After another successful regular season, the Baltimore Ravens fell short in the playoffs once again. Turnovers, penalties, and poor play-calling all doomed the young Ravens squad in a 17-10 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.

The franchise now enters another key offseason as it must figure out how to translate regular season success into postseason triumph. Offensively, the team is facing the loss of Odell Beckham Jr., Gus Edwards, and J.K. Dobbins, while on defense, Jadeveon Clowney, Justin Madubuike, and Patrick Queen are all entering free agency.

The good news for Baltimore is that the franchise does not have a lot of dead weight on the roster in terms of contracts. Almost all of the team's highest-paid players are relatively young and are among the best in the league at the position. Acquisitions are always the focus once the season ends, but some of the toughest decisions are internal debates over which veteran players to cut to save money. Here are the top three cut candidates for the Ravens this offseason.

 

Rashod Bateman (Wide Receiver)

A former first-round pick, Rashod Bateman's production has never backed up his promise. Through three seasons, Bateman has 93 catches for 1,167 yards and four touchdowns. Those are good stats for a single season, not a career. Injuries have played a factor, as Bateman missed 16 games across his first two NFL campaigns, but it is hard to defend Bateman being the highest-paid rostered wide receiver for the Ravens in 2024 currently.

Cutting Bateman saves the Ravens $2.3 million of his $4 million salary in 2024 and leaves the franchise with no future funds owed to the wideout. This is an easy decision for a team in need of more production from its pass-catchers.

Ronnie Stanley (Offensive Tackle)

Coming off First Team All-Pro and pro Bowl honors in 2019, Ronnie Stanley earned a five-year, $98.75 million contract from the Ravens. The deal proved to be one of the few bad pieces of business the franchise has executed in recent years. Stanley missed all but seven games across 2020 and 2021, played only 11 games in 2022, and committed 10 penalties while allowing four sacks in 2023 (while still missing four games).

Stanley still has two years left on that deal, but now might be the time for the Ravens to cut their losses. Releasing Stanley after June 1, 2024 would save the franchise $15 million while leaving $11.1 in dead cap from his $26 million cap hit. The move also leaves Baltimore with just $6.6 million in dead cap on that same $26 million salary in 2025. Ronnie Stanley will be 30 years old by the time the 2024 season starts, and given his injury history, betting on him to stay healthy for a full season is a long-shot. Now is the time for he Ravens to cut their left tackle of eight years.

Tyus Bowser (Outside Linebacker)

With Justin Madubuike and Patrick Queen entering free agency, the highest-paid Ravens front-seven player currently rostered for the 2024 season is … Tyus Bowser? The 2017 second-round pick of the Ravens has just 23 starts in his seven seasons in Baltimore, racking up 19.5 sacks and four forced fumbles during his tenure with the team.

Injuries have plagued Bowser over the last few seasons. He suffered a torn Achilles at the end of 2021 which caused him to miss the first eight games of 2022. Then in 2023, Bowser did not suit up at all due to an ailing knee. The outside linebacker is set to earn $7.5 million in 2024, but the Ravens would save $5.5 million but cutting him at any point during the offseason. Releasing Tyus Bowser is a no-brainer for the Ravens.