossible piece of mathematics.
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