Tag: Marshal Yanda retirement

Mark Ingram tried to convince Marshal Yanda to not retire

After playing together for just one season, Baltimore Ravens running back Mark Ingram wasn’t ready for Marshal Yanda to retire.

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The Baltimore Ravens will look to replace guard Marshal Yanda after his retirement this offseason. While there is no direct replacement for an eventual Hall of Fame player, Baltimore will have to do their best job to find Yanda’s heir either on the roster already, in the 2020 NFL Draft or in the second wave of free agency.

Yanda was always going to retire at some point but for running back Mark Ingram, he was hoping to push it off a little longer. Sitting down with Ravens reporter Garrett Downing, Ingram said he kept trying to get Yanda to come back for another year.

“Bro, I was working on him all season. I’m like ‘Yo Yanda, you’re not about to retire on me. First season I’ve been trying to play with you man. First year, you can’t just leave me after this first year.'”

There’s good reason for Ingram to be upset about Yanda’s retirement. Joining the Ravens last offseason, Ingram had a career year behind Baltimore’s offensive line and Yanda. Ingram rushed 1,018 yards and 10 touchdowns along with a career-high 5.0 yard-per-carry average. Ingram also caught 26 passes for 247 yards and five more touchdowns (another career best).

“I selfishly am missing him, selfishly mad that he chose that route but I’m happy for him and his wife and his kids and his entire family.”

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What Marshal Yanda’s retirement means for Ravens salary cap

The Baltimore Ravens will have to replace guard Marshal Yanda this offseason but will have a little extra cap space to do it.

Guard Marshal Yanda officially hung up his cleats today in a press conference, ending a 13-year career that will likely see him entered into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. The Baltimore Ravens now have the trouble of trying to replace Yanda, who was coming off one of the best years of his career.

Whether they look to their own roster, the 2020 NFL Draft or free agency for Yanda’s heir will have to wait to be seen but the Ravens will have a little more money to make a move if they wish.

According to Over The Cap, Yanda’s retirement will free up $7 million on Baltimore’s salary cap. The Ravens now have an estimated $37.74 million in available salary-cap space, which puts them at the 12th fewest in the league, according to OTC.

Baltimore has 15 remaining pending free agents this offseason, led by outside linebacker Matthew Judon and defensive tackle Michael Pierce. General manager Eric DeCosta and the Ravens have done a stellar job of re-signing most of their key players ahead of time, leaving them with few big-name free agents that could potentially leave this offseason. The extra cap space could help Baltimore in their quest to sign Judon and Pierce to long-term contract extensions or to go after some of the top players in free agency.

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3 early-round draft picks for Ravens to replace Marshal Yanda

The Baltimore Ravens have options to replace retiring guard Marshal Yanda, including a few early-round prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft.

An era of excellence is coming to an end for the Baltimore Ravens, with the news that guard Marshal Yanda is set to retire from the NFL. Yanda has been a bedrock of the Ravens offensive line since they took him in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft, starting 166 of the 177 games he has played. Since 2007, the Ravens have amassed the fourth-most rushing yards in the entire NFL with an appreciable chunk of their 25,883 yards coming thanks to Yanda doing work on the offensive line.

Yanda’s retirement, while maybe not totally unexpected, could force a re-think in the Ravens’ strategy with regards to team building this offseason. They could look to free agency to plug the gap left by Yanda, assuming they don’t want to hand the job to a player already on the roster. Or they could look to the NFL Draft. This is not considered a great year for interior offensive linemen, but there are few options should the Ravens want to spend a very early pick on one. Here are three names the Ravens may consider taking with their first selection.

AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

Cesar Ruiz – Michigan

Ruiz spent most of his time with the Wolverines at Center, earning the title of “Best Pass Blocking Center” in the country by PFF College in 2018. But he did play five games at guard during his time in the collegiate ranks and could slide over there once in the NFL. Ruiz has a track record of playing on productive offenses, both through the air and on the ground. According to his bio on the Wolverine website, as a senior at IMG Academy, Ruiz “anchored an offensive line that helped the offense produce 2,000 yards through the air and 1,879 yards on the ground in 11 games.”

Ruiz is widely accepted as one of the best interior offensive linemen heading into the 2020 NFL Draft. If the Ravens are looking to replace Yanda with a rookie, Ruiz could be their guy as early as the first round.

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Watch: Marshal Yanda shares story about being tased for $600

Baltimore Ravens guard Marshal Yanda was one of the toughest players in the NFL and shared a story about being tased to back it up

Baltimore Ravens guard Marshal Yanda is easily one of the toughest guys in the NFL. After 13 years in the league, Yanda is set to retire as a legend of the sport and Baltimore. But he won’t be able to hang up his cleats without some stories about his legendary toughness being replayed and discussed.

Yanda famously played through some nasty injuries, including a broken ankle that ended his 2017 season prematurely after two games and a shoulder injury that required surgery. But perhaps one of the funniest stories about Yanda’s toughness comes from the locker room itself and what the then-rookie subjected himself to for a little cold, hard cash.

Sitting down with former Ravens linebacker Bart Scott, Yanda shared the story about the time he took a taser like a champ, all for $600.

When asked about the tasing, Yanda noted it was cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle that bet he couldn’t take the shock in his rookie season. Yanda, the tough guy he is, apparently took the jolt and the veterans’ money without much of a problem.

“I don’t know if the batteries were dead or — I used to get shocked on the electric fence at the farm — I’m used to it, it wasn’t bad at all. It’s still probably the easiest $600 I’ve ever made to this day.”

That’s the stuff of legends right there.

5 free agent guards to replace Marshal Yanda

The Baltimore Ravens will have to replace Marshal Yanda this offseason following his pending retirement. They could find help in free agency

With guard Marshal Yanda set to retire this offseason, the Baltimore Ravens find themselves desperately needing an answer to his replacement. While the team could turn to their own roster to remedy the problem, free agency is about to begin and the Ravens could instead look for a more experienced option on the open market.

Sadly, finding an exact replacement for Yanda is likely going to prove impossible. Yanda was one of the best offensive linemen last season and has been consistently among the best throughout his entire career. After creating a Hall of Fame level resume over the years, matching that level of production and locker room presence is something very few teams have ever managed to pull off before.

But for Baltimore, there are a handful of options that make sense for them to look at. A few former first-round picks are set to hit free agency as well as a former member of their own team. While the best option might still be from within, the Ravens are likely to explore free agency for some competition at the position at least.

Here are five free-agent options Baltimore would be wise to consider this offseason.

Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Brandon Scherff

If the Ravens want an immediate plug-and-play replacement for Yanda, Scherff is likely the guy they’d look to. The problem here is that the Washington Redskins really don’t want to lose their top offensive lineman and could turn to the franchise tag.

On the off chance Washington lets Scherff hit the free-agent market, he’s going to have plenty of suitors as the top guard available. That means he’s going to cost a fortune with $15 million a year a possibility on a long-term contract.

But there isn’t a better free-agent guard on the market this offseason and there’s little doubt Scherff would come in as a direct replacement to Yanda. According to Pro Football Focus, Scherff earned a 75 overall grade last season. Though it’s a good deal lower than Yanda’s 2019 grade, Scherff’s continued success proves he’d be a viable option, albeit an expensive one.

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Report: Ravens G Marshal Yanda to retire

Baltimore Ravens guard Marshal Yanda will retire after 13 years in the NFL following the 2019 season

The worst-case scenario for the Baltimore Ravens is set to happen. With free agency less than a week away, guard Marshal Yanda is going to retire, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. The decision immediately alters Baltimore’s priority list this offseason, putting finding Yanda’s replacement at the very top of their list.

Though Yanda played in his 13th season last year, he was still one of the best offensive linemen in the league. He showed his trademark ability to bully defenders on the field while being a quiet giant off it. Yanda had entered this offseason telling reporters that he didn’t know if he’d retire or not and would take his time to make the decision.

Baltimore’s biggest need had been at pass rusher and it still remains a key they’ll have to sort out this offseason. But given the Ravens’ run-first offense, finding a plug-and-play option at guard becomes perhaps their most pressing need now with Yanda’s retirement.

Baltimore has a few options on the table, including from within their own roster. Players like Ben Powers, Bradley Bozeman and even James Hurst could be replacements for Yanda. The Ravens could also look to free agency or early in the draft to hopefully find an immediate upper-tier heir to Yanda. Regardless, it will be difficult for Baltimore to replace Yanda’s production on the field given his Hall of Fame resume to date.

The plus side to Yanda’s retirement is that it will free up an estimated $7 million on the Ravens’ salary cap this offseason, according to Over The Cap. That extra capital could help Baltimore towards finding Yanda’s replacement or signing other free agents to bolster other holes in the roster.

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Ravens still don’t know Marshal Yanda’s retirement decision

Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said the team still doesn’t know whether eventual HOF guard Marshal Yanda will retire this offseason

The one thing that could completely change the Baltimore Ravens’ offseason plans is whether guard Marshal Yanda will retire or not. Though interior offensive line is one of the Ravens’ needs this offseason regardless, Yanda’s retirement would make it the most pressing need for a run-heavy offense like Baltimore’s.

Yet with the NFL Combine currently underway, the Ravens still don’t know if Yanda will return or not. According to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, general manager Eric DeCosta said he expected to talk to Yanda about his decision in the next month or so, which would put it around the start of free agency.

If Yanda were to retire, Baltimore would have to make a critical decision on how they replace him.

They selected guard Ben Powers in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and also have Bradley Bozeman, Patrick Mekari and James Hurst as potential replacements already on the roster. Free agency could see a handful of potential stop-gap replacements hit the market as value options thanks to salary-cap cuts or there are few pending free agents that will likely command top dollar as long-term options. Of course, the 2020 NFL Draft will likely see the Ravens grab at least one guard but Yanda’s decision could force them to make that a first- or second-round pick.

In spite of playing his 13th season in the league, Yanda remained one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL last year. He’s built up a legitimate Hall of Fame resume and would go down as one of the best linemen Baltimore has ever had. Yanda earned his eighth Pro Bowl nod last season and was on Pro Football Focus’ list of the top-101 players from the 2019 season.

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6 biggest questions ahead of GM Eric DeCosta’s NFL Scouting Combine press conference

It will be the first time in 10 months we’ve heard from Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta and here’s what questions he should expect to hear

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta will speak to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine. It’s the first time we’ll have heard from DeCosta since the 2019 NFL draft and is a golden opportunity to find out some of the team’s plans for the offseason and 2020 NFL Draft.

However, there’s not a team in the league that will completely divulge their plans openly, so while DeCosta’s presser is sure to provide some answers, it’s likely going to bring about a lot more questions.

Here are some of the top questions we’ll expect from DeCosta’s NFL Scouting Combine press conference today.

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Potential trades

At this time of the year, trade rumors begin to swirl. Normally most can be taken with a huge grain of salt but DeCosta hasn’t been afraid to make a deal since taking over for Ozzie Newsome. He traded away a handful of Ravens players last year while trading for cornerback Marcus Peters, giving enough credence to the idea DeCosta could be looking for some more trade action this offseason.

The question is just how much will he reveal openly. DeCosta is sure to be asked about potential trades and he could decide to be transparent about it in order to drive more attention and hopefully some more phone calls.

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