OWINGS MILLS -- Locking up Marshal Yanda before he could hit free agency, the Baltimore Ravens announced multi-year deal with the veteran offensive lineman tonight.

Yanda's contract was expected to come in at an annual average of roughly $7 million over five years for a total value of $32 million.

Yanda's agent, Neil Cornrich, and team officials had discussed parameters of a deal several months ago before the NFL lockout. However, they were unable to come to a deal until now after the Ravens cleared $18.6 million in salary cap space by planning roster cuts for Todd Heap, Willis McGahee, Derrick Mason and Kelly Gregg.

Yanda provides a lot of flexibility to the line with his ability to play guard and tackle.

"We got Marshall Yanda!" coach John Harbaugh told the Ravens' official website. "That's great news. He told us he wanted to be a Raven and he understood the business part that he had to go through. I'm beaming. We're a better team than we were one hour ago."