Matthew Judon is slated to become an unrestricted free-agent in the offseason, and the Ravens could use the franchise tag to keep him in Baltimore next season.
According to CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, "the Ravens have made retaining pass rusher Matt Judon a top priority in 2020, and sources said they would likely utilize the franchise tag if need be to retain his services."
The former fifth-round pick has had a breakout season in 2019. Judon has totaled 52 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles. He's been the Ravens' top pass rusher this season.
"The defensive end tag for 2020 should be roughly $17 million -- and Judon is very likely to exceed that figure on the open market given the lack of stalwart pass rush available, La Canfora wrote. "The Ravens, who have only one player set to make over $10 million in 2020 (Stanley), will have over $60 million in cap space once a few veterans are llet go. They're in the bottom six to eight teams in committed payroll cash for next season."
As La Canfora noted, the Ravens are expected to have cap flexibility, with a number of important roster decisions to make.
Since 2010, Baltimore has used the franchise tag just three times: Haloti Ngata in 2011, Ray Rice in 2012, and Justin Tucker in 2016,