HEADLINES

Baltimore Ravens News & Rumors

Ravens CB Kyle Fuller Suffers Torn ACL

September 12th, 2022 at 2:48pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens suffered two injuries during yesterday’s win over the Jets, but in both cases, that contest will be their only action of the 2022 season. Cornerback Kyle Fuller tore his ACL, head coach John Harbaugh confirmed when speaking to the media on Monday. 

[RELATED: Ravens LT James To Miss Season With Torn Achilles]

The 30-year-old signed in Baltimore in May, looking to use the homecoming as a way to re-build his value. Fuller played in Denver last season on a $9.5MM deal, but found himself in and out of the lineup competing with a number of young Broncos corners. He failed to record an interception for the first time in his career, a far cry from the league-leading seven picks he amassed during his All-Pro Bears season in 2018.

Still, Fuller projected as a key rotational player in a Ravens CB room which saw plenty of turnover during the offseason. The departures of Anthony Averett and Jimmy Smith left a roster spot open for a veteran addition, especially given the injury concerns faced by starters Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters.

The latter missed the 2021 season in its entirety, leaving his Week 1 status in the air. He was activated from the PUP list in August, but did indeed sit out yesterday’s game. That left Fuller as a starter, and he logged a defensive snap share of 95%. A return to the field by Peters in time for Week 2 would alleviate the need for a new first-teamer on the perimeter, but the Ravens’ depth could be tested early in the year especially if he is unable to do so.

Baltimore will likely lean more heavily on Brandon Stephens in Fuller’s absence; the team could also use more three-safety packages including Marcus Williams, Chuck Clark and Kyle Hamilton. Fourth-round rookies Jayln Armour-Davis and Damarion Williams could be in line for increased playing time as well. Fuller, meanwhile, will turn his attention to recovery as he now faces another ‘prove-it’ deal in free agency next offseason.

Lamar Jackson Rejected Six-Year, $290MM+ Offer

September 11th, 2022 at 10:30pm CST by Rory Parks

One of the most prevalent NFL storylines this offseason has been the Ravens’ extension negotiations with star quarterback Lamar Jackson, and we learned on Friday that the two sides had not come to terms. As such, it is likely that contract talks will be tabled until the offseason.

We now have more details on Baltimore’s most recent offer. Per ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, the Ravens proposed a six-year deal worth over $290MM, which included $133MM guaranteed at signing (Twitter link). The full guarantees and the average annual value would have eclipsed the figures included in the recent contracts signed by Denver’s Russell Wilson ($124MM fully guaranteed, $48.5MM AAV) and Arizona’s Kyler Murray ($103.3MM fully guaranteed, $46.5MM AAV). Indeed, Mortensen says that Wilson’s pact — which was signed just 10 days ago — prompted the Ravens to up their offer.

As has become increasingly clear, Jackson wants his entire contract to be fully guaranteed, just like the one the Browns gave to Deshaun Watson. Of course, clubs are trying to treat the Watson accord as an outlier, and Wilson and Murray clearly did not object to that approach. According to veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson, Baltimore was frustrated that Jackson, unlike Wilson and Murray, did not accept that unique circumstances precipitated Watson’s deal (Twitter links).

Anderson adds that helping elite quarterbacks land fully guaranteed contracts in the future is important to Jackson (links to Twitter). One wonders if the NFLPA — which, as Mortensen tweets, counseled the agentless Jackson — might have influenced the 2019 MVP in that regard, though there is presently nothing to suggest that is the case.

If Jackson continues to bet on himself and takes the “Kirk Cousins approach” to the situation — i.e., forcing the Ravens to put the franchise tag on him in 2023 and ’24 — he would earn around $100MM in guaranteed money over those two seasons, along with the $23MM he is earning in 2022. In 2025, when the cap charge of a third franchise tag becomes untenable, Jackson could theoretically have the leverage to get the fully guaranteed deal he desires from Baltimore or another franchise.

That obviously assumes that his play remains at a high level and that he does not suffer a career-altering injury, though Anderson hears that Jackson is essentially bullet-proof; no matter what happens to him (barring something completely catastrophic), sources expect him to ultimately get what he wants (Twitter links). That may or may not be true, but it is clearly a risk Jackson is willing to take.

We heard previously that the negotiations have not led to any acrimony between Jackson and the Ravens, and for what it’s worth, the union believes the team has negotiated in good faith (Twitter link via Mortensen). Baltimore did include $2.5MM “de-escalator” clauses if Jackson did not attend a certain percentage of offseason workouts, though it’s unlikely that particular provision had much of an impact in talks.

For now, the Ravens and Jackson will turn their attention to Sunday’s opener against the Jets, the start of another campaign in which expectations are high for player and team.

Ravens LT Ja’Wuan James Suffers Torn Achilles

September 11th, 2022 at 5:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens entered today’s game without their starting left tackle, and exited it with their top replacement option unavailable as well. Ja’Wuan James left the contest due to an injury which head coach John Harbaugh has since announced is a torn Achilles (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo). 

The news is a crushing blow for the 30-year-old. James’ appearance today was his first since 2019, as he had just made his way back from the Achilles tear which ended his time with the Broncos. After signing with the Ravens last offseason, there was a chance he would have been able to play, but he remained sidelined as 2022 insurance for All-Pro Ronnie Stanley.

The latter’s lingering ankle problems led to him being declared inactive yesterday. Stanley has played just one game since October 2020, and his absence was a significant contributor to the Ravens’ offensive line struggles last year. The team took steps to add both starting and depth options over the offseason, including retaining James despite his injury uncertainty. It was confirmed during the summer that James would be the primary backup on the blindside, even though his experience all-but exclusively came as a right tackle.

Free agent signing Morgan Moses manned that spot, and he is expected to do so despite James’ injury. Filling in for James was Patrick Mekari, who spent most of last season as a fill-in at RT while the Ravens dealt with Stanley’s absence. The former UDFA has proven himself an effective backup across the line, and will likely start at left tackle next week unless Stanley is able to return – something which the team now requires with even more urgency than before today.

2022 Offseason In Review Series

September 10th, 2022 at 10:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

This season will feature 12 new Week 1 starting quarterbacks, though the Jets’ decision is the result of an injury rather than a roster move. High-profile wide receivers also changed teams, igniting one of the biggest market shifts a single position has seen. The Offseason In Review series is now complete. Here are the PFR staff’s looks at how the 32 NFL teams assembled their 2022 rosters.

AFC East

AFC North

AFC South

AFC West

NFC East

NFC North

NFC South

NFC West

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/22

September 10th, 2022 at 7:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league, as teams prepare for the first Sunday slate of regular season games:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

The Cardinals’ moves come as a reaction to yesterday’s injury news. Baccellia’s roster spot was opened up in the short-term by the injury to Rondale Moore, but he won’t simply be a stop-gap. Arizona signed the 25-year-old to a two-year deal to remain on the main roster, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (Twitter link). A UDFA out of Washington, Baccellia has yet to make a regular season NFL appearance.

Likewise, the fact that Ford will miss at least the first four weeks of the season makes the re-acquisition of Garcia a logical one. The former fourth-rounder has plenty of guard experience, including his three seasons spent in Arizona. It was only in 2021 that he logged any starts, but he could provide veteran depth behind Justin Pugh at least until Ford is able to return.

Addison, 35, was one of several veteran signings the Texans made this offseason to add depth to their front seven. He had a productive season with the Bills last season, notching seven sacks despite not starting any games. In his absence, Harris and Pierre-Louis will provide depth in the edge rush department on Sunday, and likely the short-term future as well.

Quick reminder that standard game day practice squad promotions are a recent development from the new CBA and COVID-19 seasons. Essentially, each team is able to promote two players from the practice squad to the active roster for game days. The players will automatically revert back to the practice squad after the game, not needing to clear waivers before rejoining the developmental roster. A player can only be promoted three times per season. If a team would like to promote a player for a fourth game, they’ll need to go through the normal method of creating space on the 53-man roster to promote them and have them clear waivers before placing them back on the practice squad. That is the difference between “Signed to 53-man roster” from the practice squad and “Promoted from practice squad.”

Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley Ruled Out For Week 1

September 10th, 2022 at 1:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 2022 Ravens should be healthier than their 2021 version, but they will begin the new campaign tomorrow still missing one of their key offensive players. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who had been listed as doubtful on yesterday’s injury report, has been ruled out of Baltimore’s season opener, per a team announcement. 

Stanley continues to recover from the ankle injury which cut short his 2020 campaign and limited him to a single contest last season. The fact that he was activated from the PUP list last month left the door open to a Week 1 return, but he will not be with the team as they visit the Jets.

The 28-year-old played during the Ravens’ season opener last year, but ultimately had to be shut down after the third procedure he has undergone on the affected ankle. The team admitted earlier this offseason that Stanley was rushed back into action, so it comes as little surprise that a more cautious approach is being taken this year. He has only practiced three times following his activation, something which always made Week 2 (or later) a more realistic return date.

To replace Stanley, the Ravens will likely turn to Ja’Wuan James on the blindside, as noted by ESPN’s Jamison Hensley (Twitter link). That was reported to be the team’s contingency plan this summer, despite the fact that James has not seen the field since 2019. After his release from the Broncos, James signed with the Ravens last year with a faint hope that he would be able to return at some point in the season. As expected, he was ruled out, but the 30-year-old could provide solid play if he returns to his Dolphins form.

The left tackle spot will be an essentially foreign position for James, who has all-but exclusively played on the right side during his career. That role will go to free agent signing Morgan Moses, whom the team invested in to help solidify an offensive line which struggled considerably in 2021. The most important member of the unit will be a welcomed sight upon his return, but that will not happen for at least one more week.

Ravens Fail To Agree On Contract Extension With Lamar Jackson

September 9th, 2022 at 11:04am CST by Adam La Rose

Today was considered the deadline for the Ravens to finalize an extension with quarterback Lamar Jackson, after he named today as the last negotiating window before turning his attention to the 2022 campaign. The team confirmed that a deal will not be coming in time for the start of the season. 

“Despite best efforts on both sides, we were unable to reach a contract extension with Lamar Jackson,” general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “We greatly appreciate how he has handled this process and we are excited about our team with Lamar leading the way.”

The news comes as little surprise at this point; a mega-deal like several others signed this offseason was reported as being unlikely earlier this week. The matter of guaranteed money has long been seen as the sticking point between team and player, as Jackson is believed to be seeking a deal which is fully guaranteed, just as Deshaun Watson‘s historic Browns contract is.

The Ravens have not, at any point during negotiations, been willing to go that far, including when they reportedly increased their offer to the 25-year-old. The same has been true of the Cardinals and Broncos, who have extended Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson, respectively, on deals which outstrip the $46MM-per-year average of Watson’s pact, though they fall well short in terms of guaranteed compensation.

That has led to the growing sense around the league that the Watson deal is an outlier. Baltimore is among the teams concurring with that view, as confirmed by Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson. He adds, however, that the Ravens are “believed to be willing to guarantee a large portion” of any Jackson extension, even eclipsing Wilson’s $165MM figure and at least approaching Murray’s $189.5MM mark.

Wilson also cites sources emphasizing that negotiations between DeCosta and Jackson (who does not have an agent) have not resulted in an “acrimonious situation.” Nevertheless, this is a disappointing development for the team, and one which leaves Jackson months away from unrestricted free agency.

Assuming he holds true to his aversion to in-season talks, Jackson will play out his rookie contract in 2022 and become subject to a franchise tag in March. The one-year pacts will represent a significant raise from the $23MM Jackson will earn this season, regardless of whether an exclusive or non-exclusive tag is used. The former would place a massive burden on the team’s 2023 cap structure, while the latter would leave open the possibility of an offer sheet.

“We will continue to work towards a long-term contract after the season,” DeCosta’s statement concludes, “but for now we are looking forward to a successful 2022 campaign.” The Ravens open the season on Sunday against the Jets, but this storyline will hang over the franchise for the duration.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/22

September 7th, 2022 at 7:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Houston Texans

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Lamar Jackson Extension Unlikely In 2022; QB, Ravens Still Negotiating

September 7th, 2022 at 2:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Lamar Jackson has moved his deadline for a 2022 extension agreement up to Friday. The former MVP confirmed this today but added talks have not broken off. This is an artificial deadline, and Jackson added the talks “probably” will end Friday. The sides negotiated into last season, but the agent-less QB is against such a path this year.

Baltimore’s star quarterback has been connected to seeking a fully guaranteed deal, a la Deshaun Watson, while the Ravens are against such a structure. The Ravens are believed to have offered a deal north of Kyler Murray‘s $46.1MM-per-year pact, but Jackson remains unsigned. Two days ahead of this deadline, pessimism defines these talks.

Barring an 11th-hour shift, Jackson is expected to play the 2022 season on his $23MM fifth-year option, Mark Maske of the Washington Post notes. Previously, it was thought Jackson was giving the Ravens until their Sunday opener. But considering this deadline is designed to separate Jackson negotiations from his preparation for the 17-game season, it makes sense the three-time Pro Bowler would want to head into the weekend with this matter — extension or not — behind him.

A 2021 Baltimore offer matched the Bills’ $43MM-AAV Josh Allen extension. Jackson passed. While the Ravens have upped their offer this year and may well have increased it again this week, it is worth wondering where the team’s cutoff point resides.

Russell Wilson‘s five-year, $245MM Broncos extension includes $124MM fully guaranteed. Denver’s deal locks the nine-time Pro Bowler in through at least 2025, due to a March 2024 guarantee trigger. Jackson, 25, being eight years younger than the former Super Bowl winner would give him an excellent case to bridge the gulf between Wilson’s guarantee figure and Watson’s $230MM total. As the Broncos and Cardinals’ offseason deals have shown, teams are determined to make the Browns’ Watson contract an outlier. Whereas Kirk Cousins received his fully guaranteed Vikings deal (three years, $84MM) in free agency, as the Jets lurked, four teams were vying for Watson via trade. The Browns only offered their shocking proposal after being eliminated earlier in the process.

With the Year 5 option and two franchise tags as leverage, the Ravens will not offer a $230MM guarantee. It will be interesting to learn what Baltimore has proposed, guarantee-wise. Those tag possibilities also can work in Jackson’s favor. Even the first of them, should the Ravens give Jackson the exclusive tag, would move toward the $45MM range. That would be an unprecedented cap-clogging figure for the team to navigate ahead of the 2023 free agency period. No deal coming together by Friday would put this saga on track toward tag No. 1 come March.

Ravens Rumors: Stanley, Powers, Jackson, Fackrell

September 6th, 2022 at 7:56pm CST by Ely Allen

Despite being activated off the team’s physically unable to perform list ten days ago, Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley had not been practicing with the team. That changed today as the former All-Pro returned to practice, according to a tweet from the team’s Twitter account.

Stanley is still attempting to come all the way back from an ankle injury suffered back in 2020. The blindside starter for Baltimore started in Week 1 last season despite feeling rushed to return to the lineup, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Stanley finished the game but would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing season-ending surgery for his ankle.

“It’s going to be in terms of when they tell us, and when he feels like he wants to get out there and do it,” head coach John Harbaugh said to the media last week concerning Stanley’s return. “He knows his ankle, and I know that Ronnie is very determined to be really at his very best when he comes back. That’s kind of part of his thinking on it. So, I trust him with it. I know he’s going to do the right thing and be out there as soon as he can.”

Stanley’s return to the practice field is a great sign but may not mean that he’ll be available in Week 1. Harbaugh also told the media that, ideally, he’d like players coming back from major injuries to have two to three weeks of practice before they play in a game, but, if he is truly serious about leaving in up to Stanley, the Ravens may get their star tackle back in time to face the Jets. In the event he doesn’t return on September 11, last year’s free agent addition, Ja’Wuan James, is listed as Stanley’s backup on the newly released depth chart.

Here a few other rumors coming out of Charm City, starting with another note about the offensive line depth chart:

  • On the Ravens’ depth chart that was released today, the supposed winner of a position battle was unveiled. The starting left guard on the depth chart is listed as Ben Powers. Powers has been with the Ravens since getting drafted in the fourth-round in 2019. In those three years, Powers has appeared in 30 games, starting 19. He became a full-time starter for the Ravens last season after the team had to reshuffle the offensive line when Stanley got surgery after Week 1. He started the next 12 games before missing the last four games with a foot injury. Then-rookie third-round pick Ben Cleveland filled in for Powers in those four games at left guard and was expected to push him for a starting role this offseason. Additionally, Ravens’ sixth-man Patrick Mekari was available to step in, in case either Powers or Cleveland couldn’t take hold of the starting job.
  • More of the same is being reported in regards to the contract situation surrounding Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. Harbaugh reiterated that there has not been a single discussion hinting that Jackson would hold out and not play this season with a new deal. Neither party “has ever hinted at any animosity in negotiations” and, reportedly, Jackson remains “focused on the season.” Harbaugh explained, “He’s hopeful to get a new contract and we’re hopeful to get him a new contract. All the rest of it is business. There is nothing other than coming to something that is mutually agreeable.”
  • The Ravens worked out veteran linebacker Kyler Fackrell on Labor Day, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Fackrell spent Tuesday with the team, as well, as the team was able to sign him to their practice squad, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Fackrell has started games for the Packers, Giants, and Chargers throughout his six years in the league, having his best season in 2018 when he racked up 10.5 sacks and 12.0 tackles for loss in Green Bay. Fackrell was placed on the Raiders’ season-ending injured reserve in late-July before being released a month later, so Fackrell joins rookie second-round pick David Ojabo as a pass rusher with whom the Ravens are being patient.
Load More Posts