Terrence Toliver

Ravens Audition QB Austin Davis

The Ravens worked out free agent quarterback Austin Davis today, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Baltimore would presumably have interest in a futures deal with Davis, who was waived by the Broncos in late December.Austin Davis (Vertical)

[RELATED: Ravens LB Zach Orr Retires]

Davis, 27, didn’t appear in a single game for Denver during his nearly fourth-month stay with the club, as he was relegated to clipboard duty behind Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. While he played in three games for the Browns in 2015, Davis’ last significant starting experience came in 2014, when he threw for more than 2,000 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in eight starts for the Rams.

In Baltimore, Davis could compete for a backup spot behind starting quarterback Joe Flacco, one of only two QBs the Ravens currently have under contract for 2017. While No. 2 signal-caller Ryan Mallett is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency in March, Dustin Vaughan — who briefly latched onto Baltimore’s practice squad at the tail end of last season — was one of six players the Ravens signed to a futures deal earlier this month.

In addition to Davis, the Ravens also auditioned safeties Tony Burnett and Otha Foster; linebackers Kyler Elsworth and Boseko Lokombo; defensive tackle Robert Smith; and wide receivers Terrence Toliver and Brian Tyms, reports Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (Twitter links).

Minor Moves: Thursday

Thursday’s minor transactions from around the NFL will be rounded up below, with any moves reported or announced this afternoon or evening added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • The Bears signed offensive tackle Dennis Roland and waived fellow tackle Cody Booth, tweets Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com recently wrote that Roland was one of the best right tackles remaining on the open market.
  • The Chiefs waived rookie linebacker Ben Johnson to clear roster room for the signing of former Patriots safety Steve Gregory, tweets Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. The Chiefs signed Johnson as a UDFA out of Tennessee-Martin and he participated in training camp practices despite missing time during OTAs with a hamstring injury.
  • The Dolphins have swapped one tight end for another, signing Raymond Webber and placing the recently-signed Brett Brackett on waivers, tweets Brian McIntyre.
  • Per Aaron Wilson (Twitter links), the Bills have removed defensive back Brandon Smith from their injured reserve list, while the Seahawks did the same with offensive lineman Jared Smith. The Seahawks reached an injury settlement with their Smith, though it’s not clear if Buffalo did the same.
  • Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com has the corresponding move for the Lions‘ signing of Redding (noted below), tweeting that the club has cut receiver Cody Wilson.

Earlier updates:

  • Tight end Anthony McCoy has been moved to injured reserve by the Seahawks, who replaced him on the roster with former USC wide receiver Ronald Johnson, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
  • According to his agent Joel E. Turner (Twitter link), rookie defensive end Kris Redding has signed with the Lions. Detroit currently has a full 90-man roster, so a corresponding move will be necessary when the team officially announces the signing of the Wake Forest product.
  • After missing most of last season with a torn quadriceps, Colts guard Donald Thomas suffered the same injury in practice this week, according to Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk. It’s disappointing news for Thomas and for the Colts, who signed the offensive lineman to a four-year, $14MM prior to the 2013 season and have only gotten two regular-season games out of him so far. With second-round pick Jack Mewhort seemingly poised to take over a starting role, Indianapolis has placed Thomas on IR, signing offensive lineman Eric Pike to fill his roster spot, tweets Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
  • The Bears swapped a couple players near the back-end of their roster today, signing offensive lineman Graham Pocic and waived wide receiver Terrence Toliver with an injury settlement, the team announced (via Twitter).