OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- There has been increased talk this week about defensive tackle Haloti Ngata's uncertain future after the Pro Bowl defensive lineman was suspended four games for taking performance-enhancing drugs. But the struggles of another veteran could put the Baltimore Ravens in an equally difficult position this offseason.

It's tough for the Ravens to justify paying Lardarius Webb $8 million next season (which is tied for the sixth-highest base salary for a cornerback) given his play this season and injury history. The Ravens, however, would only create $2 million in cap space by cutting him after the season.

The other factor is the Ravens would only deplete a thin cornerback group even more if they released him this offseason. The most logical solution is getting Webb to agree to a pay cut, which would help reduce his $12 million salary-cap number in 2015 (which ranks only behind quarterback Joe Flacco and Ngata).

The decline in Webb's play has come at the wrong time for the Ravens, who have allowed 1,322 yards passing and 13 touchdown passes this month.

Last season, Webb was the 19th-ranked cornerback by Pro Football Focus who broke up 22 passes (second-most in the NFL) and only allowed 57.3 percent of the passes to be completed against him. This year, he is the 107th-ranked corner who has six passes defensed and has allowed 72.2 percent of the passes to be completed against him.

"There have been a lot of ups and a lot of downs," Webb said. "But hey, man, adversity -- you have to just put that stuff behind you, you have to keep fighting. I’ve been through things when I have been down. That’s just my career. You just have to keep fighting, and that’s what I’m telling my boys in the back end. Stuff is going to happen in this league, every week is not going to go your way, but you come back the next day and you have to be ready to fight. And my boys are going to be ready to fight.”

With such a drastic falloff, some wonder whether Webb isn't fully healthy. He missed three of the first four games of the season with a lower back injury.

“I feel good now. I felt good as we are coming past this last month," Webb said. "I feel awesome. I’m just happy to be on the field. I’m just ready to go out and make more plays for my defense.”