After making free agent Tony Jefferson one of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL, the Ravens are releasing longtime defensive back Lardarius Webb.
Despite a solid first season moving from cornerback to a full-time safety position, Webb was deemed expendable with general manager Ozzie Newsome signing Jefferson to a four-year, $36 million contract earlier this week. The 31-year-old Webb was scheduled to make $5.5 million and carry a $7.5 million salary-cap figure in the final year of his contract.
The fifth-longest tenured player on last year’s roster, Webb started all 16 games this past season and finished with 73 tackles, one interception, and five pass breakups. A cornerback in his first seven years, the 2009 third-round pick collected 13 interceptions in his career with the Ravens.
As he often does after releasing a veteran player, Newsome left open the possibility for Webb to return at a reduced rate later this offseason.
“The door is not closed, because we need as many good football players as we can have,” Newsome said. “And we need as many guys as we can out there competing day in and day out, so it was a good conversation.”
Webb appeared on his way to becoming one of the AFC’s best cornerbacks in 2012 when he signed a six-year, $50 million contract, but he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament that season — less than three years after injuring the ACL in his other knee — and never played at the same high level after that. He accepted a pay cut two years ago to remain with Baltimore.
While the 2009 third-round pick from Nicholls State could conceivably return to play a part-time role, his improvement at his new position over the second half of the 2016 season makes it likely that Webb will draw interest from other teams looking for a safety or nickel back.
