Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
Las Vegas Raiders
New York Jets
The makeup of the Ravens’ run game will depend on J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards finishing up their respective rehab efforts after ACL tears nixed their 2021 seasons. Some disagreement on the former’s path emerged Monday.
The prospect of the Ravens holding Dobbins out in Week 1 and perhaps sitting him for multiple September contests is likely to be in play, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link). Dobbins disagreed with Rapoport’s situational assessment, indicating he will “damn sure” be ready for Baltimore’s opener (Twitter link).
Dobbins also cast doubt about whether he would even begin training camp on the Ravens’ active/PUP list, though that appears a near-certainty. Players are generally bullish on their recoveries, and by the time the Ravens suit up for Week 1, it will have been over a year since Dobbins’ injury. While Rapoport did not characterize Dobbins’ rehab as off-schedule, he noted a potential delay to his season would stem from this being a “serious, complex injury.”
Dobbins tore an ACL and damaged his left LCL and meniscus, and Rapoport notes the Ravens want to make sure their starting back is 100% when he returns. Caution is understandable here, and John Harbaugh expressed some uncertainty on the Ohio State product’s status last month. The Ravens saw the outcome when Ronnie Stanley came back too soon, playing in last year’s opener before missing the season’s final 16 games.
Free agency addition Mike Davis represents some insurance for Dobbins and Edwards, and the Ravens also added sixth-round running back Tyler Badie (Missouri). But they are again prepared to base their backfield around Dobbins and Edwards, making the conclusions to the two rehab efforts crucial for the run-oriented team. There looks to be less doubt about Edwards’ Week 1 availability, Rapoport adds. The veteran back is expected to be ready to go in time for the regular season. Both Dobbins and Edwards are signed through 2023.
One of the few teams who still have unsigned rookies from this year’s draft, Baltimore continued to chip away today, signing two of their three remaining unsigned players. Offensive tackle Daniel Faalele and cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis signed their rookie contracts today with a little under two months to go until their first regular season commences.
Faalele is an Australia-native who moved to the states with no football experience. Faalele was discovered by recruiting staff at the University of Hawai’i while playing basketball and rugby. He had tremendous athleticism for someone his size and, after attending a Jim Harbaugh satellite camp, Faalele was recruited to learn the game of football at the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. IMG’s football team is notorious for taking five-star high school athletes from remote areas of the country and exposing them to some of the highest levels of high school football. After joining the football team in 2016, Faalele became a starter for IMG in 2017 and enrolled early at the University of Minnesota in 2018.
After beginning his freshman year as a backup, Faalele started the final eight games of the season, holding onto his starting job as a sophomore, as well. When Faalele announced he would sit out of the 2020 college football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many assumed he would declare for the draft. Instead, Faalele came back for his senior year and helped return the Golden Gophers to a winning season.
Faalele could potentially see a situation similar to his freshman year during his rookie season. Right now the Ravens are set to trot out Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses as their starting tackles. Moses is competing with Ja’Wuan James for the starting right tackle position currently. Moses and James both have plenty of starting experience, but Moses graded out as only the 40th best offensive tackle last season according to Pro Football Focus and James hasn’t played in an NFL game since the 2019 NFL season. Not to mention, Stanley is expected to start the season but has only played in one game since signing an historic contract back in 2020. Any number of situations could play out that see Faalele force his 6’9″, 400 lb. frame into the starting lineup.
Armour-Davis had extremely limited playing time during his first three years at Alabama, spending his freshman season taking a medical redshirt and the next two seasons as a special teamer. As a redshirt junior, Armour-Davis was named a starting cornerback and led the team with three interceptions on the year, adding four passes defensed and not allowing a single touchdown. He played mostly on the outside but has the scheme versatility to fit in with any system.
Baltimore’s secondary is one of the most-talented in the NFL but a lack of depth bit the team hard in 2021 when starting cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey both suffered season-ending injuries. With the departures of Tavon Young and Anthony Averett, Armous-Davis immediately slots in as the team’s No. 3 or 4 cornerback behind Peters, Humphrey, and, possibly, free agent addition Kyle Fuller. Armous-Davis’ playing will likely come on resting downs for Peters or Humphrey. Due to the team’s enviable depth at safety, a nickel- or dime-package might feature three or four safeties, unless Fuller can cement himself as a slot-cornerback.
With Faalele and Armous-Davis now under contract, Michigan second-round pick David Ojabo remains as Baltimore’s only unsigned rookie. Ojabo announced an early departure from Ann Arbor after one year of starting opposite the second-overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Aidan Hutchinson. Considered by most to be a first-round talent, Ojabo slipped into the second round after tearing his Achilles tendon while working out for scouts at the Wolverines’ Pro Day.
When asked during his fourth annual “Funday with LJ” event on Saturday if he and the Ravens will agree to a new deal before training camp begins on July 26, Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson said, “[h]opefully. I’m not going to say ‘yeah’ right now. Hopefully. But it’s God’s timing” (via Safid Deen of USA Today). Jackson added that he is not presently considering a training camp holdout.
Jackson’s contract status has been the biggest storyline surrounding the Ravens this offseason. The 2019 MVP is scheduled to earn just over $23MM in 2022 under the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, but the booming quarterback market and the cost of a franchise tag in 2023 (roughly $35MM) suggest that Baltimore would want to work out a long-term extension sooner rather than later.
According to the team, the reason that a deal is not in place, or at least closer to the finish line, is because Jackson had not come to the table to negotiate. But there are other complicating factors. The fact that Jackson represents himself is one of them, as is his statistical regression from his MVP campaign — first in QBR in 2019, seventh in 2020, and 17th in 2021 — his sprained ankle that ended his 2021 season prematurely, and the fact that much of his value is tied to his running ability. Then there is the matter of Deshaun Watson‘s fully-guaranteed five-year, $230MM contract with the Browns, though Jackson has implied that Watson’s deal will not have any bearing on his own.
In November 2021, it was reported that Jackson was targeting a contract with a $45MM AAV and that the Ravens were not willing to go that far. The team was reportedly amenable to $40MM/year pact, but of course, cash flow and guarantees are the true indicators of a contract’s value. Speculatively, it could be that the gulf between the two sides was such that the quarterback felt further engagement in contract talks would have been a fruitless endeavor, and that he would be better off playing out the 2022 season to prove that he is deserving of a top-of-the-market pact. To be clear, Jackson has never suggested as much, though he did reportedly tell the team he was focused on having the best possible year and did not want to discuss a contract until after the 2022 campaign.
There was something of a sea change at mandatory minicamp in June, when Jackson and Baltimore GM Eric DeCosta touched base on the contract situation. It is unclear where negotiations stand at this point, but his comments yesterday indicate that Jackson is now willing to put this matter behind him before the end of the year.
As Deen observes, Jackson recently made some waves on social media when he changed his Instagram profile picture and his Twitter header to a picture of a mouth with a gold grill that reads “I Need $.” The image is from a movie called “How High” starring rappers Method Man and Redman, and Jackson says he simply found it amusing and wanted to post it. It was not, he asserts, intended to be a comment on his dealings with the Ravens.
“I don’t know why people are blowing it up,” Jackson said. “I just saw Bleacher Report post it. They just take anything that’s posted on social media and just blow it up, and try to think for you. I don’t take it too seriously. … Our contract discussion is going on already. But it ain’t about that though. I’m not putting my business life on social media. I won’t ever do that. I won’t put my personal life on social media. I’ll show stuff, but I won’t throw subliminal [messages] out. That’s not me.”
His remark that “our contract discussion is going on already” is certainly notable given the history of his extension talks. It would seem that neither player nor team would want to continue negotiating into the regular season, but there is no real deadline since Jackson is not playing under the franchise tag. So while a new deal may be likelier now than it was a month ago, it is still difficult to put any sort of timeframe on it.
Chuck Clark was an unheralded addition to the Ravens when he was drafted in 2016, spending the early part of his NFL career primarily on special teams. His play since becoming a starter, however, has demonstrated his value to the Ravens and the rest of the league. 
A sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech, Clark took over a starting safety spot midway through the 2019 season when Tony Jefferson was injured. He has been an every-down player ever since, teaming with Eric Weddle, then DeShon Elliott, at the backend of the team’s secondary. He has emerged as not only a statistical contributor, but also a valued leader during recent years.
In two full seasons as a starter, Clark hasn’t put up the kind of production a number of high-profile safeties have, but he has nevertheless been a steady presence. He has totalled 176 tackles, three interceptions and 16 pass deflections since 2021, while occupying an important role outside of statistical production. As the player wearing the green dot for communication, Clark has operated as, in essence, the ‘defensive QB’ since he assumed a starting role.
Expectations were raised for his effectiveness in 2022 and beyond when the Ravens signed Marcus Williams in free agency. As a more natural ‘centerfielder’ type of free safety, Williams represented an Elliott replacement who would allow Clark to operate closer to the line of scrimmage, which his athletic profile is better suited to. It wasn’t until the team drafted Kyle Hamilton in the first round of the draft that Clark emerged on the trade radar.
The Notre Dame alum has a largely congruent skillset to Clark’s, which led to multiple teams making trade inquiries after the draft regarding Clark’s availability. Using Hamilton on an every-down basis could cut significantly into Clark’s playing time, and complicate his ability to continue serving as the defensive signal-caller. The team has regularly used three-safety packages in recent years, though, providing a backdrop for the pushback to trade speculation the team provided.
Head coach John Harbaugh commented on the situation in May, saying “I love the fact that we have very versatile players in the backend and at safety. So, to me, Chuck is a big part of this team, and I’m planning on Chuck being here.”
Things took another turn one month later, when Clark hired a new agent. It was reported at that time that, throughout OTAs and minicamp, he had made no public indication of requesting a trade. The Ravens have pulled off unexpected moves before, though, including the Marquise Brown trade this year. A swap sending Clark to a team which could play him as an undisputed starter has remained a possibility throughout the offseason, in part due to Baltimore’s financial situation.
The Ravens currently rank 31st in the league in cap space, so the relatively small savings a Clark trade would generate ($2.75MM) could nevertheless be significant. He has two years remaining on his contract, with affordable cap charges of $4.6MM and $5.2MM, along with even lower salaries. That could widen the pool of teams still interested in adding him.
Clark could be a useful fit in almost any system, given his ‘jack-of-all-trade’ profile. Teams currently set to start inexperienced safeties include the 49ers, who lost Jaquiski Tartt in free agency, and the Colts, who saw Khari Willis retire recently. If either squad wanted to add a quality veteran to insulate Talanoa Hufanga or Nick Cross, respectively, Clark could be the best available option. Especially after the 49ers part with Jimmy Garoppolo, both teams will easily be able to afford him.
Of course, the possibility still remains that the Ravens could hold onto Clark for at least the 2022 campaign, as Hamilton acclimates to the NFL. It wouldn’t come as a complete surprise, though, if he were to suit up for a new team by the start of the regular season.
Michael Pierce is back in Baltimore. While he still hasn’t been seen on the practice field, it sounds like the veteran defensive lineman will be back for the start of training camp. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic writes that the Ravens expect Pierce to be at the first day of training camp.
Pierce was a no-show during Ravens minicamp. John Harbaugh was quick to dismiss the notion that the absence was injury-related, stating that Pierce wasn’t participating because of a personal issue.
“He’s healthy, he’s good; it’s just a personal matter with his family, and that’s what it is,” Harbaugh said last month (via the team’s website).
As Zrebiec writes, there was “obviously some concern” about the player’s lack of offseason participation “given Pierce’s past injury and weight issues.” However, having played for Harbaugh, the 29-year-old should be familiar with the team’s conditioning test, so it’s really on Pierce to just come into training camp in shape.
The former undrafted free agent spent the first four seasons of his career with the Ravens, starting 30 of his 60 games. He signed a three-year, $27MM deal with the Vikings in 2020, but Minnesota only got eight starts out of him. Pierce opted out of the 2020 campaign, and an elbow injury forced him to miss the middle chunk of the 2021 season. Still, he was productive during his brief time on the field with the Vikings, collecting 20 tackles and three sacks, and that performance helped him earn a new three-year, $16.5MM pact from Baltimore.
After moving on from the likes of Brandon Williams, Justin Ellis, and Derek Wolfe, the Ravens will be relying on Pierce to provide some much-needed depth on the defensive line. Third-round rookie Travis Jones could see some increased reps at camp if Pierce isn’t ready to go.
Cornerback was one of the hardest-hit positions during the Ravens’ injury-plagued 2021 campaign. If their two former All-Pros at that spot can return to form this season, though, the team’s defense could be well-positioned for a bounce back. 
Much will therefore depend on the health and play of Marcus Peters. The 29-year-old missed all of last season due to a torn ACL he suffered during the preseason. His absence was compounded by the later loss of Marlon Humphrey, as Baltimore ended the season on a six-game losing streak which cost them a playoff berth. Peters has been successfully recovering during the offseason, however; head coach John Harbaugh said in May that his rehab was “coming along really well.”
Still, as The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec notes (subscription required), Peters is one of several Ravens who are candidates to begin training camp on the PUP list. That will raise questions about his Week 1 availability for a time, but assuming he is cleared by the start of the regular season, attention will quickly turn to his financial situation.
Peters has one year remaining on his current deal, at a cap hit of $15.5MM. That figure ranks third in the league this season amongst corners, which stands out for Baltimore given their tight salary cap situation. As a result, Zrebiec names him as a player the Ravens could look to extend “sooner rather than later.” The team has already done so previously, giving him a new three-year deal in December of 2019.
However, as Zrebiec points out, the team will in all likelihood wait to see how well he plays upon returning from such a significant injury. If he plays at the Pro Bowl level he has through much of his time in Charm City, a new contract giving him security for the short- or intermediate-term future (and, perhaps, opening up some financial wiggle room for the team in the process) would make sense. However, if his knee shows ill effects, that would couple with his age to give the Ravens pause regarding another significant investment in him.
Justin Houston will stay in Baltimore. The Ravens reached an agreement to bring back the veteran edge rusher. The team announced the one-year deal Thursday.
The Ravens had placed a seldom-used UFA tender on Houston, giving them exclusive negotiating rights after training camps began later this month. Despite Houston being free to talk to other teams until then, he will rejoin the Ravens, who have been linked to edge rushers for weeks.
This marks the second of 2022’s UFA tender recipients to reach an agreement before the late-July deadline changed negotiation equations. Melvin Ingram, given a UFA tender by the Chiefs earlier this offseason, signed with the Dolphins. Houston, 33, will help a Ravens team that was looking into edge players before Jaylon Ferguson‘s tragic death.
After two seasons with the Colts, the former Chiefs All-Pro outside linebacker signed a one-year $2.28MM deal to join a Ravens team that had lost Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue in free agency. No similar defections occurred this year, but the team’s main offseason addition at the spot — second-rounder David Ojabo — is rehabbing a torn Achilles sustained during pre-draft workouts. It will be a while before Ojabo’s NFL debut happens, if it occurs in 2022. Auxiliary edge Tyus Bowser is also rehabbing from Achilles surgery, a procedure he underwent after suffering a tear in January. These issues had left Baltimore shorthanded on the outside.
Last season, Houston accumulated just 4.5 sacks. The only season in which the four-time Pro Bowler tallied fewer came in 2016, an injury-shortened campaign. Houston’s 24 pressures ranked outside the top 50 last season. But the Ravens, who drafted Odafe Oweh in the 2021 first round, are seeking a complementary pass rusher alongside their top OLB investment. They visited with Jason Pierre-Paul earlier this offseason but are circling back to a Houston-Oweh tandem. This move also comes after Baltimore changed defensive coordinators. Its new DC, Mike Macdonald, was not with the team in 2021. Houston’s first Ravens season came during Macdonald’s year at Michigan.
While Houston is well past his peak years, which once secured him a six-year deal worth $101MM contract at the 2015 franchise tag deadline, he has managed to shake the injury trouble that plagued him during the second half of his Kansas City stay. The Chiefs cut Houston after the 2018 season, and the former third-round pick did not miss a game in two Colts campaigns. Houston totaled 19 sacks with Indianapolis. He played 15 games for an otherwise injury-ravaged Ravens team last season.
As the calendar year ticks away the days, NFL teams are having to start thinking about the difficult decisions they will have to make to eventually get their rosters down to 53 players to start the season. While the teams still have almost two months to make all the necessary cuts, many veterans are entering training camp on roster bubbles.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the players who may find themselves looking for a new team by the time the season begins:
One of the position groups still surrounded by question marks for the Ravens is that of edge rusher. The team has been connected to a number of veterans this offseason, but little progress has been made lately on any noteworthy additions. 
Arguably the most logical move available is a reunion with Justin Houston. The 33-year-old spent last season with the team, starting all 15 contests he appeared in. He totalled 4.5 sacks and 17 QB hits, providing consistency to an otherwise inexperienced unit. The Ravens have yet to re-sign him, but they placed the rarely-used UFA tender on him. That leaves Houston free to sign with another team until July 22, at which point Baltimore will hold exclusive negotiating rights; a deal on the tender would pay him slightly more than the $2.1MM he made in 2021.
As that deadline approaches, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic writes that the situation between the two sides remains “in a holding pattern” (subscription required). That could lead to a further opportunity for fellow veteran Jason Pierre-Paul to be brought into the fold. The two-time Super Bowl winner visited the Ravens last month, as he looks to join a contender on the open market once again. He had a down season in 2021 with only 2.5 sacks, but is one year removed from his third Pro Bowl campaign.
At present, the Ravens are led in the pass-rush department by Tyus Bowser, whose Week 1 availability remains in doubt due to the torn Achilles he suffered at the end of last season. The same injury will delay second round rookie David Ojabo‘s NFL debut for a significant period of time. That leaves 2021 draftees Odafe Oweh and Daelin Hayes in line for sizeable roles, with recent signing Steven Means available as depth.
With the aforementioned injury concerns, as well as, unfortunately, a roster spot open after the death of Jaylon Ferguson, Zrebiec “wouldn’t rule out” the possibility of both Houston and Pierre-Paul playing in Baltimore this season. The team is severely lacking in cap space right now, so adding both would be difficult from a financial standpoint; however, the signing of one could be the move most likely to happen between now and training camp.