According to NFL.com's Jason La Canfora, the Ravens have officially placed the franchise tag on running back Ray Rice.
Ravens announce franchise tag for Ray Rice and release of Chris Carr and Lee Evans, all as expected
This is really no surprise at all. Rice wants an Adrian Peterson-sized paycheck and the Ravens and their star running back have been unable to agree on a price. Teams are only able to use their tag until March 5 and this is the safest thing to do. What does this mean for Ben Grubbs, though?
This means that the team cannot use the tag on Grubbs and that he will likely hit free agency. We already figured that they would focus all their attention on Rice and Grubbs would test the market, but now it's a certainty. The Bengals are in obvious need of a guard and they have the money to go get one and Grubbs would be a great addition. The only question now is whether or not they'll spend the money necessary.
For more from Cincy Jungle, make sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.