Russell Shepard Declines Ravens Workout
The Ravens asked Russell Shepard to work out alongside Dez Bryant and others this week, but he turned down their invite (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Instead, the wide receiver is “set to walk away and is not planning to play in 2020.” 
[RELATED: Ravens Won’t Sign AB]
Shepard, it seems, is ready to move on from football altogether. The 30-year-old spent the first five years of his career in the NFC South, playing for the Bucs and Panthers before inking a one-year deal with the Giants in 2018. The former undrafted free agent was always more of a special teams player than an offensive force. Statistically, his best season came in 2016 when he set career highs in catches (23) and yards (341). His first season in New York/New Jersey wasn’t much different – he notched just ten grabs for 188 yards and two scores. Last year, he landed on IR after just three games.
That’s one less wide receiver option for the Ravens, but they’ll still consider Bryant and Dwayne Harris, a fellow ex-Giant who also showed his stuff for the team this week. There was some talk of the Ravens signing Antonio Brown, but they’ve formally shut the door on him, despite the endorsement of Lamar Jackson.
Ravens Place Iman Marshall On IR
Iman Marshall‘s season is over. The Ravens placed the cornerback on injured reserve after he tore several knee ligaments, including his ACL. 
[RELATED: Ravens Won’t Sign Antonio Brown]
Marshall, a fourth-year pro out of USC, was pushing for one of the final spots on the Ravens’ CB depth chart. Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Tavon Young, and Jimmy Smith are set to lead the group, but there will be one or two more openings to fill.
Marshall also missed the bulk of his rookie season due to injury. He suited up for just three games, spending most of his on-field time with the special teams unit.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens are doing their homework on Dez Bryant. Meanwhile, they’ve ruled out Antonio Brown, despite Lamar Jackson‘s strong endorsement.
Ravens Won’t Sign Antonio Brown
The Ravens are interested in Dez Bryant, but they will not consider Antonio Brown, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Lamar Jackson has pushed for the Ravens to sign his workout pal, but owner Steve Bisciotti is not interested. 
[RELATED: Ravens To Audition Dez Bryant]
There was, at least, a glimmer of hope recently when head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that he’s willing to “look at any and every player” and that Brown is “no exception.” Brown, apparently, is an exception. His troubling off-the-field issues and the club’s history with Ray Rice have soured any potential deal.
Brown must serve an eight-game NFL suspension before returning to the field. Even then, it’s still not clear if he’ll get an opportunity. Seahawks star quarterback Russell Wilson would love to bring him to Seattle, though Pete Carroll seems more inclined to reunite with Josh Gordon.
Brown, 32, has tallied 841 receptions for 11,253 yards over the course of his career, which includes seven Pro Bowl appearances.
Ravens To Audition Dez Bryant
The Ravens are set to bring in Dez Bryant for a tryout, according to Tom Pelissero and Jane Slater of NFL.com (on Twitter). Bryant is expected to travel to Baltimore sometime this week and make his case for a spot on the roster.
[RELATED: Ravens Won’t Rule Out Antonio Brown]
Bryant has not played since 2017, but his camp says he’s in shape and eager to get back on the field. Of course, this isn’t Bryant’s first rodeo with the Ravens. The longtime Cowboys star famously rejected Baltimore’s three-year, $21MM pitch in 2018 without a viable Plan B. Bryant then sat out for much of the year before landing with the Saints in November. Unfortunately, he tore his Achilles before he could make his New Orleans debut, prompting him to dedicate 2019 to rehab.
Bryant was a three-time Pro Bowler in Dallas with three-straight seasons of at least 1,200 yards. Things started to tail off after he inked a five-year, $70MM contract with the Cowboys. He was= was limited to nine games in 2015 and underwent ankle and foot surgeries in the offseason. In 2016, he bounced back with a career-high 15.9 yards per grab, though the catch and yardage totals were not as gaudy as his best ones. In 2017, he started in all 16 regular season games, but his production did not match the contract. The Cowboys cut him in the following April – crummy timing that resulted in tepid interest at his asking price.
Now on the verge of his age-32 season, Bryant is looking at reduced expectations and earning power. Still, Bryant badly wants to get back on the field, and he could have his chance with the Ravens.
Jets Not Interested In Yannick Ngakoue
The Jets’ lack of a top-tier pass rusher has led to many observers connecting the dots between Gang Green and players like Yannick Ngakoue and Jadeveon Clowney this offseason. But we heard earlier this month that the club has no interest in Clowney, and Rich Cimini of ESPN.com says the Jets feel the same way about Ngakoue.
That jibes with what Cimini reported back in March, but as the Jets have since acquired multiple first-round picks while failing to address their pass-rushing needs, it seemed that there was a possibility that the club could still make a move for Ngakoue, whose disenchantment with the Jaguars has been well-publicized. And, since several Power 5 conferences have pushed their seasons to the spring — while the remaining conferences could still follow suit — New York’s 2021 first-round selections may not be quite as valuable as they normally would be.
Still, Cimini says GM Joe Douglas views his four first-round picks from 2021-22 to be vital to the club’s rebuild, and he would be loathe to part with them. On the other hand, the ESPN scribe says Ravens’ edge defender Matt Judon could pique Douglas’ interest.
Indeed, Douglas, a former Ravens scout, has made a habit of acquiring former Baltimore talent, and Cimini classifies Judon as a better player than Ngakoue — which could be up for debate — who would fit nicely in the Jets’ 3-4 front. Judon and the Ravens did not reach an extension prior to the July 15 deadline, so he will play out the 2020 season on his franchise tag.
But unlike Ngakoue’s animosity towards Jacksonville, Judon harbors no ill-will towards the Ravens. And Baltimore, a championship contender, does not have much by way of proven depth in the pass-rushing department either, so it would be surprising to see the team jettison Judon, even if it could get a first-rounder in return.
Ravens, Ronnie Stanley Resume Talks
The Ravens have a few key players either in contract years or eligible for extensions. Ronnie Stanley resides as one of those talents, and the team has resumed talks with its cornerstone left tackle, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com notes.
This certainly represents a notable development, with Hensley adding that these talks had been on hold since the parties last discussed the issue in February. One season remains on Stanley’s rookie deal.
Stanley surged to the All-Pro first team last year and can realistically aim to become the NFL’s highest-paid tackle. That distinction will mean more now than it would have had the parties reached an agreement last year. Laremy Tunsil drove the market to the $22MM-per-year range earlier this year. No other tackle earns more than $18MM on average, creating an interesting issue for a Ravens team that also has Matt Judon on the franchise tag and Marlon Humphrey eligible for a new deal. Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews will become extension-eligible after the season.
“It’s not really at the forefront of my mind. We’re still in talks, and hopefully, we are trying to get something done soon,” Stanley said, via Hensley. “But I think my main focus has always been be the best player I can be [and] help my team win. The money usually takes care of itself after that.”
The cap potentially set to decrease by more than $20MM in 2021 has many teams stalled on contract talks. Stanley will be the Ravens’ top franchise tag candidate, should the sides not agree to a deal this year. The 26-year-old blocker is attached to a $12.87MM fifth-year option salary this season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/10/20
We’ll keep track of the latest minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: FB Bronson Rechsteiner
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed: DT Bruce Hector (from Eagles)
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: G Michael Dunn, G Jovahn Fair
- Released: TE Nate Wieting
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: WR Kendrick Rogers
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers (from Detroit): WR Travis Fulgham
- Waived: DE/LB Jamal Davis
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Taylor Stallworth
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DL Carl Davis, DL Caraun Reid
- Released: CB Kobe Williams
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed off waivers (from Cleveland): TE Nate Wieting
Philadelphia Eagles
- Retired: LB Jatavis Brown
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Brian Allen, RB Anthony Jones
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived/Injured: WR Travis Jonsen
Ravens To Sign Kenjon Barner
The Ravens are set to sign running back Kenjon Barner, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The well-traveled veteran is expected to feature in Baltimore’s return game now that speedster De’Anthony Thomas has opted out of the 2020 season. 
Barner spent 2019 with the Falcons, where he averaged 7.6 yards per punt return, 23.9 yards per kick return, and took one 78-yard return to the house. On the flipside, Barner muffed four punts and turned the ball over once on a fumble. The 31-year-old’s best path to the field might be as a kick returner, since sixth-round pick James Proche is expected to handle punts.
Barner, 31, has also performed well as a running back in limited spurts. In four years with the Eagles, Barner averaged 4.4 yards per carry, though that came on a grand total of 71 attempts. Obviously, the Ravens are pretty well set in the backfield with Mark Ingram, rookie J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill leading the way.
The Ravens still have lots of work ahead of them as they work towards September’s roster max. They also plan on carrying three quarterbacks – likely Robert Griffin and Trace McSorely behind star Lamar Jackson – which will make the numbers crunch extra tricky.
Ravens Hope To Carry 3 QBs
- The pre-Lamar Jackson Ravens routinely rostered two quarterbacks, but they again plan to carry three this year, John Harbaugh said. The Ravens have Robert Griffin III signed up for a third season in Baltimore, while Trace McSorley enters his second NFL season. Harbaugh indicated the team kept three passers last year because it did not believe McSorely would pass through waivers to the Ravens’ practice squad.
2020 NFL Cap Space, By Team
A total of 67 NFL players opted out of the 2020 season, leaving teams with major roster holes and newly-found cap space. Here’s the rundown of every team’s official cap figure, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter):
- Cleveland Browns – $40.5MM
- New England Patriots – $33.4MM
- Washington Football Team – $30.6MM
- Denver Broncos – $29.5MM
- New York Jets – $29.3MM
- Tennessee Titans – $25.2MM
- Miami Dolphins – $24.7MM
- Buffalo Bills – $24.2MM
- Philadelphia Eagles – $23.7MM
- Detroit Lions – $22.9MM
- Indianapolis Colts – $22.3MM
- New York Giants – $21.4MM
- Houston Texans – $21.1MM
- Cincinnati Bengals – $18.6MM
- Chicago Bears – $17.2MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars – $17MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $14.5MM
- Los Angeles Chargers – $13.7MM
- Green Bay Packers – $12.3MM
- Carolina Panthers – $13.2MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $13MM
- San Francisco 49ers – $12.5MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $12.4MM
- Dallas Cowboys – $9.9MM
- New Orleans Saints – $7.8MM
- Atlanta Falcons – $7.4MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $7MM
- Arizona Cardinals – $5.6MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $4.5MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $3.9MM
- Las Vegas Raiders – $3.3MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $1.4MM