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Ravens Rule Out Lamar Jackson For Week 16

December 22nd, 2022 at 12:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shortly after Lamar Jackson‘s PCL sprain, a return after two missed games was rumored. John Harbaugh closed that door Thursday. Tyler Huntley will make a third consecutive start this week.

This will be Jackson’s eighth missed game in two seasons. The Ravens are 1-1 with Huntley at the controls this year, but they are coming off a listless performance — particularly in the passing game — and will also be without Devin Duvernay in Week 16. The third-year wide receiver suffered a season-ending foot injury in practice this week.

Ahead of the first game Jackson missed, a report indicated there was a “strong chance” he would not be fully healthy until the end of the regular season. This three-game absence matches Zach Wilson‘s miss count, but the Jets quarterback missed around a month before the regular season because of surgery. Jackson did not undergo surgery and obviously relies far more on his running ability compared to the Jets QB.

Last season, Jackson missed one game because of COVID-19 and four more because of a sprained ankle. While Huntley fared decently in the former MVP’s stead, the Ravens lost the five games Jackson did not finish to close out the season. This year, Jackson had the Ravens at 8-4 and atop the AFC North. Although the Ravens’ offense was scuffling a bit with Jackson before he went down — albeit with injuries at running back and a low-end wideout situation — the contract-year performer ranks ninth in QBR. That is up from 17th last season.

Jackson, 25, passed on Ravens extension offers this year and appears poised to be cuffed with the franchise tag before the March deadline. The exclusive tag number is expected to check in north of $45MM, giving the Ravens a historic cap hold on their payroll — unless they and Jackson can reach an extension agreement — entering free agency. Jackson has not exactly boosted his value this season, but his three Pro Bowls and historic run-game impact at his position will continue to make a case for an extension at or near the top of the QB market. Jackson is believed to have pushed for a deal on the Deshaun Watson level, guarantee-wise. While the Ravens have certainly missed him, the $100MM-plus gap between Watson ($230MM fully guaranteed) and the field in terms of full guarantees could create another staredown.

Baltimore closes the regular season with games against the Falcons, Steelers and Bengals. The team is one game back of Cincinnati going into Week 16. The Ravens’ October win over the Bengals would allow for a winner-take-all season finale — should both teams hold serve, a task that might be more difficult for the Bengals considering the Bills will head to Ohio for a Monday-night showdown Jan. 2 — in two weeks. Having Jackson back in time for that game will be paramount for a Ravens team that now has running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards together. Jackson has not played with both those backs in a game since the 2020 season.

Notable 2023 Pro Bowl Incentives

December 21st, 2022 at 9:22pm CST by Ben Levine

The NFL announced their 2023 Pro Bowl rosters this evening. Besides the ability to list the accolade on their career resume (plus the monetary bonus that comes from participating in and winning the game), many players had a financial incentive for wanting a Pro Bowl nod. We’ve collected some of the notable Pro Bowl contract incentives below, most via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter (unless noted).

Geno Smith‘s contract bonus came via a specific incentive that required not only Pro Bowl recognition but 20 touchdown passes, according to Yates (on Twitter). Smith hit that TD mark back in Week 13. The impending free agent is set to cash in following a breakout campaign during his age-32 season.

Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard has a more complex bonus worked into his contract. According to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry (on Twitter), Howard is one step closer to earning a $1MM bonus thanks to his Pro Bowl nod, but he’ll also need Miami to improve in either wins, points allowed, TDs allowed, total defense, interceptions, average net yards allowed per rushing play, or turnover margin.

Speaking of the Dolphins, the organization saved a chunk of future money since one of their players didn’t make the Pro Bowl roster. As Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald tweets, Tua Tagovailoa‘s fifth-year option would have increased from $22MM to $28MM if he earned a Pro Bowl nod.

Updated 2023 NFL Draft Order

December 21st, 2022 at 10:18am CST by Sam Robinson

Christmas Day’s Broncos-Rams matchup will pit two of the league’s most disappointing teams against one another, and the Seahawks and Lions will have a vested interest in this contest. The loser of this game will give one of the latter teams — via the Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford trades — a better chance of landing a top-three pick in next year’s draft.

At 1-12-1, the Texans are cruising home. The Bears are on their heels, potentially set to become the team that selects the 2023 draft’s first non-quarterback. But eight four- or five-win teams reside behind these two, providing some intrigue for fanbases whose squads are not moving toward the playoffs.

The NFC South’s plunge toward becoming perhaps the worst division in NFL history carries draft stakes as well. The Falcons, Saints and Panthers each have five wins, and Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia (via the Saints’ pre-draft trade this year) would see those picks land in the top 10 as of now. The division-leading Buccaneers would see their draft slot check in no higher than 19th. Should one of Tampa Bay’s challengers vault the current first-place team in the standings, the Bucs would see their 2023 first-round slot rise considerably.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2022 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is how the draft order looks entering Week 16:

  1. Houston Texans: 1-12-1
  2. Chicago Bears: 3-11
  3. Detroit Lions (via Rams)
  4. Seattle Seahawks (via Broncos)
  5. Arizona Cardinals: 4-10
  6. Indianapolis Colts: 4-9-1
  7. Atlanta Falcons: 5-9
  8. Carolina Panthers: 5-9
  9. Philadelphia Eagles (via Saints)
  10. Las Vegas Raiders: 6-8
  11. Jacksonville Jaguars: 6-8
  12. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  13. Pittsburgh Steelers: 6-8
  14. Green Bay Packers: 6-8
  15. Seattle Seahawks: 7-7
  16. New England Patriots: 7-7
  17. New York Jets: 7-7
  18. Detroit Lions: 7-7
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6-8
  20. Tennessee Titans: 7-7
  21. Washington Commanders: 7-6-1
  22. Los Angeles Chargers: 8-6
  23. New York Giants: 8-5-1
  24. Baltimore Ravens: 9-5
  25. Denver Broncos (via 49ers through Dolphins)
  26. Dallas Cowboys: 10-4
  27. Cincinnati Bengals: 10-4
  28. Kansas City Chiefs: 11-3
  29. Minnesota Vikings: 11-3
  30. Buffalo Bills: 11-3
  31. Philadelphia Eagles: 13-1

Next year’s draft will feature a 31-pick first round. The Dolphins’ penalty for the Tom Brady–Sean Payton tampering scandal cost them their 2023 first-round choice.

Ravens Place WR Devin Duvernay On IR

December 21st, 2022 at 9:17am CST by Sam Robinson

DECEMBER 21: Duvernay broke a bone in his foot, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). This injury will require around two months of recovery time, shutting down the Baltimore starter until the offseason.

DECEMBER 20: The foot injury Devin Duvernay suffered in practice Tuesday will knock him out for the rest of the regular season, at least. The Ravens placed the third-year wide receiver on IR, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The team has since announced the transaction.

Duvernay went down today with what the Ravens feared was a significant foot injury. After testing, the team is moving its third-leading pass catcher off the 53-man roster. Duvernay would not be able to return until the divisional round, should the Ravens extend their season to that point.

Baltimore has already been without its No. 1 wide receiver — 2021 first-round pick Rashod Bateman — since he suffered a season-ending foot injury several weeks ago. Duvernay’s injury further sets back a receiving corps that already entered the season under scrutiny. The Ravens have since added Sammy Watkins, bringing the journeyman target back via waivers this afternoon.

Duvernay and Demarcus Robinson have been the Ravens’ top receivers since Bateman’s injury. A former All-Pro return man, Duvernay scored twice in Baltimore’s opener but has seen his production tail off since his hot start. On the whole, the ex-Texas Longhorn has 37 receptions for 407 yards and three touchdowns. Robinson (418 receiving yards) is now the only receiver on the Ravens’ active roster with more than 250 yards this season. Watkins barely cleared 200 during his time as a rotational Packers option this season.

After making offers to multiple veterans during the 2021 free agency period — which ended with Watkins heading to Maryland on a one-year, $5MM deal — and drafting Bateman soon after, the Ravens largely stood down this year. They entered the season with Bateman and Duvernay atop their receiving corps. The team’s under-the-radar Robinson addition — on a league-minimum accord — has proven pivotal. The former Chiefs tertiary target now residing as the Ravens’ No. 1 wideout does well to illustrate the 9-5 team’s dire situation at this position. The Ravens will attempt to make do with their set of veteran wideouts, with in-season additions Watkins and DeSean Jackson supplementing Robinson.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/20/22

December 20th, 2022 at 7:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: QB James Morgan
  • Released: QB Carson Strong

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: G Parker Ferguson, DB Devon Key
  • Released: LB Harvey Langi

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: DT Jarrod Hewitt

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/20/22

December 20th, 2022 at 7:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

  • Signed off Chiefs practice squad: LB Elijah Lee
  • Designated for return: RB Khalil Herbert (story)
  • Released: CB Justin Layne

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Caleb Huntley suffered a season-ending Achilles injury this past weekend, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The injury is expected to require surgery. The Falcons RB made his NFL this season and has collected 369 yards from scrimmage.

While Russell Wilson is expected to start for the Broncos on Christmas, the Broncos still decided to promote a third QB to the roster in Jarrett Guarantano. According to Troy Renck of Denver7 (on Twitter), there was enough interest from other teams (including the Cardinals) for the Broncos to decide to promote the rookie. The UDFA out of Washington State had his first professional gig with the Cardinals before catching on with the Broncos.

Ravens Claim WR Sammy Watkins

December 20th, 2022 at 3:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sammy Watkins is returning to Baltimore. Following his Packers exit ahead of their Week 15 game, the former top-five pick will return to his fourth NFL team.

The Ravens claimed the ninth-year wide receiver Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. With Watkins attached to a league-minimum salary, the Ravens will not be on the hook for much money by reacquiring him. Watkins, 29, played for the Ravens last season but joined the Packers in free agency.

The journeyman pass catcher signed with the Ravens on a one-year, $5MM deal in 2021 — after talks with JuJu Smith-Schuster, T.Y. Hilton and Kenny Golladay did not produce any signings — and made contributions as an auxiliary target for Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley. Watkins caught 27 passes for 394 yards and a touchdown with the Ravens, playing 13 games. Playing in nine games with the Packers this season, Watkins caught 13 passes for 206 yards.

This news comes as the Ravens are potentially set to navigate another receiver injury. Devin Duvernay left Baltimore’s practice Tuesday with what the team fears could be a significant foot ailment, Pelissero tweets). With Rashod Bateman out of the picture, the Ravens have relied more on Duvernay this season. The former third-round pick has started 13 games this year and has not missed any time. Duvernay is undergoing tests today.

Concern about Baltimore’s receiving corps emerged before Bateman went down, but the team has not seen much consistency from this position group since the 2021 first-rounder was lost for the season. The Ravens signed DeSean Jackson to their practice squad and soon promoted the 35-year-old deep threat to their active roster; he has seven receptions for 134 yards in five games. Watkins’ former Chiefs teammate, Demarcus Robinson, leads all Raven receivers with 419 yards. Duvernay is just behind him with 407.

Injuries have dogged Watkins for most of his career. The Packers placed Watkins on IR early this season due to a hamstring issue. He also battled hamstring trouble in 2020, missing five games because of that ailment during his final season with the Chiefs, and saw a thigh problem sideline him for three Ravens games last year. Although Watkins carries injury baggage, he did contribute extensively during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV-winning season three years ago. Watkins posted 288 receiving yards in three Kansas City playoff games that year.

Still south of his 30th birthday, Watkins can nevertheless be labeled a post-prime player due to his health history. But he has produced at points in recent years. The Ravens, who relinquished their AFC North lead in Week 15 after a loss to the Browns, will kick the tires on a veteran who has experience in Greg Roman‘s system.

Ravens Add G John Simpson To Practice Squad

December 19th, 2022 at 8:07pm CST by Ely Allen

Free agent guard John Simpson has found a new home after getting waived by the team that drafted him two seasons ago, signing to the practice squad of the Ravens as a veteran exception. Simpson provides a strong depth piece deep down the Ravens roster.

Simpson is in his third season in the NFL. After a rookie season that saw him play here and there on the Raiders line, Simpson started every game for Las Vegas at left guard last year. Simpson started only the first two games of the season for the Raiders this season before being demoted to a backup role for both guard spots.

The former fourth-round pick out of Clemson losing his starting job at the beginning of the season didn’t come as a total shock. Before the season began, early reports out of camp indicated that only left tackle Kolton Miller and right guard Denzelle Good were guaranteed their starting spots. The reports, from Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic, claimed that rookie third-round pick Dylan Parham “could push (Simpson) at left guard or Andre James at center.”

Luckily for Simpson, Parham wouldn’t get a chance to take his job since he was first asked to replaced Good after a surprising retirement announcement. Unfortunately for Simpson, his job would soon be given to Alex Bars. The Raiders would waive Simpson shortly after an injury to Bars would push Simpson into extended relief duty for a game.

The move makes sense for the Ravens, who have experienced their fair share of offensive line injuries over the past few years. Starting tackles Ronnie Stanley and Ja’Wuan James have both missed significant time in recent years, helping to make sense of why Baltimore prefers to have so much quality depth at the offensive line.

Currently, behind a starting line of left tackle Stanley, left guard Ben Powers, rookie first-round center Tyler Linderbaum, right guard Kevin Zeitler, and right tackle Morgan Moses, the Ravens boast a true sixth-man on the line. Utility offensive lineman Patrick Mekari has played significant time at all five positions on the line at the NFL-level. He has the ability to fill in for any of Baltimore’s starting lineman should they go down with injury with little-to-no drop-off in quality of play. Besides Mekari, Baltimore has fourth-round rookie Daniel Faalele as a backup tackle, Trystan Colon-Castillo as a backup center, and Ben Cleveland as a backup guard.

The quality of the depth is good, but the lack of quantity doesn’t leave the Ravens with much in the way of options in case of emergency. Adding Simpson to the practice squad gives Baltimore another quality backup option on their offensive line. To make room for Simpson on the practice squad, the Ravens released practice squad outside linebacker Julian Stanford.

Marcus Peters Expected To Miss Time

December 19th, 2022 at 10:47am CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens’ offense was a talking point after their loss to the Browns on Saturday, but the team’s defense suffered a notable loss. Cornerback Marcus Peters left the game with what has been diagnosed as a mild calf strain (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).

Rapoport adds that Peters is expected to miss some time, but the injury is not considered long-term. While that can generally be considered good news, any absence from the 29-year-old would be significant. Peters had essentially played on an every-snap basis this season prior to suffering the injury.

The return of the former first-rounder this fall was a welcomed sight for Baltimore, after he missed the entire 2021 campaign with a torn ACL. That gave the team their preferred duo of Peters and Marlon Humphrey on the perimeter, though the former has not seen a return to his All-Pro form in 2022. Peters – the NFL’s interceptions leader since entering the league in 2015 – has just one pick on the campaign. He has added six pass deflections and a pair of forced fumbles along the way.

In coverage, the two-time Pro Bowler has also had a less-than-stellar year. Peters has allowed seven touchdowns and a passer rating over 116 as the nearest defender, both the worst marks of his career. His play has, in part, contributed to Baltimore’s overall struggles against the pass – they rank 25th in the league with an average of 241 yards allowed on average – especially compared to the rest of their defensive statistics.

The Ravens saw multiple depth corners depart in free agency during the offseason, which prompted the signing of Kyle Fuller. He suffered an ACL tear in Week 1, however, leaving the team short on experienced options aside from Peters and Humphrey. 2021 third-rounder Brandon Stephens, fourth-round rookie Damarion Williams and special-teamer Kevon Seymour are among the corners available to fill in for Peters down the stretch.

At 9-5, the Ravens lost their lead in the AFC North during the weekend, but they are still well-positioned to make the postseason. A healthy Peters, in spite of his underwhelming performance to date, would be significant for the team in the final week or so of the regular season and the playoffs, should he be available at that time.

AFC North Rumors: Ojabo, Cooper, Watson, Jackson

December 17th, 2022 at 10:33am CST by Ely Allen

The Ravens‘ pass rush could receive a huge boost today as rookie second-round pick David Ojabo is reportedly set to make his NFL debut, according to Rich Eisen of NFL Network. The Score’s Jordan Schultz first reported Ojabo would be good to go this week.

Ojabo was a first-round talent who dropped to the second round of the draft when he suffered a torn Achilles while performing in his pro day at Michigan. Playing across from No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson, Ojabo was impressive in his own right, nearly matching Hutchinson blow-for-blow with 11 sacks and 12 tackles for loss to Hutchinson’s 14 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss.

The Ravens took the value pick, knowing that Ojabo likely wouldn’t debut for the team until late in the year and hoping it would help gear up the defense for a playoff run. The team designated Ojabo to return from the reserve/non-football injury list at the same time as they designated outside linebacker Tyus Bowser to return from the reserve/physically unable to perform list in mid-October. Both players were officially activated from their respective lists on November 1.

Both moves were announced shortly after Baltimore acquired Roquan Smith in a trade with the Bears. Bowser and Smith have already debuted for the Ravens this season, and the additions have been significant. Adding Ojabo to the mix give the Ravens a linebacking corps that consists of Smith, Patrick Queen, Bowser, Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Houston, Odafe Oweh, and Ojabo, among others. A unit that appeared to be a weakness heading into the season is now overloaded with talent.

Here are a few other rumors concerning the two teams in the AFC North that will face off later today:

  • Browns veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper has reportedly been dealing with a core muscle injury. The team’s top receiver has been playing through the injury, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, and hasn’t considered the prospect of potential surgery in the offseason. Losing Cooper would be detrimental for Cleveland. Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones account for 80% of the catches and nearly 86% of the receiving yards by Browns receivers. Cleveland wideouts have caught eight total touchdowns this season; Cooper has accounted for seven of them. Cooper has struggled to find chemistry so far this year with new starting quarterback Deshaun Watson. In two games with Watson behind center, Cooper has six catches for 82 yards.
  • Speaking of the Browns’ new starting passer, Watson has continued his mandatory treatment program, despite his 11-game suspension coming to an end. A report two weeks ago detailed that sources have claimed Watson has shown “signs of progress” during the program, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The program is confidential, so the laymen are not privy to the details of his treatment. A source with knowledge of the program told Schefter, “(Watson)’s been progressing well and he wants to continue with it.” The team, league, and Players Association feel it’s helping him, and he’ll continue treatment until it’s been determined that it’s no longer needed, which, reportedly, “could take a while.”
  • Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will miss his second straight game with a PCL sprain today, allowing backup quarterback Tyler Huntley to make his second consecutive start. The team is hopeful, though, that Jackson will be back at practice this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Ravens remain hopeful that he may even play on Christmas Eve against the Falcons.
  • The Ravens will lose a staffer at the end of the year as defensive assistant Ryan Osborn is set to become the defensive coordinator at Charlotte at the conclusion of the season. Osborn works closely with the outside linebackers and defensive linemen for Baltimore. He held a similar role last year as a defensive analyst at the University of Michigan, before following defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to Baltimore. Osborn was a key proponent in helping Hutchinson and Ojabo get drafted as highly as they were and has done an admirable job of piecing together a strong pass rush for a Ravens team that has dealt with injuries at the position.
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