With their season already over, the Arizona Cardinals are attempting to find out what their young talent can do. That left linebacker Terrell Suggs without a meaningful role on the roster late in the season. After some discussions, the Cardinals waived Suggs to let him find another home and potentially to return to his other home, the Baltimore Ravens.
However, with Suggs set to hit the waiver wire, it’s not really his decision to make. The other 30 teams in the league would have to not put in a claim on Suggs, letting him fall to the Ravens with the very last spot on the waiver wire. With plenty of playoff-bound teams in need of a savvy veteran outside linebacker capable of still generating pressure on the quarterback and setting the edge in the run game, Baltimore fans weren’t getting their hopes up.
But it seems like Suggs is trying to make a homecoming happen regardless. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Suggs is strongly considering not reporting to any team other than the Ravens. While that doesn’t necessarily mean another team won’t still put a claim in on Suggs, it could dissuade another franchise from doing so.
Not only would a return to Baltimore be apropos in a season where they look destined for Super Bowl LIV — potentially sending him out on top — but the Ravens could really use an outside linebacker of Suggs’ reputation and caliber.
Defensive coordinator Don Martindale has done a spectacular job of generating pressure through unique and frequent blitzes, but Baltimore’s defense hasn’t won a lot of one-on-one matchups there. And with injuries piling on top of it already being a thin position group, Suggs would be a huge boost in the arm at the perfect time for the Ravens.
Over 13 games, Suggs has 5.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and 37 tackles. On Baltimore’s roster, Suggs would rank second in sacks, first in forced fumbles and eighth in combined tackles. With potentially a little rest in Week 17 and in the first round of the playoffs, the Ravens could effectively get a healthy starting outside linebacker who is relatively fresh. With the league’s most dynamic offense on the other side, that sounds deadly in the postseason.
We’ll know if Suggs’ plan worked by 4 p.m. ET on Monday when he’s eligble to be claimed on waivers.
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