Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker
The Baltimore Ravens reached an unprecedented agreement with Terrell Suggs Tuesday by giving the hybrid player a franchise tag that is in between the value of a linebacker and defensive end.
It was a good move by Baltimore's front office to do all it could to get one of its best defensive players in the fold as soon as possible. But it makes you wonder if this has quietly opened the floodgates for other hybrid players in the future?
The NFL is increasingly finding talent that can play multiple positions.
For instance, teams that use a 3-4 defense often have an outside linebacker that can rush the passer as a defensive end on third down. Several tight ends, such as Kellen Winslow Jr. of the Cleveland Browns and Antonio Gates of the San Diego Chargers, play a percentage of their snaps at wide receiver to create mismatches. And throughout the course of a season, some offensive guards are asked to fill in at tackle due to injury, which may not be a natural position but is more valuable contractually.
With Suggs and the Ravens reaching this compromise, it could provide leverage for other hybrid players to ask for a bigger chunk of the franchise pie down the road.
