The Ravens are relishing the presence of three-time Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle, whom they signed to a four-year, $26MM deal in March, as Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. “If he has anything to tell me I’m always listening,” said fellow safety Lardarius Webb. “He’s going to be big for this defense – for this team.” Webb added that Weddle is “being himself and were loving it,” also referring to the acquisition of the longtime Charger as a “great move.” Head coach John Harbaugh agrees, stating, “He fits in with how we do things around here perfectly. I give (general manager) Ozzie (Newsome) all the credit in the world. That was a great signing.”
More from the NFL’s two North divisions:
- Still-unsigned linebacker Mike Neal visited the Lions in March, but they no longer have interest in the 28-year-old, reports Justin Rogers of MLive.com. As Rogers points out, the Lions picked up Wallace Gilberry in free agency and addressed both defensive end and outside linebacker via the draft, thereby lessening the need for Neal. The Lions are of course quite familiar with Neal, who has so far spent his entire career (2010-15) with the division-rival Packers. PFR’s Dallas Robinson rates Neal as the sixth-best defensive free agent remaining on the market.
- Browns coach Hue Jackson says he’s not ready to name a starting quarterback coming out of OTAs, Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer tweets. Signs are pointing toward Robert Griffin III, though, per Tony Grossi of ESPN.com. Whether veteran Josh McCown makes the team will depend on how Griffin and third-round rookie Cody Kessler fare in the coming months, Grossi opines.
- The Vikings haven’t ruled out adding another punter to compete with incumbent Jeff Locke, special teams coach Mike Priefer said Wednesday (link via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune). Minnesota tried out a pair of rookie punters last month, and neither signed with the Vikings or any other team. That could change, however, according to Priefer. “We had two good, young rookie punters at minicamp who performed very, very well so we know those guys are out there if we need to go that route,” commented Priefer. As for Locke, 26, he’s entering a contract year after ranking dead last in yards per punt (41.6) and third from the bottom in net yardage (37.8) in 2015.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
You missed out on the best punter available from NDSU