Baltimore Ravens to Cut Todd Heap, Derrick Mason, Willis McGahee & Kelly Gregg

Wow.  Just wow.  It’s clear that our Baltimore Ravens are going to look very different this season.

Thankfully, the NFL lockout is now over, but the harsh reality is…some teams are going to have to make some pretty substantial cuts to stay below the new salary cap.  The Ravens are one of those teams.

According to multiple sources, the Ravens are set to cut high-impact veterans Willis McGahee, Kelly Gregg, Derrick Mason, and Todd Heap.

The team muust wait until Thursday, July 28 at 4:00 p.m. EDT to make the planned cuts, according to the league calendar.

The McGahee move isn’t really that much of a shocker, as he was set to get $6 million in 2011 and we don’t need to spend that kind of coin on a backup RB.

Ravens NT Kelly Gregg will be cut too, though there’s a possibility Gregg could return to the team at a reduced salary. Gregg, 34, had two years left on his contract at $3.5 million per year.

The team has also informed Derrick Mason and Todd Heap that they’ll be cut. Wow, didn’t we practically beg Mason to come out of retirement after Steve McNair’s death? I guess times change, but that one is probably the most shocking cut of all, especially given that there have been times when it seems as though Mason is the only receiver who knows how to catch a football.

Heap has missed lots of playing time due to injury throughout the course of his career and, while he’s one of my favorites, I assume the team is looking for a younger, more dependable tight end.

Will there be more cuts to come? Time will tell.

Related articles

• Todd Heap and Derrick Mason Cut by Baltimore Ravens (bleacherreport.com)
• Derrick Mason gets the axe too (profootballtalk.nbcsports.com)
• NFL Free Agency: Derrick Mason The Next Ravens Cut To Hit The Market (sbnation.com)