The Ravens need to address the tight end position following the departure of Owen Daniels, but few appealing options exist on the open market and even in this year’s draft, making the release of Buffalo Bills veteran Scott Chandler something to monitor.
The 29-year-old is far from a superstar, but he caught 43 or more passes in each of his last three seasons in Buffalo and would likely command a price that’s suitable with general manager Ozzie Newsome’s limited amount of cap space to address multiple needs. The Bills cut the 2007 fourth-round pick Wednesday to clear more cap space for their full-court press to sign free-agent tight end Charles Clay, who received the transition tag from Miami before the start of free agency. Because Chandler was released, his signing would not count against the compensatory pick formula, which is typically a major plus for the Ravens.
In 2014, Chandler caught 47 passes for 497 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games. Daniels made 48 receptions for 527 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games for the Ravens this past season.
Chandler was scheduled to make $1.95 million in base salary in 2015. Considered a strong receiver, the 6-foot-7, 260-pound tight end is not regarded as a particularly strong blocker. If the Ravens need any help in recruiting him, Pro Bowl right guard Marshal Yanda was a teammate of Chandler’s at the University of Iowa and were part of the same draft class.
The Ravens’ top two healthy tight ends on their current offseason roster are 2014 third-round pick Crockett Gillmore and former practice-squad member Phillip Supernaw. The status of veteran Dennis Pitta remains in doubt for 2015 and beyond after he suffered two serious right hip injuries in a 14-month period.
Based on many pundits’ opinions, there aren’t a slew of talented tight ends in this year’s draft, making it clear that the Ravens should add a veteran to help replace Daniels’ production if they want to feel better about the position going into training camp.
