One of the first things the Baltimore Ravens have to do this offseason is to figure out which of their own players they want to try to re-sign. Though the Ravens have much higher priorities among their 21 pending free agents, Baltimore has gotten an early start on the process. The team announced they re-signed tackle Andre Smith to a one-year contract.
The Ravens had signed Smith just prior to their playoff game against the Tennessee Titans. Though Smith was a healthy scratch for the playoff game, it appears as though Baltimore liked what they saw and were interested in keeping him as experienced depth.
Smith really doesn’t have a shot at the starting lineup, barring an injury ahead of him. The Ravens are set with both tackles Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown Jr. going to the Pro Bowl for 2019. However, offensive lineman James Hurst could be a potential salary-cap casualty this offseason and the addition of Smith might point to Baltimore believing the same thing. While Smith’s contract details haven’t been reported yet, he’ll likely be cheaper than the $5.25 million cap hit Hurst carries in 2020, per OTC.
Even if Hurst isn’t cut this offseason, Smith’s 11 years of experience would be valuable to an offensive line that has very little experienced depth behind Stanley and Brown.
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