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Baltimore Ravens News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/1/20

December 1st, 2020 at 4:47pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Ingram, Dobbins May Return Vs. Steelers

December 1st, 2020 at 10:02am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens’ roster has been decimated by a COVID-19 outbreak, but help may be on the way. Running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram will not fly with the team to Pittsburgh today, but the expectation is that they will fly tomorrow, in time to suit up for the Wednesday game against the Steelers (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 

[RELATED: Ravens-Steelers Moved To Wednesday]

The league’s COVID protocols mandate a 10-day isolation period, and today marks Day 10. Had the game taken place on Thursday night as originally planned, or postponed to Sunday afternoon or Tuesday night (tonight), they would have been ineligible. The third — and, hopefully, final — postponement of the game has given them an opportunity to face the Steelers.

The Ravens running backs learned of their positive tests on Nov. 23. A number of Ravens players, including star quarterback Lamar Jackson, tested positive for the coronavirus in the days that followed. The Ravens are still working with a half-strength offense, but the presence of Ingram and Dobbins should help.

Before the positive, Dobbins registered 5.3 yards per carry for Baltimore. Ingram, meanwhile, is itching to get back on the field — he’s played in just eight games so far, thanks to an October injury.

No team placed a player on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, and Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets the Ravens’ string of positive coronavirus tests stopped at eight. The thrice-rescheduled Ravens-Steelers rematch is a go for Wednesday afternoon. While this will not be finalized until the AFC North teams receive test results Wednesday, the Ravens are scheduled to fly to Pittsburgh at 7:15pm ET.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/30/20

November 30th, 2020 at 5:32pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ll post all the minor moves from what has been a very busy Monday here:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

 

Ravens – Steelers Game Moved To Wednesday

November 30th, 2020 at 4:15pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Ravens/Steelers game is getting postponed, again. This time the game is being moved from Tuesday to Wednesday, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Ravens players were apparently pounding the table asking for the game to be pushed, as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets they recently held a players-only meeting where they were “adamant” of getting in a full day of practice before the game. Considering they haven’t been able to practice at all since this has been going on, their concerns of health-risks from playing with no prep are certainly understandable.

This will be only the third NFL game in history on a Wednesday, and just the second since 1948. The last time was Dallas and Washington playing the opening week of 2012. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com had tweeted earlier that there were fears some Ravens players would refuse to play on Tuesday “which technically would be a wildcat strike.” Florio wrote that would cause a major rift between the NFL and NFLPA. Multiple reporters tweeted out that Baltimore would now have a walkthrough practice tonight at their facility.

It’s unclear if the move to Wednesday will solve all of those issues. Some players still have concerns even with playing on Wednesday, Mark Maske of The Washington Post tweets. He adds that there are “still some deliberations occurring.” The league is clearly very reluctant to cancel the game and trigger a Week 18.

This is likely just the first domino to fall, as Sunday’s Washington/Pittsburgh game will now likely have to be moved, potentially to Monday. A source soon confirmed to Albert Breer of SI.com (Twitter link) that the Washington game is indeed being moved to Monday, giving us a triple-header for MNF next week. It’s a crazy situation, and we’ll be sure to keep you posted as more info comes in.

NFL Cancels Ravens Practice

November 30th, 2020 at 9:08am CST by Zachary Links

The NFL canceled the Ravens’ Monday morning practice, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Their game against the Steelers has been postponed twice and it’s far from certain that it’ll actually take place on Tuesday night.

The Ravens haven’t practiced in over a week due to their COVID-19 outbreak and they’re severely shorthanded. Sunday’s round of testing revealed multiple player and staff positives, marking eight straight days of unfortunate results. Wide receiver Willie Snead was among the latest, and star quarterback Lamar Jackson is out of the equation too. It’s worth noting that the Steelers have also had their fair share of COVID-19 issues. Over the weekend, the Steelers learned that they’ll be without special teams coordinator Danny Smith and quarterbacks coach Matt Canada.

Meanwhile, the Ravens players who are available for the game may have a tough time getting to the game. As of this writing, forecasts indicate that Pittsburgh could get up to six inches of snow. A third postponement of the game may prompt the NFL to reschedule the game all the way to a newly created “Week 18” or cancel it entirely.

Latest On Ravens' COVID Situation

November 29th, 2020 at 6:54pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We learned that Ravens tight end Mark Andrews was the latest member of Baltimore’s organization to test positive for COVID-19 in yesterday’s round, and there apparently were more this morning. There were multiple player/staff positives in Sunday’s round of testing, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. At least one of those positives was receiver Willie Snead, Jamison Hensley of The Athletic tweets. As he notes, Snead is the seventh offensive starter to test positive, and there have now been eight consecutive days with a positive test within the team.

Florio writes that it’s believed the league will opine these positives are a result of the “tail end” of the outbreak, and that Tuesday’s game against the Steelers is still on for now. Meanwhile the Ravens are planning on convening at their facility tonight in order to condition and then have a walkthrough tomorrow, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports tweets. He notes that all work will be done on outdoor fields and players won’t be allowed inside the locker room.

  • While the Ravens have obviously had it worse, the Steelers have also had their fair share of COVID-19 issues as they approach Tuesday night. Pittsburgh will be without both special teams coordinator Danny Smith and quarterbacks coach Matt Canada due to illnesses, Brooke Pryor of ESPN tweets. Canada plays a pretty large role in the offensive game-planning, so that’s a significant loss.

Ravens’ Mark Andrews Tests Positive For COVID-19

November 29th, 2020 at 11:36am CST by Zachary Links

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has tested positive for COVID-19, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Andrews, a Type 1 diabetic with elevated risk, has ben ruled out for Tuesday night’s game against the Steelers. 

Andrews is now the eleventh Ravens player to test positive for COVID-19 and the 20th player to hit the reserve list, which also includes players who have been exposed to the virus. In addition, ten Ravens staffers have tested positive, putting the team under a great deal of scrutiny. For now, the plan remains for the game to be played on Tuesday, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Ravens intend to have their players return to the facility on Sunday night for conditioning, marking their first in-person gathering in days.

The league already postponed this game twice. A third postponement may lead the league to one of their two contingency plans — either rescheduling to “Week 18” or, if there are more cancelations, a historic 16-team playoff bracket.

Ravens Place 6 More On Reserve/COVID-19 List

November 28th, 2020 at 3:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens now have 20 players on their reserve/COVID-19 list. A day after practice squad tackle Will Holden‘s positive COVID-19 test, Baltimore now has nearly a third of its active-roster/P-squad players on the coronavirus list.

Slot corner Tavon Young (already on IR), edge rusher Jaylon Ferguson, guard D.J. Fluker, rookie defensive back Khalil Dorsey and rookie defensive lineman Broderick Washington joined Holden and 14 others on the team’s virus list Saturday.

Beyond Holden, it is not known if any of the other players involved in these latest COVID-related roster moves tested positive for COVID-19. But the timing of Holden’s positive test could make each of the four additional non-IR players included here unavailable for Tuesday’s game against the Steelers. Should the Ravens’ virus list expand much further, the NFL will have to postpone this game beyond Week 12.

The league has pushed this game back twice already. A third time would almost certainly mean triggering one of the two contingency plans. A makeup Week 18 window is believed to be the league’s Plan B, with Plan C being the 16-team playoff bracket that would stem from canceled regular-season games. Plan C going into effect would mean the first unbalanced NFL regular season (in terms of games played) since 1935.

Ravens Sign WR Dez Bryant To 53-Man Roster

November 28th, 2020 at 11:37am CST by Ben Levine

After having been promoted twice, Dez Bryant will no longer have to ride the Ravens’ practice squad shuttle. The veteran wideout announced on Twitter that he’s been signed to Baltimore’s active roster.

The 32-year-old joined the Ravens practice squad in late October. He was promoted for Baltimore’s Week 9 win over the Colts, but he only played a pair of snaps. He saw much more playing time when he was promoted for the Ravens’ Week 11 loss to the Titans, hauling in four catches for 28 yards while appearing in 54 percent of his team’s offensive snaps.

Along with tight end Mark Andrews, receivers Marquise Brown and Willie Snead will continue to lead Baltimore’s inconsistent receiving corps. However, Bryant could continue seeing a role ahead of the likes of Miles Boykin, Devin Duvernay, and James Proche.

“We’ll just keep working, and we’ll see where that leads moving forward,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said last week (via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley). “I don’t think there’s any real timeline right now, but I do think that if Dez keeps progressing, he will definitely become a factor in what we do.”

Bryant missed all of the 2018 and 2019 seasons, so despite having three 1,000-yard seasons (plus a pair of 800-plus-yard campaigns) on his resume, the veteran had to settle for a practice squad deal in 2020. While there certainly wasn’t much risk for either side, the move has clearly worked out for both the player and the organization.

Ravens, Steelers Place 3 Players On Reserve/COVID-19 List

November 27th, 2020 at 5:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

5:52pm: While a sixth straight day did produce a Ravens positive coronavirus test, just one player’s test came back positive Friday. Practice squad offensive lineman Will Holden tested positive, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Holden will become the 15th player on Baltimore’s reserve/COVID-19 list. This will continue to be the NFL situation to monitor over the next few days.

3:28pm: The Ravens and Steelers each moved three players to their respective reserve/COVID-19 lists Friday. This comes shortly after the NFL pushed the AFC North’s top rivalry back to Tuesday night.

Stephon Tuitt, defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs and offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins are now on the Steelers’ virus list, while the Ravens moved fullback Patrick Ricard, long snapper Morgan Cox and defensive tackle Justin Madubuike to theirs. Lamar Jackson also landed on Baltimore’s COVID list. The reigning MVP tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday; Ricard confirmed (via Twitter) he tested positive as well.

For the Ravens, this increases their COVID list to 14 players — including key cogs Jackson, Ricard, Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams, Matt Skura, Pernell McPhee, Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins. This concerning number resulted in the NFL moving the Ravens-Steelers rematch for a second time. The 7pm Tuesday slot, however, represents conceivably the final Week 12 window for this game. Another delay would test the NFL in a way previous virus issues have not.

It is not known if Tuitt tested positive. If he did not, he could still play Tuesday. Depending on when the standout defensive lineman’s last contact with a COVID-19-positive person occurred, he could still be activated in time for the Steelers’ Tuesday game. With the NFL moving Week 13’s Ravens-Cowboys game to Monday, Dec. 7, Jackson could be activated. Had the NFL kept that game on Thursday — which it will if the Steelers-Ravens tilt cannot be played Tuesday — Jackson would have been ineligible to return for that contest.

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