(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The Baltimore Ravens desperately needed to make some moves.
They needed to get salary cap compliant ahead of Thursday night’s season opener vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, and GM Eric DeCosta had to think outside of the box.
Fortunately for him and the team, one of his veterans was willing to play ball.
According to a report by Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac on X, the team managed to convert $4.875 million on Roquan Smith’s base salary into a signing bonus, thus freeing up $3.65 million in cap space.
With that move, the Ravens now have an updated dead cap hit of $9.8 million ($51 million) in 2024, $23.7 million ($41.1 million) in 2025, $28.7 million ($17.4 million) in 2026, and $28.7 million ($8.7 million) in 2027.
The Ravens’ defense took some hits in the offseason, but they should continue to rank among the league’s top defense teams.
The All-Pro linebacker will be one of the most important pieces on John Harbaugh’s team’s defense again in 2024, and he did his team a big solid with this one.
He arrived from the Chicago Bears in 2022, and it didn’t take long before he became a fan favorite in Maryland because of his intensity and unmatched physicality.
He’s coming off a very solid campaign, logging 84 solo tackles, 74 assists, 1.5 sacks, and one interception, embracing a vocal and strong leadership style the Ravens’ defense hadn’t seen since the legendary Ray Lewis rode into the sunset.
