Fullback Vonta Leach received a lot of credit for boosting the Baltimore Ravens' running game over the last two seasons. He has made the Pro Bowl in both seasons since arriving from the Houston Texans and was recognized by his peers during NFL Network's "Top 100 Players" show.
And he might be looking for work soon.
The Baltimore Sun reported Monday that Leach is expected to be released or traded soon. The sides were unable to reach a compromise on a reduced contract. It previously had been reported that the Ravens were looking for Leach to take a pay cut from his $3 million base salary. It's hard to imagine another team trading for him.
The writing was on the wall in April when the Ravens took Harvard fullback Kyle Juszczyk in the fourth round of the NFL draft. Leach might be the premier fullback in football, but he's 31 years old and is paid a lot for his position. He's a victim of NFL trends that simply don't keep a fullback on the field as anything more than a part-time player. (Leach played in less than half of all the Ravens' snaps last season.)
Still, the Ravens must believe Leach's best days are behind him or they wouldn't make this move.
UPDATE: Leach confirmed via Twitter that he'll be leaving the Ravens, and he expressed his gratitude for the organization and its fans.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
