Ravens decline 2016 option for defensive end Chris Canty

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The Ravens have informed Chris Canty that they will not pick up his option for the 2016 season, making the veteran defensive end a free agent.
Though not unexpected, the move clears $2.15 million from the 2016 salary cap. Canty had spent the last three years with the Ravens, collecting 19 tackles and one sack last season. Calf and pectoral injuries limited the 6-foot-7, 320-pound defensive lineman to just nine games in 2015.
“[I] had a blast in Baltimore,” Canty said in a text message to WNST.net. “Now, it’s on to the next.”
Canty was released last offseason before eventually signing a two-year, $4.65 million contract that was constructed with the second season being a team option. He was reportedly owed a $150,000 roster bonus on March 9.
Canty said late last season that he intended to continue his NFL career after previously contemplating retirement at the end of the 2014 season. A Super Bowl XLVI member of the New York Giants, Canty has played 11 seasons in the NFL after beginning his career with the Dallas Cowboys.
“Chris was a leader for our young defensive line, especially last season,” head coach John Harbaugh said in a statement released by the team. “For three years, he has been a reliable force on the field, in our locker room and in our community. He has been highly-productive as a player, and even better as a leader.”
The Ravens appear to be in good shape at Canty’s 5-technique defensive end position with younger options Lawrence Guy and Brent Urban remaining on the roster.

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