Baltimore Ravens News & Rumors

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/7/22

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Signed: OL Roy Mbaeteka

New York Jets

  • Signed: OL Sam Schlueter

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/22

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

For Minor NFL Transactions followers, Jackson is obviously overqualified for inclusion here. He is one of the great deep threats in NFL history. But the Ravens made a procedural move involving the 35-year-old wideout. Jackson initially moved to Baltimore’s 53-man roster as a gameday elevation. He will now reside on the team’s active roster moving forward. Should the Ravens cut Jackson, he will need to pass through waivers. Jackson, who has played in three Ravens games, has five receptions for 100 yards this season.

A hamstring injury has sidelined Parham, but the Chargers are moving into position to have the 6-foot-8 tight end back in uniform. An XFL 2.0 alum, Parham has been a Justin Herbert auxiliary target during his time with the team. Parham caught six touchdown passes from 2020-21; he has yet to score this season. Despite the usual array of Bolts injuries, the team is in good shape for IR activations. The Chargers have only used two of their eight allotted activations this season.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/5/22

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

New England Patriots

Dobbs’ arrival in Detroit comes not long after he visited the Lions on a workout. The journeyman will provide depth behind starter Jared Goff and backup Nate Sudfeld on the taxi squad, after the Bears signed Tim Boyle to their active roster last week.

Ravens Sign QB Brett Hundley To Practice Squad; Latest On Lamar Jackson

The Ravens saw starting quarterback Lamar Jackson exit the game yesterday, and they have made a move which casts further doubt on his Week 14 availability. Baltimore is signing veteran Brett Hundley to its practice squad, as announced (on Twitter) by his agent. The Ravens have confirmed the move.

The 29-year-old has bounced around since entering the league as a Packers fifth-rounder in 2015. He has made 18 appearances and nine starts over the course of his career, only seeing the field during his stints in Green Bay and Arizona. He signed in Baltimore this past May to operate as training camp competition for a place on the team’s taxi squad.

Backup Tyler Huntley took over for Jackson following the latter’s knee injury yesterday, as he did to close out the 2021 season. The only other signal-caller the Ravens had before today, however, was undrafted rookie Anthony Brown, so depth would be needed in the event Jackson was unable to play this Sunday against the Steelers.

When speaking to the media on Monday, head coach John Harbaugh indicated that that will likely be the case. Jackson is dealing with a knee injury, and earlier this morning NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport stated that the two-time Pro Bowler is likely to miss at least one game as a result of it (video link). That would create the need for insurance provided by this deal, though Harbaugh has yet to rule out Jackson, calling him “week-to-week.”

Assuming Huntley is forced to start again, Sunday will mark his second career game against the Steelers. The former UDFA was in action during the regular season finale last year, an overtime victory for Pittsburgh. His statistics from yesterday – 27-of-32 passing, one interception, along with 41 yards and the game’s only touchdown on the ground – could provide a glimpse of what is to come during Jackson’s absence.

The win over the Broncos allowed Baltimore to remain in first in the AFC North at 8-4, but any missed time for Jackson could prove highly detrimental to their playoff seeding. The Ravens face a short week after the upcoming Pittsburgh game, as they are set to visit the Browns for a Saturday contest on December 17.

NFL Injury Rumors: Donald, Stafford, Walker, Queen

Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald reportedly has no intentions of joining star teammates quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp on injured reserve this season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Donald suffered a high ankle sprain last week in the team’s loss to the Chiefs, but the belief is that the injury is mild and Donald will be able to return this season.

Specifically, Donald has intentions of returning by Week 15 for a Sunday night matchup against the Packers. Donald has his ankle immobilized to promote its healing and is determined to make a comeback this season. Rapoport posits that “the way Donald is wired, he has no plans to shut it down regardless of the team’s record.”

Here are a couple of other injury rumors, starting with another one of the Rams injured stars:

  • Although it remains undetermined whether or not the Rams have any plans of bringing back their star quarterback, the newest updates indicate that Stafford’s recent placement on IR marks the end of his season, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. Head coach Sean McVay explained Stafford’s injury as a spinal cord contusion. With the team sitting at 3-9, good for last place in the NFC West, Los Angeles probably doesn’t think it’s worth the risk to trot the 34-year-old quarterback out on the field with so little on the line.
  • The Seahawks took some real lumps in their win over the Rams today, sustaining a litany of injuries to their running backs room. Already short primary backup Travis Homer, who was downgraded to out prior to kickoff after dealing with illness and a knee injury all week, both starter Kenneth Walker III and third-string DeeJay Dallas exited the game with ankle injuries. Walker was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game while Dallas was designated as doubtful to return, leaving the team with only fourth-string running back Tony Jones. Minutes later, Jones would take a big hit that would put him in the medical tent, forcing the previously doubtful Dallas to return to the game. Seattle has dealt with injuries in the position room all year. Aside from losing Rashaad Penny for the season, Walker joined the team late after a hernia surgery and Homer previously spent four weeks on IR. With all those absences, it’s no surprise the Seahawks picked Jones up off of waivers in October and are now carrying four running backs on the active roster. Nobody could’ve guessed that four wouldn’t be enough.
  • Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson wasn’t the only Baltimore player to leave the game with an injury earlier today. Starting linebacker Patrick Queen was carted off the field with a thigh injury and was ruled out for the remainder of what was a defensive slug fest against the Broncos. Head coach John Harbaugh was able to tell the media that x-rays were negative for the third-year linebacker and that Queen had been diagnosed with a thigh bruise. If the injury is serious, Queen could miss his first game since being drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. With veteran inside linebacker Josh Bynes also dealing with an injury, this would leave the Ravens fairly thin with newly acquired Roquan Smith and Malik Harrison to start and only special teamer Kristian Welch to relieve them, as another special teamer, Del’Shawn Phillips, also deals with an injury.

Lamar Jackson Suffers Knee Injury

The Ravens earned a last-minute, come-from-behind victory over the Broncos Sunday afternoon, but the main talking point in the aftermath of the game is the health of their starting quarterback. Lamar Jackson exited the contest after taking a hit in the first quarter, and did not return.

Jackson’s absence was caused by a knee injury, and it remains unclear at this point how much time he will miss as a result of it. When speaking to reporters after the game, head coach John Harbaugh said that Jackson’s recovery timeline would be a matter of “days or weeks,” meaning that it is not expected to be season-ending. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that the 25-year-old is believed to have suffered a knee sprain.

While more will be known in the coming days after further tests, an absence of any length would of course be massive for Baltimore. Jackson has remained the focal point of the Ravens’ offense in 2022, a season in which top wideout Rashod Bateman has suffered a season-ending foot injury, All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley has been limited to six games with lingering ankle issues, and the team has had a resultant inability to find a rhythm in the passing game. On the ground, the two-time Pro Bowler has paced the team with 755 rushing yards entering Week 13 – 363 more than the next-leading rusher.

From a financial standpoint, this injury could loom large. Jackson is scheduled to hit free agency at the end of the year, after he and the Ravens could not reach an agreement on a long-term deal. A franchise tag is widely expected to be used if the same holds true in the coming months, but a lengthy absence – coupled with the Louisville alum’s inconsistent performances this year – could hurt Jackson’s leverage in future negotiations.

In Jackson’s absence, the Ravens turned to backup Tyler Huntley under center. The former UDFA made four starts to close out the 2021 campaign, after Jackson was sidelined by an ankle injury. He went 1-3 in that span, putting up middling passing numbers along the way. His rushing ability (6.3 yards per carry, two touchdowns), however, demonstrated his likeness to Jackson from a skillset perspective, something which could ease another transition to him as the starter if that proves necessary.

With the 10-9 win, the Ravens moved to 8-4 on the season and will retain their lead in the AFC North for at least one more week. Their prospects moving forward, however, could take a substantial hit depending on developments in the coming days.

Ravens OC Greg Roman On Radar For Stanford HC Job

DECEMBER 4: While John Harbaugh classifies the talks between Roman and Stanford as “preliminary,” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says Roman is indeed interested in the position. The school’s athletic director, Bernard Muir, was reportedly encouraged by his recent conversation with Baltimore’s OC, who would “strongly consider” returning to the Cardinal.

NOVEMBER 30: Longtime Stanford head coach David Shaw stepped down from his post heading the Pac-12 program. The Cardinal will conduct their first coaching search in many years, and Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman is believed to be a part of that process.

Stanford has discussed the position with Roman, according to The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel (on Twitter). Roman, who has been Baltimore’s OC since 2019 and on John Harbaugh‘s staff since 2017, was an assistant at Stanford during Jim Harbaugh‘s time in Palo Alto. Roman was a Stanford position coach from 2009-10.

Both Shaw and Roman have been connected to NFL HC jobs in the past, though such talk has died down for both. Roman, 50, went through his most recent HC interview following the 2019 season, when he met with the Browns. No known HC meetings have taken place since, and Roman’s place as Baltimore’s OC was somewhat in question entering the 2022 offseason. John Harbaugh assured Roman would be back, and he is calling Ravens plays for a fourth season.

Roman has both been given credit for redesigning the Ravens’ offense to fit Lamar Jackson, leading to the run-oriented quarterback’s MVP season, and blamed for holding the dual-threat talent back. The Ravens ranked 17th in scoring offense last season, one played without their top two running backs, and are up to eighth this year despite more J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards injury trouble. Baltimore is also playing without No. 1 wide receiver Rashod Bateman, who is out for the season. Jackson is also on pace for a third 1,000-yard rushing season, averaging 68.6 rushing yards per game.

Tailoring schemes to dual-threat quarterbacks has been a Roman staple. He made over the 49ers’ offense for Colin Kaepernick as Jim Harbaugh’s OC in San Francisco and did the same for Tyrod Taylor in Buffalo. The Bills fired Roman during the 2016 season, leading him to Baltimore. Roman’s offenses contrast to Shaw’s; the latter’s pro-style attacks produced the likes of Andrew Luck and Davis Mills and garnered the offense-oriented HC NFL interest. Shaw was on Harbaugh’s staff during Roman’s two years there.

Other names will come up in this search, and it would be quite interesting if Roman bailed on coaching Jackson. But he has never been a head coach and has seen that well dry up at the professional level. As the Ravens vie for their first AFC North title since Roman’s first year on the job, this will be a storyline to monitor. Stanford, which employed Shaw as HC for 12 years, has gone 3-9 in each of its past two campaigns.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/3/22

Here are the league’s minor transactions leading into the Sunday-slate of Week 13 games:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Ravens Eyeing Week 14 Return For S Marcus Williams, RB J.K. Dobbins

The Ravens are in line to receive a significant reinforcement on both sides of the ball soon, but that will not happen in the coming days. Head coach John Harbaugh confirmed on Friday that neither safety Marcus Williams nor running back J.K. Dobbins will play on Sunday against the Broncos.

Last week, Baltimore designated Williams for return, opening his three-week return window. The former Saint signed a five-year, $70MM deal in the offseason, which led to significant expectations right away from a production standpoint. The 26-year-old delivered in that regard to begin his Ravens tenure, racking up three interceptions and five pass deflections in his first five games of the season.

A dislocated wrist has kept him sidelined since Week 6, however, an injury which the team quickly acknowledged would probably linger into December. Williams’ return would be a welcomed sight to the Ravens, though, given his early contributions and the team’s performance on defense this season. Baltimore ranks second in the league against the run (averaging 82 yards allowed per game on average), but 27th against the pass (254 yards). His ball-hawking skills would add further to a unit which already sits top-1o in the league with 11 picks.

Dobbins, meanwhile, returned to practice earlier this week. He spent the 2021 campaign – and the early portions of this year’s regular season – rehabbing a major knee injury suffered last summer. The 2020 second-rounder made his long-awaited return in Week 3, and played for each of the next three games after that. Dobbins logged double-digit carries just once during that span, however, and was shut down again after a cleanup procedure in October. A return to the field for the stretch run will be significant in part due to the boost he will provide the Ravens’ second-ranked rushing attack, but mainly because it will mark the first time since the 2020 postseason that both Dobbins and backup Gus Edwards will be available at the same time.

The Ravens have four of their eight allocated IR activations remaining at the moment, but two of those will be used when Williams and Dobbins are brought back. That will leave the team in relatively good shape from a health perspective as they look to retain their lead in the AFC North.

Injury Rumors: Jackson, Linsley, Johnson

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is on the team’s injury report for the third straight week after not finishing practice today, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. This is not a continuation of any previous injuries and his status for the weekend is still far from determined.

Two weeks ago, Jackson sat out of a practice due to illness and followed that up with a missed practice last week because of a hip injury. The former MVP was sidelined today with a quadriceps issue that caused him to seek treatment from a trainer and miss his usual media session.

Although many have assumed Jackson’s running tendencies would lead to an increase in injuries, he has been remarkably durable. Over five years in the league, Jackson has only missed four games over a four-week stretch last year as he dealt with an ankle injury. His continuous ability to play despite being banged up is an encouraging sign for Baltimore.

The team will want their most valuable player as they prepare to face one of the league’s more stout defenses from Denver this week. If Jackson is unavailable, the Ravens will turn to Tyler Huntley, who went 1-3 as a starter in the four games Jackson had to miss last season.

Here are a few more injury rumors from around the NFL, starting with a couple of bumps and bruises on the Chargers offensive line:

  • Los Angeles could be down two offensive linemen this week as they head to Las Vegas for a divisional battle, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. Starting center Corey Linsley is in the league’s concussion protocol and may not be available in time to return. Trey Pipkins, who has performed as the Chargers’ starting right tackle this season, reportedly aggravated an MCL injury in his left knee. If neither player can go this weekend, Will Clapp is expected to fill in for Linsley at center and two others will contend for the open tackle position. Storm Norton is the team’s primary backup tackle, but the Chargers have given former practice squad tackle Foster Sarell an opportunity to start this season, as well.
  • The Seahawks have officially shut down outside linebacker Darryl Johnson after the fourth-year defender underwent foot surgery, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. He’s been on injured reserve since suffering a foot injury in Week 4. Johnson had earned the first start of his career in the game that saw his season come to an end. Seattle has used a combination of Darrell Taylor and veteran Bruce Irvin since Johnson went down.