Chris Canty Released by Ravens: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

On Friday, the Baltimore Ravens announced the release of defensive end Chris Canty. He spent the past two years with the team after previous stints with the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants.

Garrett Downing of the team's official site notes Canty had one year left on his deal, and the move will allow the Ravens to save around $2.6 million under the cap. He also passed along comments from head coach John Harbaugh, who praised the 32-year-old veteran: "We are a better franchise for having Chris Canty with us the last two years. He added maturity and leadership. Chris played well and played a lot of snaps for us, especially last season. He was an outstanding contributor to our playoff season in 2014."

Josina Anderson of ESPN spoke with Canty, who said he wasn't thinking about retirement at this stage and would consider any offers that come along. He talked about finding the fire for football again during his time in Baltimore:

"

I'm not retiring. I'm looking forward to the seeing what other opportunities are out there for me to continue to play. Like I told you earlier this offseason, I kind of rediscovered my passion for playing ball with the Ravens, and I wanted to continue to do that. But, I absolutely want the opportunity to compete for a championship at this stage in my career.

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Canty appeared in 11 games for the Ravens this past season. He recorded 35 total tackles and a half-sack as part of the team's rotation up-front. His best statistical season came with the Giants in 2011 when he had 47 tackles and four sacks.

Although his numbers don't stand out, the comments from Harbaugh about his leadership contributions show that his impact goes beyond the on-field production. It should help him land elsewhere in a similar role for 2015.

That said, the Ravens have decided to move forward. They will need to fill the leadership void, but they get some extra cap space ahead of free agency and the draft.