Ali

Villanueva

Villanueva joined the Ravens on a two-year, $14 million deal last offseason. He started all 17 games for the Ravens last year but Baltimore couldn’t justify bringing him back at his current cap number. The team was expected to release him if he didn’t retire. Villanueva took over as a starter in Pittsburgh during his rookie season and proceeded to start 90 consecutive games for them. He did not miss a single regular season game during his seven-year career. Villanueva also earned two Pro Bowl nods during his time with the Steelers.

The Ravens are entering the offseason without much cap space, though some of that could be alleviated via an extension for Lamar Jackson as he’s currently carrying a $23 million cap hit. Villanueva will turn 34 in September and was not the spot starter the Ravens hoped they were getting. Tavon Young (currently on a $9.18 million cap hit), Ben Powers, and Miles Boykin are other Ravens players that Zrbiec could see becoming cap casualties, trade targets, or restructure candidates.

Villanueva was fine as a fill-in left tackle this year, but with both LT Ronnie Stanley and RT Ja’Wuan James on the way back, his $6 million cap savings could be spent elsewhere. It is possible Villanueva decides to call it a career.

He also sat out Wednesday’s practice. Villanueva played every snap against the Browns, so it is not clear when he picked up this injury. Likely to fill in for an injured Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley could have some trouble if Villanueva is not able to suit up.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Villanueva gets $8 million guaranteed in his move from divisional rival Pittsburgh to Baltimore. He’ll likely replace Orlando Brown, who last month was traded to Kansas City for draft picks, until T Ronnie Stanley is healthy. Villanueva can then slide to the right side of the team’s offensive line. Villanueva, 32, started every game for Pittsburgh since 2016, and was graded by Pro Football Focus as the league’s 18th best pass blocking tackle in 2020. Baltimore’s offensive line was graded by PFF as 2020’s tenth best pass blocking unit and 14th best run blocking line.

The deal isn’t expected to happen until after the draft, but it makes sense after Villanueva visited with Baltimore on Thursday. He’s currently penciled in as Brown’s replacement at right tackle after the team moved the 24-year-old to Kansas City for multiple picks (a second first-rounder included). Villanueva, 32, has started in every game for Pittsburgh since 2016 and can be moved to the left side if need be, pending Ronnie Stanley’s health.

It looks like the Ravens could pry the standout tackle away from their NFC North rival Steelers. Villaneuva, 32, has proven remarkably durable, starting 16 games for Pittsburgh every year since 2016. He would be a much-needed upgrade for a Baltimore offensive line that left Lamar Jackson scrambling for his life throughout 2020.

Villanueva has started all 16 games for four straight seasons, but he had a forgettable 2019 -- like most Steelers on offense -- grading out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 28 tackle out of 81 qualifiers. He was penalized 10 times while surrendering 36 combined quarterback sacks, hits, and hurries. One could argue the quarterback duo of Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges did the offensive line no favors, so we could very easily see a bounce-back year for Villanueva. He turns 32 in September and is entering the twilight of his career.

The Steelers can keep Villanueva on a cheap, one-year tender this year and a still cheap first- or second-round tender as a restricted free agent in 2018. They apparently want to do right by their left tackle, however, who has played well in 26 starts over the last two seasons. Buying now could also allow Pittsburgh to lock up Villanueva to a relatively cheap deal for the next several seasons. A deal worth around $9 million per year could work for both sides.

Villanueva has made it known he wants a new deal as a 29-year-old ERFA scheduled to make just $615,000 in 2017, but he’s not letting it get in the way of becoming a better player. He’s taking a major risk by signing a waiver to practice without a contract. Villanueva could get seriously injured, which would then ruin his chances at a long-term deal. The Steelers need to do right by him.