Baltimore says Bye, Bye Blackbirds

Derrick Mason was among the Ravens told they will be released. Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

As the lockout ended and the craziness began, the Baltimore Ravens made the first big moves by announcing that four veterans – WR Derrick Mason, TE Todd Heap, RB Willis McGahee, and NT Kelly Gregg – will be released. Below are some thoughts on the moves and the players’ futures.

For the Ravens, the moves save a bunch of money under the salary cap, while putting these veterans into a marked that glutted with players. That may allow them to bring back a couple of them – Mason and Gregg seem to be most logical – at cheaper prices. But if all four are gone for good, Gregg may be the biggest loss. The nose tackle started all 16 games last year, and he proved to be a solid player against the run who allowed DEs Haloti Ngata and Cory Redding more latitude to make plays. Now the onus is on second-year player Terrence Cody to emerge as a solid starter. Cody has talent, but his conditioning was a big question entering the league last year. That has to cause some concern after the offseason lockout. Gregg, meanwhile, could hook on as a solid nose tackle for another 3-4 team, and a contender like the Jets would be wise to add him.

Mason has been shocking productive for the Ravens, but being solid isn’t the same as being dynamic. The Ravens now turn to Anquan Boldin, last season’s big acquisition, as their unquestioned No. 1 receiver. Rookies Torrey Smith and Tandon Doss now have a huge chance to jump into the lineup, but a lack of depth could force the Ravens to call Mason back and see if he’ll play for less. Regardless, Mason has enough left to be a starter somewhere.

Heap had a solid 10-year career as a former Ravens’ first-round pick, and last year was another solid season. But 2010 draft picks Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson both have great potential as receivers, so Heap’s high price tag was too much for the Ravens to bear. But Heap has enough left to hook on as a receiving tight end, especially if a contender needs help. For example, if Tony Gonzalez doesn’t re-sign with the Falcons, Heap would be a nice fallback option.

McGahee lost his starting job to Ray Rice a few years back, and he never was able to make the transition to being a short-yardage back or a fullback. McGahee’s future is the least promising of any of these vets, since older running backs whose performance is falling off usually don’t get back over the cliff.