The Ravens are moving on from one of the more prolific pass rushers in franchise history.
Five-time Pro Bowl selection Elvis Dumervil has been released in a move that will save general manager Ozzie Newsome $6 million in space on the 2017 salary cap. The news was first reported by former Raven and NFL Network analyst Steve Smith before Dumervil issued a farewell statement via his official Twitter account.
My message to the @Ravens organization and the #RavensFlock ? pic.twitter.com/1PZtYuoNcf
— Elvis Dumervil (@EKD92) March 8, 2017
Dumervil was not expected to return at his scheduled $8.375 million cap figure for 2017, but his departure magnifies Baltimore’s need to improve its pass rush. Tied for 24th in the NFL with 31 sacks last season, the Ravens were led in that department by Terrell Suggs, who will turn 35 in October. Newsome will count on improvement from 2016 fifth-round pick Matt Judon and 2015 fourth-round pick Za’Darius Smith while also looking to add help via the draft and free agency.
The 33-year-old Dumervil set the single-season franchise record with 17 sacks in 2014, but his production declined after that. In 2015, he was forced into an every-down role after Terrell Suggs suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the season opener and wore down as the year progressed, finishing with just six sacks.
He then struggled to return from what head coach John Harbaugh originally labeled a “preventative procedure” this past offseason and missed eight games while collecting only three sacks. Not wanting to make excuses for his diminished play, Dumervil revealed only in late December that he had undergone Achilles tendon repair surgery the previous February.
Respected in the locker room as a true professional, Dumervil figures to draw interest on the open market as a situational pass rusher if he can prove he’s fully recovered from the surgery. His 35 1/2 sacks over his four seasons in Baltimore rank sixth on the franchise’s all-time list.
“Elvis Dumervil has been a leader for us on and off the field,” Newsome said in a statement released by the team on Wednesday. “He has made a positive impression on our franchise, and we have been fortunate to have him as a Raven. We respect his professionalism and the way he plays the game, in addition to his extensive charitable efforts that have greatly impacted our Baltimore community and his parents’ native country of Haiti.
“We have not closed the door on the possibility of him returning in the future.”
Dumervil was Baltimore’s first major addition after Super Bowl XLVII as the former Denver Bronco signed a five-year, $26 million contract in 2013. In his four years with the Ravens, he was named to the Pro Bowl twice and collected two sacks in Baltimore’s only playoff win over that time.
