The Ravens have reportedly traded starting right tackle Morgan Moses to the New York Jets in a deal that clears some valuable cap space as the new league year begins but further shakes up the offensive line.
The Ravens also released veteran outside linebacker Tyus Bowser and reworked the contract of tackle Ronnie Stanley. The details of the Stanley deal aren’t known, but the trade of Moses and release of Bowser cleared $11 million in cap space.
The new league year began at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13, at which time every team needed to be below the league’s mandated 2024 salary cap of $255.4 million.
The Moses trade has not been officially announced by either team, but according to ESPN, the Ravens send Moses and a fourth-round pick (No. 134) to the Jets for a higher fourth-round pick (No. 112) and a sixth-rounder (No. 218) in this year’s draft.
Moses, 33, was entering the final year of a three-year deal he signed with the Ravens in 2022. He played in 14 of 17 games this year, and his durability throughout his career has been notable. When Moses missed the Ravens’ game at Pittsburgh in October, that snapped a streak of 134 straight games in which he had played. He missed two games later in the season with the same shoulder injury.
This year, Moses ranked 10th overall among tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, and ninth in run blocking.
The departure of Moses further shakes up an offensive line that is now missing three of five starters from a year ago. Left guard John Simpson signed a free-agent deal with the Jets, and Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zeitler remains unsigned. A return to the Ravens seems unlikely given that the Ravens have already eaten $4 million in dead money when they didn’t work out a new deal with Zeitler last month.
Daniel Faalele spelled Moses at times throughout the season as the Ravens rotated tackles in games, and he would seem to be the next man up to start at right tackle among internal candidates. This year’s draft is considered especially deep at tackle, and the Ravens could try to nab a plug-and-play option with their first pick at No. 30 overall.
Bowser Released
In another move with significant cap ramifications, the Ravens announced they have cut Bowser, who spent the entire 2023 season on the Non-Football Injury list with a knee injury. Bowser was entering the final year of a four-year, $22 million deal he signed with the Ravens in 2021. The team clears $5.5 million in cap space with his release while eating $2 million in dead money.
Bowser’s career has never been the same since he suffered a torn Achilles during the season finale in 2021. He returned to play the final nine games in 2022, but he missed the entire 2023 season with a problematic knee injury. Bowser and the team were consistently vague about his prognosis and progress throughout the season, but ultimately, he never made it back to the field in 2023.
Bowser, a second-round pick out of Houston in 2017, made many fans at M&T Bank Stadium with his pre-game tradition of playing catch with fans. In a social media post after his release, he wrote, “Thank you Charm City. Forever grateful for your love and support over the past 7 years. #RavensFlock.”
Bowser played 89 games for the Ravens over six seasons, with 152 tackles, 19.5 sacks and four interceptions. He led the team in sacks in 2021 with seven.
Bowser’s release, though expected, adds to uncertainty at outside linebacker. The Ravens’ top two outside linebackers last season, Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy, are both free agents after one season with the team. David Ojabo played just three games before landing on injured reserve. As of now, though, Odafe Oweh and Ojabo — high school teammates — represent a shaky top end of an uncertain position group that also needs to be fortified via free agency or the draft.
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