The Baltimore Ravens have finally started to get themselves involved in the action of the NFL offseason.
The team hadn’t made any major cuts and had been pretty quiet in free agency through the first day of the legal tampering period outside of re-signing Justin Madubuike.
Then on day two they took their first big swing of the offseason, agreeing to a deal with Derrick Henry in a move that fans had been hoping for throughout the offseason.
Now they’ve started clearing cap space for other signings.
The first move was a restructure of left tackle Ronnie Stanley’s contract.
Then the Ravens made their first notable cut of the offseason.
According to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, the Ravens have decided to release linebacker Tyus Bowser.
The move will save the Ravens $5.5 million in cap space for the 2024 season.
A Disappointing Ending for Bowser
After being drafted in the second round by the Ravens in 2017, Bowser was coming along nicely through the first four years of his NFL career.
His role with the team steadily grew and by that fourth year he was up to playing just over half of the team’s snaps. That seasons he set new career bests with 34 tackles, 4 for a loss, 3 interceptions, and 5 passes defended.
That earned him a contract extension worth $22 million over four years.
The Ravens were immediately rewarded for the investment.
In 2021 Bowser had the best year of his career. He shattered his previous career highs with 59 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 7 sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles.
Then injuries started to take their toll.
Bowser ended that 2021 season with a torn achilles that he had surgically repaired during the offseason.
He started the following year on the PUP list and only ended up playing in nine games.
In 2023, Bowser suffered a knee injury during the offseason and then had a setback before the season started and ended up missing the entire year.
That injury history has led to him becoming the latest change for the Ravens’ defense.
Changes for the Ravens’ Defense
The Ravens entered the offseason knowing their defense was going to look different in 2024.
They had some notable free agents hitting free agency and limited cap space to keep them around.
Some of those free agents have quickly found new homes.
On the first day of the legal tampering period, Ronald Darby signed with the Jaguars while Geno Stone signed with the Bengals.
Then the big hit came.
On the second day of legal tampering, Patrick Queen also decided to join an AFC North rival. The All-Pro linebacker agreed to a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jadeveon Clowney is visiting other teams after his one season in Baltimore and now the team has released Bowser.
That leaves the Ravens to start trying to reload after these losses.
Despite plenty of big moves already having been made, there is still a lot of talent out there and other teams also still find themselves negotiating their own cap situations, which could put more talent on the open market.
With their offseason officially in full swing, expect to see plenty of activity from the Ravens in the coming days.
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Ravens Release $22 Million Former Starter