Paul Kruger

The Ravens are interested in free-agent pass rusher Elvis Dumervil, according to my colleague Aaron Wilson. And considering that Dumervil has 63.5 career sacks in six NFL seasons, including a league-high 17 sacks in 2009, why wouldn't any team that is looking to boost its pass rush reach out to Dumervil's new agents? (In case you, too, are still living in the 20th century, a faulty fax machine led to Dumervil's release in Denver .) The Broncos had agreed to terms on a restructured contract with a reduced salary to keep Dumervil in Denver, but when the paperwork didn't arrive before a Friday deadline for a roster bonus, the team was forced to release him. Now he is arguably the most attractive option available a week into NFL free agency.

Every Monday, Baltimore Sun blogger and reporter Matt Vensel will rank the most significant athletes and events in Baltimore sports that week based on accomplishments on and off the field. Because, well, why not? It was a week of tough losses in Baltimore sports. The Ravens lost a bunch of key contributors. The Terps lost in the ACC tournament. And the Orioles, now two weeks out from Opening Day, lost a few exhibition games (no biggie there). But it hasn't been all bad in Baltimore sports over the past week, even if it does feel that way. THE BOTTOM TWO 100. Bernard Pollard: After the Ravens expectedly lost players such as Dannell Ellerbe and Paul Kruger in free agency, the team surprisingly released Pollard, their hard-hitting and gum-flapping strong safety.

Brian Billick was coach of the Ravens the last time the team had a chance to repeat as Super Bowl champions, so I was interested to hear his thoughts on what the Ravens are doing the second time around. In 2001, a season after they beat the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, the Ravens made that notorious switch from Trent Dilfer and Elvis Grbac at quarterback. But they kept the rest of their roster mostly intact by restructuring contracts to keep players such as Shannon Sharpe and Rod Woodson around for another run. The Ravens lost in the divisional round the following postseason and soon had to overhaul their roster.

Ed Reed sure seems to be serious about exploring his options on the open market. As I write this, the free-agent safety is in Houston, where the Texans have rolled out the red carpet for the likely future Hall-of-Famer. They scooped him up in a private jet and scurried him to Reliant Stadium, where he was greeted by video cameras, microphones and a group of Houston media. Surely, Reed feels wanted right now. And surely, that means something to the 34-year-old, who has always had a sizable chip on his shoulder.

The Ravens' surprising decision Wednesday to cut Bernard Pollard, the hard-hitting and tough-talking safety who led the Super Bowl champions in tackles last season, opens up just $1 million of salary-cap room. So at least on the surface, the move appears to go beyond simple finances. While team officials have yet to comment on Pollard's release, it continues a trend of offseason activity that has the Ravens' roster - particularly on the defensive side - getting younger, thinner, quieter and in some cases, cheaper.

The Ravens said a month ago they wanted to strengthen the middle of their defense after winning the Super Bowl. They left out the part about letting more than half of their starting defenders go to accomplish that goal. On Wednesday, the Ravens released starting strong safety Bernard Pollard , a hard-hitting box safety who is a quality run defender. His release came a day after the Ravens lost inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and pass rusher Paul Kruger in free agency and a month after inside linebacker Ray Lewis ended his career with a title.

In a surprising move, the Ravens released veteran safety Bernard Pollard , leaving them without another key performer in last season's run to a Super Bowl XLVII victory. Pollard, the Ravens' starting strong safety the past two seasons and one of the vocal leaders of the defense, broke the news on his Twitter account, writing, "Well Raven Nation it's been fun. My time in Baltimore is done... Thank you!" A league source confirmed Pollard has been let go. The 28-year-old safety, one of the NFL's biggest hitters and one of the Ravens' locker room's biggest personalities, carried a $3.25 million cap figure for next season.

Maybe you think Ozzie Newsome has lost his mind this time. Now it's hard-hitting Bernard Pollard who's been shown the door by the Ravens' general manager, joining the mini-parade of Anquan Boldin, Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe as salary-cap casualties. I know, I know . . . since the start of free agency, it's felt like "Ozzie Gone Wild" over at the Castle as the re-making of the Super Bowl champions gets underway. But Ravens fans need to chill. Before the mass freak-out gets out of control, let's remember that it's still early in free agency.

On the same day that they lost two key defensive starters, the Ravens filled one of their free agent priorities by adding some size and experience to the interior of their defensive line. Former New York Giant and Dallas Cowboy defensive tackle Chris Canty, who spent the day visiting the team's training facility, put out on his Twitter account a picture of him signing a contract with the Ravens. He agreed to a three-year deal worth $8 million that includes $2.8 million in guaranteed money, according to sources.

It's not all bad news for the Ravens on the first day of free agency. Despite trading receiver Anquan Boldin on Monday and then losing linebackers Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe on Tuesday, the Ravens still might have a shot at retaining safety Ed Reed and offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie. Free agency is basically a young man's game, and the big names usually sign during the first couple of days when the market opens. So far, the interest has been lukewarm for McKinnie and Reed.