The Ravens have made their biggest splash of the offseason.
The reigning Super Bowl champions reached a five-year deal in principle with former Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil, regarded as one of the elite pass rushers on the market, the team announced Sunday.
The deal is reportedly worth up to $35 million, including $8.5 million in the first year, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The deal will reportedly have a $2.5 million cap hit this year and includes $12 million in total guaranteed money.
Dumervil has to pass a physical before the deal is official, and he is scheduled to visit Baltimore on Tuesday to take the physical and sign his contract.
Dumervil, 29, became available last week after he was released by the Broncos following a bizarre fax fiasco between the team and his agent. Dumervil had initially agreed to take a pay cut with the Broncos, but his agent missed the NFL's deadline by six minutes to fax the official paperwork, forcing the Broncos to terminate his deal.
The mishap put Dumervil on the open market, but he Broncos still reportedly made a strong push to keep him.
The Ravens ultimately ended up outbidding the Broncos and pounced on the opportunity to add another elite pass rusher to their defense to go along with 2011 Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs.
"I'm a fan," Suggs said about Dumervil.
Dumervil, who played defensive end in the Broncos' 4-3 scheme, is expected to move to outside linebacker in the Ravens' 3-4 defense. He will help offset the loss of pass rusher Paul Kruger, who signed a $40 million contract with the Cleveland Browns this offseason after a breakout 2012 campaign.
"Not to take away from the pass rushers we already have, but it would be flattering to play with those other guys who have had success in this league," Suggs said about the Ravens adding another elite pass rusher. "I hope [he's] on board for the direction our team is going and be focused on one thing: winning football games and championships."
The Ravens could use Dumervil in a variety of roles, including as a situational pass rusher, in a rotation with Suggs or on the opposite side of Suggs. Last year, Courtney Upshaw started at the outside linebacker spot opposite of Suggs, which is traditionally more of a run-stuffing role.
Dumervil has been one of the NFL's most dominant pass rushers during his six seasons in the NFL, and he's coming off a year where he notched 11 sacks. He led the NFL with 17 sacks in 2009 and has 63.5 throughout his career.
"Elvis was a team captain and a talented player who made a great impact during his seven seasons in Denver," Broncos Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway said in a statement. "I appreciate all of his effort on the field and the work he did in the community. I wish Elvis all the best as he continues his NFL career."
The three-time Pro Bowler already has an existing relationship with Ravens Inside Linebackers Coach Don Martindale, who was the Broncos' linebackers coach in 2009 when Dumervil had the best season of his career.
Bringing Dumervil to Baltimore is the latest move by the Ravens to strengthen their defensive front that struggled at times last year. They brought in versatile linemen Chris Canty and Marcus Spears, who are both expected to rotate between defensive end and tackle.
The group now has proven veterans in Canty and Spears to go along with young emerging players like Arthur Jones and Pernell McPhee.
And with Dumervil now coming to Baltimore, the Ravens have a stellar trio of stars on their defensive front with him, Suggs and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. That trio has 12 combined Pro Bowls between them, and will be a force for opponents to gameplan against in the coming years.
-- Staff Writer Ryan Mink contributed to this report
