Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome has been watching defensive lineman Terrence Cody since he was a highly touted recruit for Newsome's alma mater, Alabama.
Newsome then drafted Cody as a second-round pick in 2009.
Cody is now set to become an unrestricted free agent, and the big defensive lineman's status in Baltimore will come down to the man who has been watching him play for the last several years.
"I do want to stay here, but only the man upstairs can determine that," Cody said last week as he cleaned out his locker.
The Ravens initially drafted Cody to be a run stuffing interior lineman, and his time in Baltimore did not go as well as he hoped. He started every game in 2011, but then lost the starting nose tackle job in 2012 and was a reserve lineman again this season.
A knee injury sidelined him for four games during the 2013 campaign, and he finished the season with 15 total tackles.
"I feel like I played well this year," Cody said. "I missed four games with the knee injury, but after those four games I felt like I played really well. I felt like I probably could have had more stats and stuff, but I felt individually I played really well coming off of an injury."
Cody is a natural nose tackle, but his opportunities were limited this season because the Ravens had Pro Bowler Haloti Ngata playing inside more. Rather than playing next to Ngata, Cody was primarily his backup.
If he ends up re-signing with the Ravens, Cody hopes to get another chance as a consistent starter.
"If I am here, eventually I want to [come into my own] here," Cody said. "Maybe start and get that role back as one of those guys, one of those starters on that team."
Cody heads into free agency with 87 total tackles, two passes defensed and no sacks during his career. He is not expected to be one of the high-priced signings during the first wave of free agency, so the Ravens could have some time to determine whether to bring back the 25-year-old lineman. "No matter what, this is going to be a key offseason," Cody said. "It's going to be interesting this offseason."
