Ravens Re-Sign ERFAs Jumal Rolle, Jermaine Whitehead
- The Ravens announced that defensive backs Jumal Rolle and Jermaine Whitehead have signed their exclusive rights tenders with the club. Rolle has bounced around the league since going undrafted from Catawba in 2013, playing in 19 career games with the Texans and Ravens. Whitehead, undrafted out of Auburn last year, spent most of 2015 on the 49ers’ practice squad before the Ravens signed him in December.
Paxton Lynch Visiting Ravens
The final visit for Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch will take place in Baltimore, according to agent Leigh Steinberg, who tweets that Lynch will meet with the Ravens on Wednesday. Holding the No. 6 overall pick, the Ravens seem like an improbable first-round suitor for Lynch, so perhaps the team is just doing its due diligence in case it trades down in the first round or Lynch slips to round two.
Kevin Byard Visiting Ravens
- Middle Tennessee State defensive back Kevin Byard, who has already visited seven teams, will visit four more this week. According to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, Byard is making trips to visit the Ravens, Jaguars, Buccaneers, and Panthers.
Ravens Sign Kamar Aiken, Trent Richardson
With their offseason program set to get underway, the Ravens have confirmed a series of signings, including officially locking up several of their own players for 2016. Per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), wide receiver Kamar Aiken has formally signed his RFA tender, while the team has announced in a press release that running back Trent Richardson has signed a contract to join the Ravens.
In addition to re-signing Aiken and adding Richardson, the Ravens also secured a few exclusive-rights free agent. According to the team (via Twitter), wide receiver Jeremy Butler, wide receiver and return specialist Kaelin Clay, and offensive lineman Ryan Jensen have all signed their ERFA tenders.
Aiken, who turns 27 next month, had a breakout 2015 campaign, leading the team with 75 catches for 944 yards. Although Aiken didn’t fully emerge as a go-to option in Baltimore’s offense until after Steve Smith went down for the season with an Achilles injury, the Central Florida product figures to have a significant role going forward. Despite their limited cap flexibility in March, the Ravens assigned Aiken a second-round tender worth $2.553MM, signaling how much they value him.
Richardson, meanwhile, visited Baltimore back in February and has been expected to sign with them for quite some time. GM Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens had been somewhat concerned about Richardson’s conditioning, but agreed to sign him if he lost some weight, which he has. The former third overall pick may have an uphill battle to earn a roster spot in a crowded backfield in Baltimore, but it looks like a low-risk flier for the Ravens.
As for Butler, Clay, and Jensen, while they were technically considered free agents, the Ravens held their exclusive rights, so none of those players could explore the market.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Brown: Kendall Fuller A Second-Round Target For Ravens
- Another AFC North club is on the lookout for cornerback help, and as Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com writes, the fact that Virginia Tech corner Kendall Fuller had a positive medical recheck on his injured right knee is great news for the Ravens. Baltimore assistant GM Eric DeCosta believes there will be a run on corners between the 25th and 40th overall picks, and a healthy Fuller projects to be drafted in that range. If the Ravens do not draft Jalen Ramsey or Vernon Hargreaves III with their No. 6 overall selection, they will certainly be in the market for a CB with the No. 36 overall choice.
Ravens, Dennis Pitta Restructure Contract
SATURDAY, 8:20am: The Ravens officially announced the contract restructuring, according to Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com.
“Dennis wants to continue his playing career, and we want to give him that opportunity,” general manager Ozzie Newsome said (via Mink). “We have reworked his contract, and we’re excited to help him with his comeback. Everyone here wants Dennis to succeed.”
“I am thankful for this opportunity to continue my career,” added Pitta. “I’m excited to get back to work with my teammates and for this organization. Physically, I feel great and am ready to begin building toward a successful 2016 season.”
FRIDAY, 7:52am: Pitta’s base salary has been reduced from $5MM to $1MM, resulting in a cap hit of $3.2MM for 2016, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle adds (via Twitter) that the tight end’s new deal has injury waivers for 2016, 2017, and 2018.
TUESDAY, 10:55am: Just hours after a report indicated that tight end Dennis Pitta had decided to continue his NFL career, Pitta and the Ravens have agreed to a restructured contract that will reduce his cap number, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Zrebiec adds that Pitta could officially sign the new deal as early as today.
[RELATED: Pitta to continue NFL playing career]
Pitta, who has missed the majority of the last two seasons due to major hip injuries, consulted with doctors before making his decision to attempt a comeback in 2016. He’ll be in attendance at Baltimore’s offseason program in the hopes of making it back on the field this summer. Although he has received the go-ahead from medical professionals, he’ll still need to be cleared by the Ravens’ team doctors, who advised him last fall not to return to the field in 2015.
The 30-year-old had been owed a $5MM base salary this season, with an overall cap hit of $7.2MM. However, that salary was non-guaranteed, and considering Pitta has not appeared in an NFL game since September of 2014, it was unrealistic not to expect some sort of adjustment to his contract.
Although specific details on Pitta’s reworked deal aren’t yet known, Zrebiec tweets that the veteran tight end will have the opportunity to make back some of that $5MM via incentives. If the restructured contract includes per-game roster bonuses, they won’t initially count against Baltimore’s cap for 2016 — since Pitta didn’t play in any games last season, those bonuses would be viewed as not likely to be earned.
In addition to proving that he’s healthy, Pitta will also have to beat out some competition in training camp to earn a spot on the Ravens’ 53-man roster. Recent draftees Maxx Williams, Crockett Gillmore, and Nick Boyle are in the tight end mix, along with free agent signee Ben Watson, among others. Boyle will start the 2016 season on the suspended list.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Eastern Michigan RB Darius Jackson To Visit Ravens
- Eastern Michigan running back Darius Jackson visited the Jets on Monday, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net tweets. Jackson also has visits with the Ravens, Dolphins, and Lions on his schedule.
Ravens Worked Out Yannick Ngakoue
- Vanderbilt linebacker Stephen Weatherly has worked out for the Panthers, Patriots, Colts, and Cardinals, and has visited the Panthers, Broncos, Saints, Raiders, Chiefs, and Vikings. Meanwhile, Maryland linebacker Yannick Ngakoue worked out for the Texans, Cowboys, Saints, Colts, Titans, Ravens, Dolphins, and Patriots, in addition to making several previously-reported visits. Pauline believes both players may come off the board earlier than expected.
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Ravens Work Out Jason Spriggs
Many view Spriggs as the best pure left tackle in the draft outside of Ole Miss star Laremy Tunsil. Spriggs has been rising on draft boards around the league and the Hoosiers senior has already visited the Broncos and Saints and worked out for the Titans and Ravens.
Browns Claim Ford; Ravens Waive Spears
- The Browns have claimed tight end Chase Ford off waivers from the Ravens, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. Ford inked his restricted free agent tender with Baltimore a few weeks ago but his $1.671MM salary was non-guaranteed.
- The Ravens announced (on Twitter) that they have waived tight end Harold Spears. That now makes two tight ends waived by Baltimore in the last two days.