Danny Woodhead

Danny Woodhead Announces Retirement

Danny Woodhead is calling it a career. The veteran running back announced his retirement on Instagram last night.

Woodhead inked a three-year deal with Baltimore last offseason, but the team released him earlier this week. By releasing the veteran back, the Ravens will pick up $1.8MM in cap space while incurring $1.5MM in dead money. That extra cap space is critical for Baltimore, who currently have roughly $6MM in available funds. Earlier this week, we heard that both the Patriots and Falcons had interest in Woodhead.

Woodhead, 33, suffered a hamstring injury on the first drive of his Ravens career, and subsequently spent the first half of the season on injured reserve. After coming back, Woodhead managed 33 receptions for 200 yards while rushing for 56 yards on the ground.

The 2008 undrafted free agent finishes his career having collected 32 career touchdowns in stints with the Jets, Patriots, Chargers, and Ravens.

Patriots, Falcons Pursuing RB Danny Woodhead

The Patriots and Falcons have reached out to free agent running back Danny Woodhead, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Woodhead is available following his release from the Ravens earlier this week

Woodhead joined the Ravens on a free agent deal last offseason, but his contract was terminated before he could earn the full value of the $8.8MM deal. Thanks to a hamstring injury, Woodhead saw time in only eight games. He caught 33 passes for 200 yards in what was effectively half of a season.

Woodhead, a practice field favorite of the Jets, made his way to the Patriots in 2015 and became a major contributor in their offense. Across three seasons with New England, Woodhead averaged 4.8 yards per carry and averaged 32 catches for 342 yards per 16-game set. The Patriots are on the lookout for backfield help after losing Dion Lewis to the Titans. They did, however, re-sign one of their own in Rex Burkhead.

In Atlanta, Woodhead would serve as a complementary piece to go along with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. Woodhead hasn’t been utilized as a traditional ball carrier in recent seasons and he’d be doing even less in that regard with the Falcons.

Ravens To Release RB Danny Woodhead

The Ravens will release running back Danny Woodhead, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Woodhead inked a three-year deal with Baltimore last offseason, but he’ll only make a third of the way through that contract. By releasing the veteran back, the Ravens will pick up $1.8MM in cap space while incurring $1.5MM in dead money. That extra cap space is critical for Baltimore, who currently have roughly $6MM in available funds.

Woodhead, 33, suffered a hamstring injury on the first drive of his Ravens career, and subsequently spent the first half of the season on injured reserve. After coming back, Woodhead managed 33 receptions for 200 yards while rushing for 56 yards on the ground.

In other Ravens news, Baltimore has elected to decline Austin Howard‘s option. Howard should find a strong market for his services given the dearth of quality tackles available.

AFC Notes: Brady, Maclin, Bowman, Jets

Tom Brady suffered a “painful” thumb injury during a practice that took place at the beginning of the week, reports Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston. According to Curran, the 40-year-old quarterback cut his thumb badly when a running back smashed it while the team was running a play at practice. However, Curran notes that Brady can throw, but doesn’t know exactly just how much it will affect the Patriots gameplan this Sunday.

As always, Curran notes that the team is not letting much information out to the press or public at this time. It’s highly unlikely that Brady will not play in the AFC Championship game, but it is a story that people should keep track of as the game time approaches over the weekend. Perhaps the biggest development that Curran has to offer is that Brady is “not taking snaps from under center”.

The team has listed Brady as questionable on the most recent injury report, but the impact of the injury could have a major effect on Bill Belichick‘s gameplan even though nobody expects the five-time Super Bowl winner to miss such a big game.

Here are more stories coming out of the AFC:

  • The Ravens have a few players that could be cut in order to create some more cap space for potential offseason moves. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun listed some of the veterans that could be on their way out. These names included: Lardarius Webb, Danny Woodhead, Brandon Carr, Austin Howard, Breshad Perriman and Albert McClellan. However, the most interesting player on his list could be wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. The Ravens thought Maclin would be a key addition after he has cut by the Chiefs last offseason, but it was mostly a pedestrian year for 29-year-old pass catcher. Baltimore needs a makeover at the receiver position and could make room for new targets for Joe Flacco by cutting Maclin and letting the likes of Mike Wallace and Michael Campanaro walk in free agency.
  • While the addition of NaVorro Bowman could not stop the bleeding of a disappointing 2017 Raiders season, that doesn’t necessarily mean that new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther doesn’t want the veteran linebacker back in the fold in 2018, reports Scott Bair of NBC Sports“NaVorro is a prototype middle linebacker, really,” said Guenther. “The thing that impressed me most with NaVorro is that they got him here midseason and by the end of the year, it appeared to me that he was kind of the leader of the unit, making a lot of calls. You can see that on tape. It looks like he is a smart guy that understands the game. I love smart guys that love playing football. Hopefully we can get him back in the fold and keep him a Raider.”
  • Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson was arrested on a number of charges earlier this morning. Connor Hughes of NJ.com has more details about what occurred to bring this type of discipline. According to a police report that NJ.com obtained, Hughes reports that Anderson”rapidly accelerated” past cops at 105 mph after he saw them on the side of the road. As the cops followed behind Anderson, the report states that Anderson was “all over the road”, and seemingly “failed to maintain a single lane on numerous occasions.” Anderson did eventually stop the car and was arrested, but not until make a number of threats to the police officer’s wife. These details spell more bad news for Anderson who already was arrested back in May while he was at a festival in Miami. The wideout may face discipline from the NFL, but the league still must do their due diligence investigating the incidents until any punishments will be handed down to the 24-year-old.

Ravens Activate RB Danny Woodhead

The NFL’s worst passing offense is about to get a much-needed boost. The Ravens announced (via Twitter) that they have activated running back Danny Woodhead from the injured reserve. The veteran will be eligible to play tomorrow against the Packers. To make room on the roster, the team waived tight end Gavin Escobar.

Danny Woodhead (vertical)After signing a three-year deal with the organization during the offseason, Woodhead was placed on the injured reserve in September after he struggled to recover from a hamstring injury. While running back Alex Collins and his 5.6-yards-per-carry have looked solid, the team is in dire need of some receiving help. The Ravens currently rank dead last in passing yards and 27th in passing touchdowns, leading to an underwhelming 4-5 record. The 32-year-old Woodhead should certainly help in that regard, as he’ll provide quarterback Joe Flacco with another dependable target.

While the veteran missed the majority of the 2014 and 2016 seasons, he showcased his talents in 2013 and 2015. During those two campaigns, Woodhead averaged 78 receptions for 680 yards and six touchdowns. It may take the running back several weeks to get back in the swing of things, but he’ll presumably replace Javorius Allen as the Ravens’ main pass-catching back. The 26-year-old has been solid this season, hauling in 39 receptions for 189 yards.

Escobar, a 2013 second-round pick, joined the Ravens in October after having spent his entire four-year career with Dallas (plus a brief stint with the Chiefs). The 26-year-old went on to play in a pair of games for Baltimore, although he didn’t compile a single stat. In 64 career games, Escobar has 30 receptions for 333 yards and eight touchdowns.

Ravens’ Danny Woodhead To Come Off Of IR

Ravens running back Danny Woodhead has officially returned to practice, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The plan is for Woodhead to return from injured reserve. Danny Woodhead (vertical)

The Ravens parked Woodhead on IR in September when he was taking longer than expected to recover from a hamstring strain. With some extra time to recover, Woodhead should be able to give Baltimore’s running game a boost. As an added bonus, he’s entering the midway point of the season with fresh legs.

Woodhead signed with the Ravens on a three-year, $8.8MM deal with $4.25MM guaranteed back in March. It remains to be seen whether he can truly earn his salary given his age and injury troubles.

Woodhead missed most of last season and played in only three games for the 2014 Chargers due to injury. In 2015, however, Woodhead totaled 1,091 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns.

Ravens Had Interest In Adrian Peterson

The Ravens had interest in trading for running back Adrian Peterson before the Saints dealt him to the Cardinals, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).Adrian Peterson (vertical)

New Orleans ultimately acquired a 2018 conditional sixth-round pick for Peterson, so it’s unclear if Baltimore simply didn’t want to meet that asking price, or if Peterson perhaps indicated he’d prefer to play for the Cardinals. Peterson claims he did not request a trade away from the Saints, but it’s entirely possible general manager Mickey Loomis & Co. allowed him some say on his destination.

Baltimore has dealt with a number of injuries at the running back position, as Kenneth Dixon and Danny Woodhead are both on injured reserve. While Woodhead is eligible to begin practicing again in late October, the Ravens don’t currently have a timeline for his return, reports Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Dixon, meanwhile, will miss the entirety of the season, while Terrance West will be sidelined for a few weeks with a calf injury.

Javorius Allen and Alex Collins have handled the bulk of the Ravens’ carries in recent weeks, and figure to do so going forward. After missing out on Peterson, Baltimore re-signed veteran journeyman Bobby Rainey, who has already earned his paycheck in Week 6 by returning a kickoff for a 96-yard touchdown against the Bears.

Ravens Place RB Danny Woodhead On IR

The Ravens have placed running back Danny Woodhead on injured reserve with a hamstring) injury. To take his place on the 53-man roster, the Ravens have promoted Jeremy Langford from the practice squad. Danny Woodhead (vertical)

The Ravens initially thought they would be without Woodhead for 4-6 weeks. Unfortunately, further tests showed that his condition was worse than initially thought. He’s now facing a 6-8 week timetable, meaning that the Ravens were essentially forced to clear out his roster spot. Per league rules, Woodhead can become one of two players to return from IR for the Ravens, but he’ll first have to sit out for a full eight weeks.

Woodhead joined the Ravens on a three-year, $8.8MM deal with $4.25MM guaranteed back in March. It was a surprisingly large investment considering Woodhead’s age, injury troubles in 2016, and how weak the RB market has been.

A former fourth-round pick, Langford rushed for 537 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie with the Bears. At one point it looked like his future was bright in Chicago, but he was displaced from the roster altogether in early September. The Bears cut Langford in favor of UDFA Taquan Mizzell, who ironically was released by the Ravens. In 2016, he had only 62 carries in 12 games.

Ravens Could Place Danny Woodhead On IR

Danny Woodhead‘s injury is worse than the Ravens initially thought. The latest diagnosis on his hamstring malady has left him with a 6-8 week timetable for recovery, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). That would make him a candidate for the injured reserve list. Danny Woodhead (vertical)

League rules dictate that two players can return from IR each season. The Ravens’ best bet might be to park Woodhead on IR for the next two months and promote former Bears standout Jeremy Langford or second-year pro Alex Collins from the practice squad.

Woodhead missed the majority of the 2016 season with the Chargers and the injury bug has apparently followed him to Baltimore. He is under contract with the Ravens through 2019 at a total of $8.8MM, but the Ravens could conceivably cut him before the start of next season, leaving just $1.5MM in dead money against the cap.

At minimum, Woodhead will miss games against the Browns, Jaguars, Steelers, Raiders, Bears, and Vikings.

Danny Woodhead Expected To Miss 4-6 Weeks

Danny Woodhead‘s latest injury will be costly for his new team. The Ravens will be without their primary passing-down back for at least a month, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting (via Twitter) Woodhead could be out up to six weeks with a hamstring malady.

Rapoport adds (on Twitter) the Ravens have a roster decision to make, with this timetable making Woodhead an IR candidate. Only two running backs — Terrance West and Javorius Allen — reside on Baltimore’s active roster. The Ravens are carrying two practice squad backs, however, including former Bears starter Jeremy Langford.

Woodhead missed most of last season and played in only three games for the 2014 Chargers due to injury. The 32-year-old back signed a three-year, $8.8MM pact with the Ravens this offseason. Woodhead tore his ACL last season and suffered a broken leg in September 2014, marring his Chargers tenure.

In 2015, however, Woodhead totaled 1,091 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns to largely create his 2017 UFA market.