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Ravens To Sign DL Chris Wormley

September 16th, 2024 at 4:54pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens are set to reunite with a familiar face along the defensive line. Chris Wormley worked out with the team on Monday and he has a deal in place, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. This will be a practice squad arrangement, he adds.

Wormley began his career in Baltimore in 2017. He spent his first three seasons with the team, making 39 appearances and 15 starts during that span. The former third-rounder’s playing time increased with each passing campaign, but ahead of the final year of his rookie contract he was traded to the Steelers.

Pittsburgh used Wormley sparingly during his first season there, but he did enough to land a two-year contract. That pact proved to be worthwhile during the 2021 campaign in particular, when the Michigan alum started 14 games and easily set a career high with seven sacks. He returned to rotational duties the following season and departed as a free agent by joining the Panthers.

Wormely made just five appearances last season and only totaled 46 defensive snaps. As a result, it came as no surprise the Panthers did not elect to retain him or that he remained on the open market well into the start of the regular season. This Baltimore pact will give him the opportunity to work his way back onto an active roster in relatively short order, though.

The Ravens lost a number of key defenders during the offseason, but their defensive line remained intact. Nnamdi Madubuike, Michael Pierce, Travis Jones, Broderick Washington and Brent Urban are all returnees from the 2023 campaign. Wormley thus has plenty of competition for a roster spot and playing time, but he will provide veteran D-line depth at a minimum upon returning to his original team.

Dolphins To Sign QB Tyler Huntley Off Ravens’ Practice Squad

September 16th, 2024 at 9:44am CST by Adam La Rose

In need of a quarterback addition, the Dolphins have found a passer capable of stepping into the backup role. Miami is set to sign Tyler Huntley off the Ravens’ practice squad, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion during the Dolphins’ Week 2 loss, and given his history of head injuries a long absence would not come as a surprise. In the wake of that development, head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed the team would be in the market for a signal-caller. Huntley – who spent the offseason with Cleveland before returning to Baltimore – will serve as Miami’s backup while Skylar Thompson handles starting duties.

Thompson started the final two games of the 2022 regular season as well as Miami’s wild-card loss that season while filling in for Tagovailoa. The former seventh-rounder did not see any game action last year, but he managed to win the backup competition over Mike White during the 2024 offseason. Thompson is thus positioned to lead the team’s offense for the foreseeable future, but the Dolphins have elected against promoting Tim Boyle from the practice squad for the QB2 spot.

Instead, Huntley will be brought in from outside the organization. The former UDFA spent much of his Ravens tenure as Lamar Jackson‘s backup, and he totaled 10 regular and postseason starts when Jackson missed time over the past three years. Huntley, 26, has amassed 509 rushing yards in his career (along with another 86 in the playoffs) while operating as a dual-threat quarterback. His passing totals – eight touchdowns, seven interceptions, 5.7 yards per attempt – leave plenty of room for improvement, though.

Baltimore chose to keep Josh Johnson in second on the quarterback depth chart this spring, which paved the way for Huntley’s departure. The Utah alum took a league-minimum pact with the Browns as they sorted out their depth options without Joe Flacco in place as QB2. To no surprise, veteran Jameis Winston earned the backup gig, and Cleveland also has Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the fold. That allowed Huntley to released as part of the team’s final roster cuts, something which was quickly followed up by his Ravens reunion.

That has proven to be short lived, as Huntley will now turn his attention to learning Miami’s offense. The progress Tagovailoa makes over the coming weeks will be a central storyline for the Dolphins, as will Thompson’s performances under center. The team will have a new backup option moving forward, though. For Baltimore, meanwhile, Huntley’s departure will leave the team with sixth-round rookie Devin Leary as the lone signal-caller on the taxi squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/14/24

September 14th, 2024 at 8:06pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor transactions and gameday practice squad callups:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Patrick was among the Broncos’ final roster cuts after a Saints trade was discussed. The 30-year-old missed the 2022 and ’23 campaigns due to ACL and Achilles tears, respectively. Patrick did not need to wait long to find a new opportunity, though, quickly landing a practice squad deal with the Lions. He is now positioned make his season debut tomorrow as a complementary option in Detroit’s passing attack.

Olszewski is dealing with a groin injury and he was known to be facing a long-term absence. Today’s move thus comes as no surprise, but it ensures at least a four-week absence. The former All-Pro scored a punt return touchdown with Pittsburgh early last season and added another during his 10-game Giants stretch to close out the year. The team will need to rely on other options in the return game for the time being.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/5/24

September 5th, 2024 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the 2024 season kicks off, here are the day’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Cam Gill

Chicago Bears

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: OL Ryan Hayes

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed off Cardinals’ practice squad: DL Ben Stille
  • Placed on IR: DL Earnest Brown
  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Shaun Peterson, DL Lwal Uguak

Tennessee Titans

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB JoJo Domann

Washington Commanders

The Ravens drafted Ali in this year’s fifth round. He entered the week joining Derrick Henry and Justice Hill as running backs on Baltimore’s 53-man roster. Kelly has since replaced him as Baltimore’s RB3. He will now join Keaton Mitchell as being on an injured list; the latter remains on the Ravens’ reserve/PUP list, sidelining him for at least four games. This designation shelves Ali for that period as well. The Ravens could use one of their injury activations to bring Ali back to the roster at that point.

2024 Offseason In Review Series

September 4th, 2024 at 9:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are PFR’s examinations of the 32 NFL teams’ 2024 offseasons:

AFC East

AFC North

AFC South

AFC West

NFC East

NFC North

NFC South

NFC West

Contract Details: Ravens, 49ers, Sutton, Bates

September 4th, 2024 at 9:32pm CST by Ben Levine

The Ravens reworked a handful of contracts this week. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the team restructured linebacker Roquan Smith‘s contract. ESPN’s Field Yates adds that defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and kicker Justin Tucker also reworked their pacts.

Smith’s restructuring helped create $4.875MM in cap space, per Rapoport. Smith is playing on the second year of a five-year, $100MM extension he signed with the Ravens in 2023. In total, the three recent contract restructurings will total $9.3MM in savings, per Yates.

GM Eric DeCosta recently hinted that the team may be over the cap after adding a long list of practice squad players (via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic). The executive was confident the organization would quickly get cap compliant, and it sounds like the front office also managed to squeeze out some extra financial wiggle room heading into the regular season.

More cap restructurings from around the NFL…

  • Deebo Samuel provided the 49ers with some cap space the other day, with the wideout’s restructuring providing the team with a whopping $16.4MM in cap space (via Yates). Samuel is still playing on the three-year, $73.5MM extension he inked with San Francisco in 2022. Defensive tackle Maliek Collins also recently reworked his contract, saving the 49ers $5.43MM against the cap, per Yates. The team specifically converted $6.79MM of Collins’ upcoming salary into a signing bonus, adding three void years in the process (per Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac).
  • The Broncos continue to commit to wideout Courtland Sutton, at least for the entirety of the 2024 campaign. The team restructured the receiver’s contract, helping open $9.5MM in cap space, per Yates. Specifically, the team converted $11.875MM of Sutton’s $13MM salary into a bonus, per Mike Klis of 9News in Denver. The reduced financial flexibility reduces the chances of a Sutton trade during the upcoming season.
  • The Falcons opened up about $7.5MM in cap space by reworking Jessie Bates‘ contract, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. The team converted $11.25MM of his 2024 base salary into a signing bonus, increasing his 2025 ($22.25MM) and 2026 ($22.27MM) cap hits in the process.
  • The Panthers reworked a pair of contracts, according to Yates. Both offensive tackle Taylor Moton and defensive tackle Shy Tuttle helped provide the Panthers with some breathing room, as the duo’s restructurings created $10.7MM in cap room.
  • The Saints opened $3.5MM in cap space by reworking Juwan Johnson‘s deal, per Yates. The tight end inked a two-year extension with the team ahead of the 2023 campaign, with $11.5MM of his $12MM earnings guaranteed.

OL Notes: Ravens, Mekari, Dolphins, Brewer, Bengals, Brown, Giants, Neal, Patriots

September 4th, 2024 at 4:07pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

After an overhaul of their offensive line this offseason, the Ravens appear to have landed on veteran Patrick Mekari as their starting right tackle to open the 2024 season. Though Baltimore has resisted making any formal announcements about their starting OL, offensive coordinator Todd Monken pointed toward Mekari starting to open the year, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Mekari is also listed as the team’s starting RT on their official depth chart after competing with rookie Roger Rosengarten for the job throughout training camp.

The Ravens used a second-round pick on Rosengarten this year and gave him plenty of chances to win a starting gig over the summer. He frequently took reps with the first-team offense in practice and played 86 snaps at right tackle in the preseason, but that may not have been enough to overcome Mekari’s consistency over the past few seasons. A sixth-year blocker, Mekari has stepped up at both tackle positions. He started at LT when Ronnie Stanley was injured in 2022 and rotated snaps at RT as Morgan Moses played through a torn pectoral in 2023.

Mekari’s experience (36 starts) likely played a factor in the Ravens’ decision. Baltimore traded Moses to the Jets in March and also allowed veteran starting guards John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler to leave in free agency, opening up three new spots along the offensive line. With Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele stepping into starting guard roles for the first time, the Ravens appear to be opting for a known quantity in Mekari over the unproven Rosengarten.

Here’s the rest of the news from offensive lines around the NFL:

  • Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said that starting center Aaron Brewer will practice this week after recovering from a hand injury, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Miami added Brewer on a three-year, $21MM this offseason after starting at center for the Titans in 2023. His hand injury, producing a multi-week absence, has raised concerns about his snapping ability. But McDaniel seemed confident about Brewer’s readiness to start in Week 1.
  • The Bengals have landed on veteran Trent Brown to start at right tackle over first-round pick Amarius Mims, per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. Mims has struggled with a pectoral injury throughout training camp, limiting his reps with Cincinnati’s first-team offense. The 18th overall pick did not practice on Monday, but did return in a limited capacity Wednesday. As Mims gets up to full speed physically and mentally, the Bengals will look to Brown, a nine-year veteran who signed a one-year, $4.75MM deal in March. Mims was seen as a developmental prospect during the pre-draft process, so it’s not surprising that the Bengals have opted for a conservative approach with a player they see as a long-term pillar of their offensive line.
  • Brian Daboll announced that Evan Neal will remain exclusively at tackle after the Giants toyed with the idea of trying him out at guard, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “We have enough guards,” said Daboll, “He needs to continue to work at right tackle.” The No. 7 overall pick in 2022 opened the past two seasons as the team’s starting RT, but injuries limited him to just 20 games. He also struggled to transition to right tackle after spending his senior year as a left tackle at Alabama. New York signed Jermaine Eluemunor on a two-year, $14MM deal this offseason. With Neal struggling to overcome his ankle injury early in camp, the ex-Raider took over the RT job.
  • The Patriots are working through multiple injuries along their offensive line as they put together their starting five before Week 1. Left guard starter Sidy Sow and Vederian Lowe, the latter having vied for a starting tackle job after playing LT and RT in 2023, are both nursing injuries. This potentially leaves rookie Layden Robinson as the team’s top option at RG come Sunday, according to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. The fourth-round pick impressed in training camp and even earned a few first-team reps in the preseason. Third-round rookie Caedan Wallace is expected to start the year as the Patriots’ swing tackle after training at both left and right tackle this summer.

Ravens Host DL Lawrence Guy

September 2nd, 2024 at 4:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

Lawrence Guy spent the past seven seasons in New England, but he was not among the many Patriots defenders who landed a new contract this offseason. The veteran defensive lineman could find himself in place with one of his other former teams soon, though.

Guy recently visited the Ravens, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The 34-year-old played 43 games with Baltimore from 2014-16 , logging 17 starts during that stretch. Guy’s most recent Ravens deal was for two years; upon playing it out, he secured a four-year contract with the Patriots. That was followed by another four-year accord, but he was released in a cost-shedding move with one year remaining.

Guy had not taken any known visits before auditioning for the Ravens. The former seventh-rounder’s playing time in Baltimore overlapped entirely with that of Zach Orr, who is now the team’s defensive coordinator. Orr was promoted as Mike Macdonald‘s replacement this offseason, and 2024 will mark his first time as a coordinator at the college or NFL levels. Guy would represent a familiar face up front for Orr.

The Ravens carried over their entire defensive line from 2023 this offseason, a unit which will again be led by Justin Madubuike. The former third-rounder shattered his previous career highs across the board last year, earning himself the franchise tag and eventually a $24.5MM-per-year extension. Michael Pierce, Travis Jones, Broderick Washington and Brent Urban are also in place along the D-line.

Guy started all but seven of his 110 Patriots appearances, handling a steady workload along the way. The former seventh-rounder remained consistent against the run and occasionally chipped in as a pass rusher. Guy’s best season in terms of sack production (4.5) came during his first full Ravens season. A Baltimore reunion would not include expectations for a repeat of that mark, but it could allow him to log a depth role and set himself up for another free agent deal next spring.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/30/24

August 30th, 2024 at 9:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

Many teams used Friday to make further adjustments to their practice squads. Here is the full breakdown:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: DT Cory Durden
  • Released: DT Tuli Letuligasenoa

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Wolford’s seven regular season appearances to date have all come with the Rams. The 28-year-old spent last season with the Buccaneers, though, working with then-offensive coordinator Dave Canales. Canales is now the head coach in Carolina, and Wolford has followed him in a bid to earn a 53-man roster spot at some point during the season. The Panthers already had Jack Plummer on their taxi squad, but Wolford will offer Canales and Co. a more familiar option behind Bryce Young and Andy Dalton.

Ravens To Bring Back QB Tyler Huntley

August 30th, 2024 at 3:16pm CST by Adam La Rose

Shortly after being let go by the Browns, Tyler Huntley is positioned to return to his original team. The veteran quarterback is expected to re-join the Ravens, per veteran reporter Jordan Schultz.

Huntley joined Baltimore as an undrafted free agent in 2019, and he made his first regular season appearances the following season. The Utah alum ultimately earned the backup gig, and across the past four years he has totaled 21 appearances and 10 starts. Those figures include the Ravens’ wild-card loss in the 2022 playoffs as he filled in for an injured Lamar Jackson.

In 2023 – the first year of Jackson’s monster extension – the two-time MVP was able to remain healthy for a full campaign. That limited Huntley’s workload to four appearances in mop-up duty before getting the start for a Week 18 contest after the Ravens had clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The Utah product signed a one-year deal with the Browns in free agency with Baltimore electing to lean on journeyman Josh Johnson for the QB2 gig.

Cleveland also signed Jameis Winston in free agency, however, and the former No. 1 pick was retained after the team reportedly tried to find a trade partner for either he or Huntley. Roster cuts came and went without a deal being made on that front, but with the Browns also carrying Deshaun Watson and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Huntley became the odd man out on the depth chart. He will now return to Baltimore in a bid to further build his free agent stock.

The 26-year-old will join the Ravens via a practice squad deal, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic confirms. Baltimore had one open spot on the taxi squad going into Friday, and Huntley will now fill it while representing a familiar option at the position. Baltimore kept Jackson and Johnson on the active roster during cutdowns, waiving sixth-round rookie Devin Leary after he had an underwhelming preseason. Leary went unclaimed, though, and he signed to the practice squad on Wednesday.

Leary is viewed as a developmental option, and Huntley’s presence will give the Ravens another known commodity under center while he progresses. Baltimore is among the teams currently slated to be over the 2024 salary cap, but this move will no doubt be a one-year investment at a low cost. It will be interesting to see if Huntley winds up seeing any game time upon returning to his first NFL team.

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