Baltimore Ravens Could Cut Danny Woodhead, Jeremy Maclin

The Baltimore Ravens are among the bottom in the NFL in available salary cap space, and Danny Woodhead and Jeremy Maclin may be in danger of being cut.

The Baltimore Ravens are among the bottom in the NFL in available salary cap space. In fact, they will have around $11 million in available cap space once the offseason officially starts, putting them in the bottom-six of the league.

The Baltimore Ravens are going to need to get creative to create some salary cap space, and according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, both running back Danny Woodhead and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (both of whom were signed this past offseason) might be in danger of being cut.

Woodhead, 33, was initially expected to take on a large role as the Baltimore Ravens’ primary receiving back when they signed him this past offseason, but in Week 1 of the regular season, he suffered a hamstring injury that sidelined him for eight weeks.

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Woodhead ultimately only played eight games for the Ravens this past season and ended the year with 14 rushes for 56 yards, averaging 4.0 yards per carry, and 33 catches for 200 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per reception.

While Woodhead was out with injury, Alex Collins rose to prominence for the Baltimore Ravens and ended up being their primary running back for the remainder of the season.

One of the few very bright spots on the Ravens’ offense, Collins ended the season with 212 carries for 973 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He also managed 23 catches for 187 yards, averaging 8.7 yards per reception.

With the emergence of Collins, the Ravens may look at the injury-prone Woodhead and decide that he, along with his $2.55 million base salary, are no longer necessary for the team’s success.

Maclin, 29, signed a two-year, $11 million contract with $6 million in the first year with the Ravens this past season and failed to live up to expectations, never really developing a reliable chemistry with Joe Flacco.

Maclin ended the year with the worst season of his career, playing 12 games and finishing the year with 40 catches for 440 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 11.0 yards per reception. It wouldn’t be shock if the Ravens elected to cut Maclin, though it seems less likely than cutting Woodhead, as the team is very light on wide receivers at the moment, with just Maclin, Chris Moore, Breshad Perriman, and Quincy Adeboyejo on the roster currently.

If the Ravens do decide to move on from Maclin, they’ll likely pursue a number of other receivers that get cut in the offseason and potentially even make a trade for one.

Zrebiec also mentions that there are other ways Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has said the team could cut their salary. Bisciotti said he’s interested in restructuring some contracts, including that of Brandon Williams, and signing linebacker C.J. Mosley to an extension.

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It’s also possible the team could try to extend offensive lineman Marshal Yanda and linebacker Terrell Suggs‘ contracts to lessen their cap hit this year, however, Zrebiec notes that that would be a fairly risky move given both Yanda and Suggs’ age.