Hurst re-signed; Webb released
Ravens bring back OL on four-year deal, create cap space by cutting veteran
Offensive lineman James Hurst is rarely mentioned when the list of Ravens undrafted free-agent success stories is discussed, but the organization clearly sees him in that light. On Monday, the Ravens provided proof of that and made sure the versatile veteran remains in the organization going forward.
Just minutes after teams were permitted to contact free agents to express interest, the Ravens kept Hurst off the open market, signing him to a four-year, $17.5 million deal that includes $8 million in guaranteed money.
Hurst, a 16-game starter last year, would have been eligible to sign elsewhere when free agency officially opens at 4 p. m. Wednesday. However, talks between the Ravens and his agent, Jack Bechta, picked up Thursday and the deal came together reasonably quickly, Hurst said. Coach John Harbaugh had made it clear to Hurst when they met the day after the 2017 season that the team would try to re-sign him.
“It was always tempting to go into free agency and to get wined and dined … and kind of see what other teams think of you, but at the end of the day, we know what we have with Baltimore,” Hurst, 26, said in a phone interview with The Baltimore Sun. “Coach Harbaugh said, ‘We want to sign you, we want you back.’ James Hurst
Being wanted is a big deal. It’s very important to go into work every day knowing that, hey, these guys want you here, they want you to be a successful part of the team. I think the offer that they gave me was really fair. I felt valued by that. That’s exactly what we were looking for.”
The size of Hurst’s new contract all but assures he’ll remain a starter in 2018. It also increases the likelihood that starting center Ryan Jensen will depart in free agency and calls into question whether starting right tackle Austin Howard remains in the Ravens’ plans. Hurst and Alex Lewis, the projected starting left guard who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, can play both guard and tackle, which could make Howard expendable for a team that needs significantly more salary cap space, even after releasing a player Monday.
Longtime Ravens defensive back Lardarius Webb was informed he’ll be let go. The move creates $1.75 million of salary cap space and likely ends Webb’s productive nine-season tenure with the team.
Webb’s departure was considered likely after his role decreased significantly late in the 2017 season. After starting the season as the No. 3 safety and the team’s top nickel back, Webb played 15 or fewer defensive snaps in each of the Ravens’ final five games.
A third-round draft pick in 2009 out of Nicholls State, Webb, 32, started 85 games and had 473 tackles, 15 interceptions, five sacks and 93 passes defended over nine seasons with the team. Once considered one of the league’s top young cornerbacks, he was slowed by two significant knee injuries but remained a valuable performer and team leader. The Ravens created $1.75 million of salary cap space by releasing Lardarius Webb, likely ending the defensive back’s productive nine-season tenure with the team.
In 2016, he accepted a pay cut to remain with the Ravens. Last year, he was released but later re-signed with the team. This time, though, feels like the end of his Ravens tenure given that the team has young defensive backs, such as Maurice Canady, Tavon Young and Chuck Clark, who seem primed for larger roles. It isn’t clear whether Webb, 32, will retire or look to catch on elsewhere.
The Ravens, who started Monday with under $5 million in salary cap space, didn’t make any other roster cuts, but a few more could be coming in the days ahead as the team seeks to create more financial flexibil- ity ahead of Wednesday’s start of free agency. Monday marked the legal tampering window, when teams can speak with the representatives of free agents but they can’t execute any contracts.
After re-signing defensive end Brent Urban last week and Hurst on Monday, the Ravens have 10 remaining unrestricted free agents: quarterback Ryan Mallett, running back Terrance West (Towson University, Northwestern High), wide receivers Mike Wallace and Michael Campanaro (River Hill), tight end Benjamin Watson, Jensen and fellow offensive linemen Luke Bowanko and Crockett Gillmore, linebacker Steven Johnson and cornerback Brandon Boykin.
Harbaugh called Hurst’s return “good news for our football team.”
“James is a reliable, tough and versatile player who has played a lot of football for us,” Harbaugh said in a statement released by the team. “He has started at both tackle and guard, and all he has been is productive and someone who has made us better.”
An undrafted free agent in 2014 out of North Carolina, Hurst made the Ravens out of training camp and started seven games as a rookie, including both playoff contests. Over parts of four seasons, he started 32 games: 15 at left guard, 14 at left tackle, two as an extra tight end and one at right tackle.
He found a home at left guard last year, starting 15 games there after Lewis went down in the preseason with a seasonending shoulder injury and one at left tackle for a concussed Ronnie Stanley. He was part of an offensive line that allowed only 27 sacks, the seventh fewest in the league, and paved the way for the league’s 11th-ranked running attack.
“I like guard a lot. I felt comfortable at it. I think it fit my skill set just a little bit better. Naturally, I think that was a good fit, but also the coaches did a great job of game-planning around our strengths and around what we can do,” Hurst said.
Hurst said he was given no assurances on what position he’ll play in 2018, nor did he want any.
“I feel like my career is exactly what will happen this year,” Hurst said. “They’re going to play the five best offensive linemen, whether it’s at guard or offensive tackle. It’s whatever it’s going to be. They signed me under contract to be the best player I can and whatever position that is, that’s fine with me, as long as I’m out there playing, getting better and trying to win games.”
Hurst’s versatility gives the Ravens options but also complicates the offensive line puzzle. Stanley is entrenched at left tackle and Marshal Yanda is at right guard. The other three spots are in question.
Jensen, who started all 16 games at center last year, has likely priced himself out of the Ravens’ range. Howard, a 16-game starter at right tackle, did a solid job in his first regular season as a Raven, but his age (30) and salary cap number ($5 million) have triggered speculation that he could be a roster casualty.
The Ravens have the option of playing Hurst and Lewis either inside or outside, even though both seem better suited for guard. Harbaugh has also said in the past that he believes Lewis could play center. The Ravens also have Matt Skura, who started 12 games at guard last year, as an option at center.