Ravens, Nick Mangold In Holding Pattern
The Ravens and free agent center Nick Mangold remain in a holding pattern, and it’s unclear if the two sides will ultimately agree on a deal, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Money is likely the issue holding up a potential contract, but Baltimore probably prefers to ink Mangold sooner rather than later, per Hensley.
2016 starting Ravens center Jeremy Zuttah was traded to the 49ers earlier this year, so Baltimore’s top options on the interior are currently Ryan Jensen, John Urschel, and fourth-round rookie Nico Siragusa, the latter a natural guard who expressed confidence he could shift to center. Mangold, then, would given the Ravens a veteran presence at the pivot, and allow those younger lineman to compete with Alex Lewis for time at guard.
Mangold, 33, missed eight games last season with an ankle injury before being released by the Jets in February. He met with the Ravens in April, and general manager Ozzie Newsome & Co. are reportedly comfortable with Mangold’s medicals. Mangold has also drawn interest from the Giants since being cut.
49ers Tried To Trade Into Mid-First Round For Reuben Foster
We learned several weeks ago that the 49ers were willing to make Alabama LB Reuben Foster the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft if edge rushers Myles Garrett and Solomon Thomas were already off the board. Ultimately, of course, San Francisco grabbed Thomas with the No. 3 overall selection and dealt its No. 34 and No. 111 overall picks to Seattle to move up to No. 31 and select Foster, the third-ranked player on its board.
But as Peter King of The MMQB writes in his piece detailing 49ers GM John Lynch‘s 24 hours up to and during the draft, Lynch and Co. were trying to land Foster long before that. The team did not believe Foster would fall past Baltimore’s selection at No. 16, as the Ravens had an apparent need at middle linebacker and Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome has a perceived proclivity for selecting Alabama players. The 49ers therefore offered Baltimore a second-, third-, and fourth-round selection to move up to No. 16, and Newsome countered with the second-rounder and both of the 49ers’ third-rounders.
The 49ers declined, but they kept trying. They offered the same package they offered to Baltimore to the Redskins, who held the No. 17 overall selection, but Washington declined as well (for what it’s worth, John Keim of ESPN.com says Redskins head coach Jay Gruden was unaware of the trade proposal, but it’s likely that team president Bruce Allen would have rejected the deal before it reached Gruden anyway). Lynch also called the Giants before they made their No. 23 overall choice, but he was rebuffed by New York GM Jerry Reese. Lynch finally, and unexpectedly, got his man eight picks later.
We now know that Foster could miss the entire 2017 season due to a shoulder injury, so it’s not surprising that he fell as far as he did on draft night (his watered-down urine sample and pre-draft argument with a hospital worker did not help his cause either). And, as our Dallas Robinson pointed out in the post linked above, it’s not a great look for Lynch and the 49ers staff that they were willing to use the third overall pick — or to trade significant draft assets to get back into the middle of the first round — for a player who ultimately fell to the end of Round 1.
However, by getting Foster in the first round, they can keep him under contract for five years, so it will be easier for them to treat 2017 as a medical redshirt season if necessary. Plus, if Foster can stay healthy, he and Thomas could form a fearsome duo in the middle of San Francisco’s defense for years.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/12/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
- A day after being waived by the Bills, cornerback Marcus Roberson landed with the Texans via waiver claim, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link, per ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak). Roberson represents another member of the Bills’ cornerback contingent to be added elsewhere, joining Stephon Gilmore and Nickell Robey-Coleman.
- The Ravens now have all the players to whom they extended an RFA or ERFA tender to signed. ERFA inside linebacker Lamar Louis signed his tender today, Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun tweets.
- After giving rookie UDFA Colin Buchanan a $10K signing bonus, the Saints waived him with a “left squad” designation, Nick Underhill of The Advocate reports (on Twitter). The Saints also guaranteed $10K of the Miami (Ohio) product’s rookie salary, per Underhill (on Twitter).
- The Colts signed free agent DT Josh Boyd and waived OLB Curt Maggitt with an injury settlement.
Ravens, Cowboys Had First-Round Talks
- Before the Cowboys chose Michigan defensive Taco Charlton with the 28th pick in the draft, they spoke with the Ravens about trading up to No. 16 for Missouri DE Charles Harris, reports Charean Williams of the Star Telegram. However, the teams’ discussions died when the Ravens’ target, Alabama cornerback Marlon Humphrey, was still on the board for their pick. Harris ended up going 22nd overall to the Dolphins.
Ravens Interested In Victor Cruz
It’s not just the Jaguars who are thinking about adding Victor Cruz. The Ravens are interested in Cruz and that interest is being reciprocated by the veteran wide receiver, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record tweets. The two sides are hammering out the details to line up a potential visit in Baltimore. 
[RELATED: Jaguars To Host Victor Cruz On Visit]
Cruz has been on the open market since February but hasn’t attracted a ton of interest. The Panthers met with Cruz shortly after he was released and the Broncos – depending on who you ask – may have discussed him internally, but we have basically gone three months without hearing a peep about the former Giant. Now that the draft is over and teams are getting a better sense of where the roster is, we have at least two teams that are mulling the possibility of Cruz.
Cruz says that he is not at all interested in retiring, but he’ll have to be realistic about where he is at this stage of his career if he wants to move forward. After missing the majority of the 2014 season and sitting out the entire 2015 season, the salsa-dancing fan favorite clearly lost a step in 2016 as he caught 39 passes for 586 yards and one touchdown in 15 games. The 30-year-old (31 in November) might be able to recapture some of that old magic if he is used in the slot, but it’s hard to imagine the Ravens or any other team giving him a significant guarantee on his next deal.
The Ravens would be a logical landing spot for Cruz given their need at the position and their affinity for older receivers. Following Steve Smith‘s retirement and Kamar Aiken‘s free agent departure, the Ravens currently project to go into the season with Mike Wallace, Breshad Perriman, Chris Moore, and Michael Campanaro as their top four receivers. Vince Mayle, Chris Matthews, and Navy product Keenan Reynolds are among those jockeying for the final one or two WR spots on the 53-man roster.
Ravens Notes: WRs, Hortiz
- After the Ravens surprisingly didn’t add a wide receiver at any point during the draft, the club could conceivably turn to the trade market in its search for a pass-catcher, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun and Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com write. Both scribes point to New England’s Danny Amendola and Los Angeles’ Dontrelle Inman as logical potential acquisitions, as higher-caliber wideouts such as the Bills’ Sammy Watkins and the Jets’ Eric Decker probably aren’t feasible. It’s not known whether the Ravens are calling teams about wide receivers, but as Zrebiec notes, they’ve gone this route before. In 2010, Baltimore traded two draft picks to Arizona to acquire Anquan Boldin, and one year later, dealt for Buffalo’s Lee Evans.
- Although he was being courted by the Rams, Joe Hortiz will remain in place as the Ravens‘ director of college scouting, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Hortiz, who has worked in Baltimore for 19 years, was Los Angeles’ top choice to lead its reshuffled scouting department. Although the Ravens couldn’t block Hortiz from leaving, he’s chosen to stay in his current role. Hortiz was a contender for a top personnel role with the Eagles in 2015, but either declined to interview or wasn’t allowed to by the Ravens.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/9/17
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed exclusive rights tender: LB Patrick Onwuasor
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: LB Khaseem Greene
New York Jets
- Waived: WR Deshon Foxx
Oakland Raiders
- Waived: LB Dwayne Norman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: LS Dax Dellenbach (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
Opinion: Ravens Best Fit For LeGarrette Blount
- The Ravens are the best fit for free agent running back LeGarrette Blount, opines ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley, who writes that the ex-Patriot’s “bruising” style would be perfect for Baltimore’s offense. Moreover, running back is a need for the Ravens, Hensley points out. With Kenneth Dixon set to miss the opening quarter of the season on account of a suspension and Terrance West having led the team last year with a so-so 774 yards on 193 carries, it’s hard to argue with Hensley. PFR’s Zach Links recently made a case for Baltimore to sign Blount, who set a career high with 1,161 rushing yards and finished with an NFL-best 18 touchdowns on the ground last season.
Ravens’ Terrance West Signs RFA Tender
It took two months, but Ravens running back Terrance West has signed his restricted free agent tender, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links).
[RELATED: Should Ravens Sign LeGarrette Blount?]
The Ravens gave West an original-round tender, meaning any club that attempted to sign him would have had to surrender a fairly high pick for the 2014 third-rounder. Between that and West’s unspectacular production to this point (3.9 yards per carry on 426 attempts), it’s unsurprising that no one courted him when he was on the RFA market.
Formerly with the Browns and Titans, West is coming off his first full year in Baltimore, where he paced the team’s ball carriers in attempts (193), yards (774) and touchdowns (five) in 2016. The 26-year-old also totaled 34 catches for 236 yards and another score. With Kenneth Dixon set to serve a four-game suspension to open the season, West should again function as the Ravens’ top rushing option at the outset of 2017.
Along with locking up West for another year, the Ravens are keeping cornerback Sheldon Price, who signed his exclusive rights tender. Meanwhile, the team cut three players – running back Stephen Houston and 2017 undrafted free agents Zach Terrell (quarterback, Western Michigan) and Omarius Bryant (defensive end, Western Kentucky) – according to Zrebiec.
Ravens Waive Stephen Houston
- The Ravens have released RB Stephen Houston, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).