Latest On Ravens, Lamar Jackson
Even after Josh Allen‘s Bills extension, the Ravens and Lamar Jackson are continuing their methodical approach to what will be the biggest contract in franchise history. Although Jackson expressed happiness for Allen landing a $43MM-per-year deal with a record guarantee, the fourth-year Baltimore quarterback said his extension will come in due time. John Harbaugh, who has said Jackson will be extended either this year or next, added (via Baltimore Beatdown’s Joshua Reed) that Allen’s deal does not change anything regarding the Ravens’ negotiations with Jackson. Allen’s deal almost certainly will affect Jackson’s, potentially setting up the 2019 MVP to command a Patrick Mahomes-level salary without the 10-year commitment.
The quarterback market catching up to Mahomes’ $45MM AAV so quickly may make things interesting in Kansas City in the coming years, with the 2018 MVP signed through 2031. The bulk of the recent big-ticket quarterback contracts have come before passers’ fourth seasons, so time is running short for the Ravens and their agentless QB to agree on a deal that will allow Jackson to make more than $1.78MM this year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/17/21
Tuesday afternoon marked the deadline for teams to cut down from 90 to 85 players. We’ll keep track of those cuts and the day’s other minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed (from Packers): P Ryan Winslow
- Waived: P Tyler Newsome
Atlanta Falcons
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Jeff Badet
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: P Johnny Townsend
Carolina Panthers
- Waived/injured: LB Nate Hall, C Mike Panasiuk
- Placed on IR: CB Troy Pride Jr.; Pride suffered a torn ACL
Chicago Bears
- Released: WR Justin Hardy
- Waived: DB Michael Joseph, LB Ledarius Mack
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: LB Anthony Hines, FB Sewo Olonilua, CB Reggie Robinson
- Waived: CB Kyron Brown, WR Brennan Eagles
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Adrian Killins
- Waived: DB Rojesterman Farris, LB Peter Kalambayi, DT Lorenzo Neal Jr.
- Waived/injured: WR DeVontres Dukes, RB LeVante Bellamy, DL Deyon Sizer
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: LB Shaun Dion Hamilton
- Signed: QB Jordan Ta’amu
- Waived: DT Michael Barnett
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Chad Hansen
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: QB Jake Dolegala
- Placed on IR: TE Isaac Nauta, WR DeAndre Thompkins
- Waived: OL Zack Johnson
Houston Texans
- Reverted to reserve/NFI: RB Dontrell Hilliard
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Te’von Coney
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB David Bellamy
- Waived: QB K.J. Costello, TE Matt Seybert
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: CB Amari Henderson
- Reverted to IR: K Riley Patterson, WR Blake Proehl
New England Patriots
- Waived/injured: TE Troy Fumagalli
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: OL Cameron Clark
- Waived: DL Michael Dwumfour, S Bennett Jackson, RB Austin Walter
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: DL Abdullah Anderson, DB Stephen Denmark, WR Isaiah McKoy, K Sam Sloman, OT Brandon Walton
San Francisco 49ers
- Claimed (from Ravens): CB Davontae Harris
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: OL Jake Benzinger
- Placed on IR: G Sadarius Hutcherson
- Waived/failed physical: WR John Franklin III
- Waived/injured: G Donell Stanley
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S Jamal Carter
- Placed on IR: DL Trevon Coley, S Tedric Thompson
Washington Football Team
- Waived: TE Nick Guggemos, CB Greg Stroman
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/16/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Bryson Young
- Cut: LB Reggie Walker
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: OL Bryce Hargrove, LB George Obinna
- Reverted to IR: WR J’Mon Moore
Baltimore Ravens
- Re-signed: QB Kenji Bahar
- Placed on IR: CB Khalil Dorsey, CB Iman Marshall
Chicago Bears
- Waived: OL Gage Cervenka, DB Dionte Ruffin, WR Jester Weah
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: WR Reece Horn, WR Riley Lees
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on IR: TE Stephen Carlson, WR Ryan Switzer
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: OL Jon Dietzen, P Ryan Winslow
Houston Texans
- Waived: WR Isaiah Coulter
- Waived/injured: RB Dontrell Hilliard
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LS Matt Overton
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: K Austin MacGinnis, LB Derrick Moncrief, T Ryan Pope, OLB Max Roberts, DL George Silvanic
- Released from IR: DB Dayan Lake
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Khalil McClain
- Waived: TE Carson Meier
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived/injured: K Riley Patterson, WR Blake Proehl
New York Giants
- Signed: QB Brian Lewerke
- Waived/injured: QB Clayton Thorson
- Placed on IR: LB TJ Brunson, OL Kyle Murphy, S Joshua Kalu
New York Jets
- Waived: K Chris Naggar
- Activated off PUP list: DL Quinnen Williams
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: LB Donald Payne, DL Eddie Vanderdoes
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: LB Nate Evans, OT Lukayus McNeil, CB Jordan Miller, DT Walter Palmore, WR Anthony Ratliff-Williams, RB Cameron Scarlett
Surgery For Ravens’ Rashod Bateman
Rashod Bateman will undergo groin surgery this week, according to Ravens head coach John Harbaugh (Twitter link via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com). The exact timeline isn’t clear, but the wide receiver will be “back sometime in September.” That likely means that the Ravens will be without Bateman for the season opener, at minimum. 
Bateman suffered a significant pull in practice, a tough blow for a Ravens offense that lacks depth at wide receiver. The Ravens believe that Bateman — the No. 27 overall pick in this year’s draft — will make a difference in Lamar Jackson‘s passing game. But, first, they have to get him healthy.
The Ravens did add veteran Sammy Watkins to the fold this year and they still have Marquise Brown to lead the way. However, Brown is dinged up with a hamstring injury of his own — ditto for Miles Boykin.
Bateman, one of several stellar WRs in the 2020 class, registered 1,219 yards and eleven touchdowns in 2019, his last full season at Minnesota.
Latest On Ravens’ Rashod Bateman
We heard yesterday that Ravens rookie receiver Rashod Bateman was going to miss some time, and now we have a bit more info. For starters, the thought is that Bateman has a “significant groin pull,” Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets.
Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh then announced Wednesday that his young wideout would miss “a number of weeks,” although he did declare “it’s not going to be months.” When asked if Bateman would be ready for Week 1 Harbaugh said he was “hopeful,” but didn’t sound overly optimistic.
At this point it seems like Bateman missing some regular season time is a distinct possibility. It’s a tough blow for a Ravens offense that has caught a lot of flak for not equipping Lamar Jackson with the best weapons in the passing game. The drafting of Bateman 27th overall back in April was supposed to go a long way toward solving those issues.
Bateman had missed a few practices earlier in camp with a groin issue, so it sounds like this latest injury was an aggravation of that. The Ravens also added Sammy Watkins this offseason, and of course still have Marquise Brown (also dinged up with a hamstring injury) on the depth chart.
We’ll keep you posted when we hear more about Bateman’s status. The Minnesota product had 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019, his last full college season.
Ravens’ Rashod Bateman To Miss Time
Rashod Bateman missed a few Ravens practices last week and is set to miss several more after going down during Tuesday’s workout. The first-round wide receiver is set to be out a while as a result, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
A soft-tissue leg injury caused Bateman to limp off a Ravens practice field today, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (video link). While Bateman is not expected to miss “a crazy length of time,” per Garafolo, the Ravens should prepare to be without their rookie wideout for a stretch.
The Minnesota product previously missed time due to a groin issue, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes. Altogether, this will force Bateman to enter his rookie season after missing extensive reps. The second first-round receiver the Ravens have taken in the past three years, Bateman is expected to play a major role as a rookie.
Key Ravens passing-game principals have run into a few issues during camp. In addition to Lamar Jackson‘s second COVID-19-induced absence, Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin have been down for more than a week due to hamstring maladies. Even though John Harbaugh indicated Brown’s absence is precautionary, Zrebiec adds the third-year deep threat has needed more recovery time than the team anticipated.
Ravens’ Ronnie Stanley Returns To Practice
For the first time since suffering a season-ending ankle injury Nov. 1, Ronnie Stanley was a Ravens practice participant. Baltimore’s left tackle passed a physical and is now off the team’s active/PUP list.
Stanley’s rehab process ended up being extended due to a second ankle surgery earlier this year, but the Ravens’ O-line anchor returned to work Monday. As could be expected, John Harbaugh declared Stanley “right on schedule.”
This return puts Stanley on track to be ready by Baltimore’s Week 1 outing Sept. 13. The Ravens’ offensive line has undergone some changes since Stanley last suited up. After Orlando Brown Jr. replaced Stanley at left tackle, he lobbied to play that position full-time. The Ravens dealt Brown to the Chiefs and signed longtime Steeler left tackle Alejandro Villanueva to replace him on the right side. Baltimore also added veteran guard Kevin Zeitler and will move Bradley Bozeman from guard to center, with Matt Skura signing with the Dolphins.
Stanley signed his lucrative extension just before going down last year. While subsequent deals for David Bakhtiari and Trent Williams bumped Stanley’s $19.75MM AAV to fourth among left tackles, he remains one of the NFL’s best at the position. At 27, Stanley figures to have several good years ahead — provided he successfully returns from this significant setback.
This will be the Notre Dame product’s sixth season with the Ravens, and his health will obviously be critical to the team’s prospects in a deep AFC.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DT Darius Kilgo
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: CB Tyler Hall
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Siaosi Mariner
- Waived/injured: TE Jacob Breeland
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from PUP list: TE Dominique Dafney
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: LS Rex Sunahara
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Warren Jackson
New England Patriots
- Waived: QB Jake Dolegala
- Signed: LS Brian Khoury
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Blake Countess
- Waived/injured: S Obi Melifonwu
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from PUP list: TE Cameron Brate
Washington Football Team
- Signed: C Jon Toth
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/8/21
Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on IR: DT Xavier Williams
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived/injured: DT Deadrin Senat
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DE Kendall Donnerson, DB LaDarius Wiley
- Waived: OL David Moore
- Waived/injured: DE Austin Larkin
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Gage Cervenka
Denver Broncos
- Claimed (from Ravens): LB Barrington Wade
- Signed: DT Lorenzo Neal
- Released: S Tedric Thompson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: TE Graham Adomitis
- Waived/injured: WR Gary Jennings
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed (from Cardinals): CB Lorenzo Burns
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: OL Bryan Witzmann
- Placed on reserve/retired list: TE Nick Keizer
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DT Chris Okoye, CB K.J. Sails
New England Patriots
- Re-Signed: LB Cassh Maluia
- Placed on IR: TE Dalton Keene
New York Giants
- Claimed (from Jets): WR Matt Cole
- Signed: DB Chris Johnson
- Waived: WR Andy Jones
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Pete Guerriero
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on active/PUP list: S Jaquiski Tartt
Washington Football Team
- Waived: OL Cole Boozer
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR Trevor Davis
- Placed on IR: TE Jaeden Graham
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: S Brian Cole, FB Rod Smith
- Waived: WR Ventell Bryant
Denver Broncos
- Reverted to IR: OT Cody Conway
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed (from Ravens): LB Chauncey Rivers
- Waived: LS Joe Fortunato
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on IR: DL Jared Goldwire
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived/injured: DB Dayan Lake
- Reverted to IR: OL Jamil Demby
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: TE Sal Cannella, TE Gabe Holmes, TE Kalif Jackson; the team signed all three on Wednesday
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Cethan Carter, TE Adam Shaheen, WR Preston Williams
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: QB Case Cookus
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: DE Kendall Donnerson
New York Jets
- Reverted to IR: S Brandon White
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: CB Shakial Taylor
- Placed on IR: DB Nate Meadors
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Reverted to IR: G Anthony Coyle
San Francisco 49ers
- Reverted to IR: CB Tim Harris
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: WR Darvin Kidsy