Will we re-sign Ryan Jensen?

[AmishlandRavenFan]

I don't get it, we hear year after year fans complaining about the OL or lack of continuity, but people don't want to resign the OL. If Jensen leavens that will make 3 OL guys that all were home grown talent that we have let walk in the past couple years. Sometimes I get it with not being able to pay what other teams will, but I would gladly pay market value for a center that played good for us and shores up another spot. Stanley- Lewis- Jensen- Yanda- Draft/FA. I'm happy.

I think this time around, the conundrum is slightly different. In years past, IIRC, the issue was picking between two players: Osemele and Yanda(?), and Wagner and B-will.

This year, I think the issue is more straightforward - will we have the cap space to keep Jensen? Granted, one could argue that the situation is actually the same i.e., Jensen versus a hypothetical FA WR?

Personally, I thought they should have made him an offer after about 6 games this season, and said as much on this board. Maybe they tried and maybe they didn’t. Regardless, I think we should re-sign Wallace, cut Maclin, re-sign Jensen, and go from there. We’ll probably need to cut more to do what needs to be done at WR: Watson, Woodhead, probably a few other guys I’m not thinking about right now (Gilmore?).

Jefferson is probably at the top of a lot of folks’ lists, but I’d like to see him and all the other defenders in a non-Pees lead D before making those decisions.

Merriman is another guy who most believe should be cut, and it’s hard to disagree. That said, rookie contracts are cheap labor, so I’d bring him into camp and give him one last shot. If he can’t crack the top 4, he should be gone. This offseason, he should go and see the same sports psychologist that worked a miracle with one of the WRs in Philly, and sleep with a JUGS machine (insert Bc joke here) next to his bed.

[AmishlandRavenFan]

This mindset is exactly why the offense has been stuck in the mud for the past three years.

Sword, I agree. You’ve said this better than I’m about to but, with the Ravens seemingly coming around to the concept of flat contracts, they absolutely must pay second contracts based upon not only current level of play and market value, but where they project both the player and the market to be in a few years, say mid-contract. In other words, if we believe Jensen is currently a top 10 center, but that he still has “room to grow,” AND we know the cap goes up every year, AND that players X, Y, and Z are going to be C FAs next year or the year after and push the market up even further, then it’s in our best interest to come “overpay” Jensen as compared to PAST top 10 C contracts. Put more succinctly, we shouldn’t spend like drunken centers (no offense to drunken sailors), but we can’t keep looking BACKWARDS for a barometer on appropriately sized and structured contracts.

[unbelievable]

Before this season everyone pretty much chalked up Jensen to being the typical career backup. Don't think anyone imagined he would've become a viable starting option for us at center 16 games later. But the way we cripple ourselves on a yearly basis with bad contracts it wouldn't shock me to see us extend him to something egregious after only one year of decent play.

Would much rather have Osemele's $11.7M cap average on the books right now than the $11.5M of cap space we wasted on Wallace/Maclin last year but i digress...