Ravens Place Rick Wagner On IR
The Ravens announced that they have placed tackle Rick Wagner on injured reserve, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets. To fill his spot, Baltimore moved defensive end Steven Means up to the 53-man roster to fill the open space. In related moves, the Ravens also waived defensive end Zach Thompson from the practice squad and signed a pair of offensive linemen in tackle Nate Menkin and guard J.J. Unga.
Wagner, 25, is in his second season and his first as a starter. He has been stellar this season, grading out as the best pass-blocking right tackle in the league according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Overall, he ranks as the second-best right tackle in the NFL behind Sebastian Vollmer of the Patriots. In his absence, the Ravens will either start reserve undrafted rookie James Hurst or shuffle the offensive line against the Browns, according to Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com. Baltimore could also move right guard Marshal Yanda to right tackle and insert rookie John Urschel in Yanda’s spot. Wagner is the 18th player the Ravens have placed on IR this season.
Thompson, 23, joined Baltimore’s taxi squad just last week. Unga was with the Ravens during training camp.
Bills Release 11 Players, Roster Sits At 75
The Bills have reduced their roster to the required 75-man limit in advance of tomorrow’s 3pm deadline. The following players were released, per a press release:
- Derek Brim, S
- Dennis Dixon, QB
- Jake Dombrowski, P
- Tori Gurley, WR
- Jajuan Harley, S
- Dustin Hopkins, K
- Damien Jacobs, DT
- Macky MacPherson, C
- Chris Summers, WR
- J.J. Unga, G
- Ronnie Wingo, RB
As Mike Rodak of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter), the release of Dombrowski indicates that 38-year-old Brian Moorman has won the punting job in Buffalo. Dixon is an ex-fifth-rounder who has spent six years in the NFL.
AFC East Notes: Unga, McCourty, Jets
The Bills will be the first team to open training camp in 2014, with a 6pm practice this evening. And, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets, every team in the league will be in camp by this time next week. As the anticipation continues to build, let’s take a look at some Bills notes and swing around the rest of AFC East on this Sunday morning:
- Mike Rodak of ESPN.com wonders if the recently-signed Stevenson Sylvester can crack the Bills‘ roster. Rodak pegs Sylvester’s chances at 40%, writing that Sylvester’s best chance to make the club is as a contributor on special teams.
- Rodak also tweets that the Bills have removed guard J.J. Unga from the active/non-football injury list, but Marcell Dareus remains on that list.
- Rock star Jon Bon Jovi has been confirmed as a partner in a Toronto-based group interested in buying the Bills, writes Tom Precious of The Buffalo News.
- Mike Reiss of ESPN.com says a contract extension between the Patriots and Devin McCourty is not imminent at this time.
- Tom E. Curran of CSNNewEngland pegs Danny Amendola as the Patriots‘ top breakout candidate (as he is every year).
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com breaks down the Jets‘ current linebacker corps.
- Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News looks at five issues facing the Jets as training camp approaches, including whether the secondary can hold up and what newly-signed running back Chris Johnson has left in the tank.
- Adam H. Beasley of The Miami Herald writes that a renovation of Sun Life Stadium and a more aggressive sales force are helping the Dolphins regain their share of the local market.
AFC Notes: Bills, Patriots, Broncos, Texans
Let’s see what’s going on around the AFC on this Saturday evening…
- The Bills have activated cornerback Leodis McKelvin from the physically unable to perform list, the team announced today. The former first-round pick was recovering from offseason hip surgery. The team also placed defensive lineman Marcell Dareus and offensive lineman J.J. Unga on the active/non-football injury list.
- Rob Gronkowski is expecting to be ready for the Patriots season opener, telling ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss that he hopes to play all 16 games. “I’m planning on playing the whole season this year,” he said. “I just want to play football. I love playing the game.”
- Mike Klis of The Denver Post could envision the Broncos adding a veteran running back. The writer isn’t concerned about Montee Ball, but he is skeptical of backups Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson.
- Arian Foster‘s “future with the Texans and career arc are on the line in 2014,” writes the Houston Chronicle’s Brian T. Smith.