There are rumors that the Baltimore Ravens may be interested in taking a look at Bengals free agent linebacker Rey Maualuga, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer's Joe Reedy.

There have been some rumors that Ravens might look at Maualuga. I wonder if that accelerates now

— Joe Reedy (@joereedy) March 12, 2013

Maualuga has been the target of quite a lot of ridicule over the past two seasons. He was a second-round draft pick four years ago and after two years as the team's starting SAM linebacker he was moved to MIKE. Since he was moved to MIKE, though, he has struggled and has been extremely inconsistent.

His struggles really showed in the team's playoff game in Houston this past season when Maualuga was continually burnt both in pass coverage and as a run defender. Do to the fact that the Bengals seem to have their future MIKE linebacker in Vontaze Burfict, who had a great season in 2012 at WILL.

The Ravens have not only lost future hall of fame linebacker Ray Lewis to retirement, but they've also lost Dannell Ellerbe to the Dolphins as the two have agreed to a deal in principle earlier on Tuesday. Linebacker is a major need and since they don't have a ton of money to spend, Maualuga makes sense.

While most Bengals fans would gladly let Maualuga leave for Baltimore, the Bengals do need a SAM linebacker for 2013 and since they're unlikely to re-sign Manny Lawson, Maualuga could make sense since he's familiar with the position and played there fairly well.