Patrick Ricard

Bills Place K Tyler Bass On IR

The Bills have placed veteran kicker Tyler Bass on injured reserve, per a team announcement.

Bass was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice due to a hip/groin issue that will now sideline him for at least four games, including Sunday night’s matchup with the Ravens. Though he has yet to finish a season with a conversion rate above 90%, Bass has been a reliable kicker for his five-year career in Buffalo and hit a career-long 61-yard field goal in 2024.

After Bass went down on Wednesday, the Bills quickly moved to sign Matt Prater to the practice squad as an injury replacement on Thursday. The former Broncos, Cardinals, and Lions kicker missed most of the 2024 season due to a torn meniscus; before that, he made 83.6% of his career field goal attempts, so Buffalo should be able to trust him while Bass is recovering. The Bills can only elevate Prater from the practice squad three times, so they will need to sign him to the active roster if he is going to replace Bass in all four games (and potentially more).

The Bills are also likely to be without veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White on Sunday. He did not practice all week due to a groin injury and is listed as doubtful on the injury report.

The Ravens also ruled out a few key players for Sunday Night Football: fullback Patrick Ricard and tight end Isaiah Likely. Likely is an expected absence as he recovers from preseason foot surgery, while Ricard has missed multiple weeks of practice with a calf injury. Cornerback Jaire Alexander, however, is off the injury report and expected to make his debut in purple and black.

Latest On Ravens’ Recovery Outlooks

September 3: Likely is not expected to play in Baltimore’s regular-season opener against the Bills on Sunday night, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He avoided landing on the IR to start the season, raising hopes that he would be available early in the season. However, his 2025 debut will not come in Week 1, but his recovery is proceeding smoothly.

Cornerback Jaire Alexander is practicing for the first time since August 9 as he dealt with a knee issue, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. However, fullback Patrick Ricard has been absent since August 14 and seems “highly questionable” to play in Buffalo, per Zrebiec.

August 30: The Ravens have worked to improve how they’re taking care of their players in the offseason and training camp ever since the 2021 season saw them lose Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, Lamar Jackson, and even their mascot, Poe, to season-ending injuries. They aren’t immune to preseason injuries, though, and a few updates have come through on the injuries Baltimore is dealing with.

Early in the preseason, the Ravens saw rookie sixth-round cornerback Bilhal Kone go down with a season-ending knee injury. At this point, Kone’s now undergone full repairs on the torn ACL and MCL, as well as the lateral meniscus damage. His recovery timeline, per Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, is set to be around 10-12 months. It will be a tough road back for the rookie out of Western Michigan, but barring any setbacks, he should be able to make his NFL debut in 2026.

A player with a much shorter recovery timeline, tight end Isaiah Likely is expected to be back “at some point in the early part of the season,” per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Likely needed surgery for a broken bone in his foot at the beginning of the month. Many expected that he may end up on injured reserve with a designation to return, but the Ravens kept him on the active roster, meaning that they don’t expect Likely to miss the first four weeks of the season.

Zrebiec also gave an update on rookie third-round offensive tackle Emery Jones. He’s starting the season on the reserve/non-football injury list as he recovers from surgery a week after the combine for a shoulder injury that Baltimore knew all about when they drafted him. They’ll allow some time for him to get back in shape once healthy, so there’s no rush, but it sounds like they do expect him to get on the field as a rookie at some point.

Ravens Not Done With Extension Talks; Lamar Jackson, Others On Deck

The Ravens have been busy throughout the offseason getting ahead of future contract decisions by extending key players. While Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley was in danger of testing the free agent market when he signed his new deal, other players the team extended this offseason — All-Pro running back Derrick Henry, wide receiver Rashod Bateman, and most recently, All Pro safety Kyle Hamilton — all had one or two years left on their contracts when they signed. Even with all they’ve done so far, the team sees work to be done, and it may begin with their MVP.

All Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson is about to enter the third year of a five-year, $260MM contract. At one point a deal that made Jackson the highest-paid player in NFL history, the contract’s annual average value ($52MM) currently ranks 10th in the league and is beginning to be encroached upon by non-quarterbacks; Micah Parsons‘ new deal is worth $46.5MM per year, which is good for the 12th-highest such average in the NFL. It was reported in March that the Ravens were looking to put together a new deal for their star passer, and by June, talks were already underway.

According to general manager Eric DeCosta, Baltimore isn’t resting on its laurels as extension conversations with Jackson have been “ongoing.” DeCosta declined to go into detail on the situation, confirming with reporters that discussions with his quarterback would remain private.

“I like to work kind of in the dark, quietly, and try to get as much done as we can,” DeCosta told the media (via Ravens staff writer Clifton Brown). “We’ve got a lot of different things going on. We’ve got a lot of really good players; we’ve got players that deserve to be paid well, and we’re trying to keep those guys. Knowing that, as I’ve said 1,000 times, you can’t keep everybody.”

There are plenty of players for Baltimore to target with new contracts. The focus, so far, has been on players with time remaining on their current deals, but center Tyler Linderbaum, defensive tackle Travis Jones, fullback Patrick Ricard, edge rushers Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, and all three tight ends — Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, and Charlie Kolar — are set to play on contract years.

DeCosta is certainly correct, they can’t keep everybody, but they definitely can’t keep everybody if they allow Jackson to play on a contract that holds a $74.5MM cap hit in 2026, nearly a quarter of the team’s salary cap space for that season. We’ve already discussed in detail how an extension for Jackson may look and how the Bills may have given them the formula for success. Regardless of the details, figuring out what Jackson’s financial future looks like should factor in to how many pending free agents the Ravens can afford to try to retain.

AFC North Contract Details: Slaton, Ricard, Bush, Harrison

Here is a list of some of the released contract details concerning some free agent signings from the AFC North:

  • Patrick Ricard, FB (Ravens): One year, $2.87MM. Because of the new CBA’s four-year qualifying options, players who have been with the same team for four or more consecutive seasons can earn more than they count against the salary cap. As a result, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, Ricard will only count for $1.42MM against the cap. The deal includes $167.5K in guarantees in the form of a signing bonus.
  • Tylan Wallace, WR (Ravens): One year, $2.1MM. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Wallace’s new deal will have $1.35MM guaranteed including a $930K signing bonus. Additional void years from 2026 to 2029 will spread his cap hit out over time.
  • T.J. Slaton, DT (Bengals): Two years, $14.1MM. Per Wilson, Slaton’s contract has $5MM of guarantees. The $5MM of guarantees comes in the form of a 2025 league year roster bonus. Slaton can also earn an active roster bonus of $20K per game and a playtime incentive that could pay out an additional $500K for the year.
  • Cody Ford, G (Bengals): Two years, $6MM. Per Wilson, Ford’s deal has $1MM of guarantees in the form of a signing bonus. He can also earn an active roster bonus of $29.41K per game and an additional $500K for playing 75 percent of the team’s offensive snaps each year.
  • Marco Wilson, CB (Bengals): One year, $1.52MM. Per Aaron Wilson, Marco Wilson’s guaranteed money comes in the form of a $150K signing bonus. He’ll also be able to earn an active roster bonus of $5.88K per game.
  • Devin Bush, LB (Browns): One year, $3.25MM. Per Wilson, Bush’s contract includes $2.97MM in guarantees that are comprised of a $1.8MM signing bonus and the entirety of his $1.17MM base salary. Bush can earn an active roster bonus of $15K per game and an additional $250K through incentives. The team added four void years to the deal in order to space out his cap impact.
  • Malik Harrison, LB (Steelers): Two years, $10MM. Per Wilson, Harrison’s contract includes $4.08MM in guarantees in the form of a signing bonus.

Ravens Re-Sign FB Patrick Ricard

Patrick Ricard‘s Baltimore tenure will continue in 2025. The Pro Bowl fullback has a new deal in place with the Ravens, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.

This will be a one-year pact, Russini notes. It is guaranteed in full, though. Ricard has been with the team his entire eight-year career, and he is set to remain a key figure on the team’s offense. The team has since confirmed the news.

After entering the league as an undrafted free agent, Ricard initially saw time as a defensive tackle in addition to his usage as a fullback. After splitting his reps between the two positions for a period, the Maine product turned his attention to full-time offensive duties. He has operated solely as a fullback since 2020, earning a total of five Pro Bowl nods for his work in that capacity during his career.

Ricard has added a pair of All-Pro honors to his resume, including a first-team nod in 2024. The 30-year-old has never topped 90 scrimmage yards in a season, and he has caught only seven total touchdown passes. Ricard has remained a central blocking figure in Baltimore’s run game, however, including the past two years (with offensive coordinator Todd Monken at the helm).

During Greg Roman‘s OC tenure, Ricard’s offensive snap share rose as high as 64%. That figure has fallen to 39% for each of the past two years as a reflection of the changes brought about by Monken’s arrival. The latter signed a new deal last month, so Ricard faced questions about his future not only as a pending free agent but as candidate to be phased out of the offense to an even larger extent. For at least one more season, though, he will remain in place.

Ricard landed a two-year deal in 2019, then inked a three-year pact in 2022. Between those two deals, he earned a total of $9.8MM in guarantees. It will be interesting to see how the finances of this one-year contract compare since it fully consists of locked-in compensation.

Ravens Notes: Johnson, Santucci, Ricard, Rosengarten, Jackson

Part of the Ravens’ calculus in acquiring Diontae Johnson at last year’s trade deadline (and reclaiming him off waivers after the regular season) was the potential to recoup a compensatory pick for him when he left in free agency.

However, Johnson’s lack of production and locker room issues in both Baltimore and Houston is expected to scuttle any chance of him getting a contract that would qualify for the compensatory formula. Instead, Johnson will likely sign a one-year deal for the veteran minimum that could earn him more money with incentives, per Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline.

His 51.0 yards per game in Carolina had him on pace for a sizable payday in free agency that would have likely netted his former team a compensatory pick, but his struggles with the Ravens and the Texans cratered his value. He only made three catches for 18 yards across five games and expressed frustration with his minimal role with both teams. As a consistent (albeit target-dependent) wideout over the course of his career, Johnson will likely have a chance to rebuild his value next season.

  • After moving on from inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone last week, the Ravens have tapped Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci as his replacement on Zach Orr‘s staff, per a team announcement. The 36-year-old Santucci was previously the defensive coordinator at Duke and received NFL interest in the past, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Ravens will be hoping that Santucci can develop 2023 third-rounder Trenton Simpson after his disappointing 2024 season.
  • Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said that the team hopes to re-sign All-Pro fullback Patrick Ricard, who is set to hit free agency in March, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec. Ricard has expressed his desire to stay in Baltimore, per Ravens team reporters Ryan Mink and Matt Ryan. “I want to stay here,” said Ricard after the Ravens’ season ended. “I want to be here. I want to retire here. We’ll see what happens when the time comes.” Ricard had a bigger role under Greg Roman compared to recently-extended Ravens OC Todd Monken, but still maintained a 39% snap share over the last two seasons as part of Baltimore’s league-best rushing offense. Few teams use a fullback at the same rate, so Ricard may not see a robust market if he enters free agency, further incentivizing a return to the Ravens.
  • Baltimore has just under $6MM in cap space entering the offseason, per OverTheCap, so they will need to create space to retain Ricard and other key free agents like Ronnie Stanley. The Ravens could look to restructure Lamar Jackson‘s deal, per Zrebiec, which could create up to $15.8MM in cap space. That would further backload Jackson’s deal, which is already set to have cap hits of $74.65MM in 2026 and 2027.
  • If the Ravens can’t re-sign Stanley, they may consider moving Roger Rosengarten to left tackle, according to Zrebiec. The 2024 second-round pick started most of his rookie year at right tackle. He played the same position at the University of Washington, where he was entrusted to protect left-handed Michael Penix‘s blindside.

Ravens Rumors: Jackson, Ricard, Mullen, Worley

It’s safe to say the Ravens are doing everything in their power to keep star quarterback Lamar Jackson happy. It all started with the massive contract extension to keep him off the market and keep him in Baltimore. Making Jackson the NFL’s highest-paid player in annual average value (at the time) was only Step One.

While they were working on his contract, the team also did their best to revamp his weapons cabinet. They utilized their top draft pick on Boston College wideout Zay Flowers. They also brought in a few veteran free agents like Nelson Agholor and Odell Beckham Jr. to supplement Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, and company.

Soon after securing their quarterback of the future, the Ravens went to work getting him acquainted with new offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Monken immediately advocated for empowering his quarterback, opting to abandon the huddle-first offense of Jackson’s past in favor of an attack that allows Jackson to audible and make adjustments at the line of scrimmage.

Now Monken has taken that empowerment a step further, allowing Jackson input into the offense’s playbook design, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. Apparently, Jackson was browsing social media when he stumbled across some routes that piqued his interest. He sent them to his position coach, Tee Martin, and Martin forwarded them to Monken. Monken agreed with Jackson’s assessment and added them to the playbook.

Big money. New targets. New play-caller who values Jackson’s input. If Jackson had any doubts that the Ravens were dedicated to setting him up for success, he can probably put those doubts to rest.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of Charm City:

  • After experimenting a bit at his fourth NFL position, Ravens four-time Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard was back to his normal position this week at practice, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. The fullback/tight end hybrid had put in triple-duty in his first two NFL seasons, playing on the defensive line, as well. Lately, after his return from the physically unable to perform list, Baltimore has had Ricard working on the offensive line, potentially setting him up to compete for the open left guard spot. While Project Pat’s latest project wasn’t exactly a failure, he told head coach John Harbaugh that it was perhaps a project “for next year.” For now, Ricard was happy to be back in the role he’s comfortable with, a role he’s seen consistent success in.
  • Ravens cornerback Trayvon Mullen was all over the Ravens transaction reports in July. He was released after failing to disclose a non-football injury before eventually being brought back and assigned to the reserve/NFI list. While Baltimore clearly sees something in the young Clemson alum, it seems they won’t be seeing it this year. According to Hensley, Mullen underwent toe surgery and could potentially miss the entire season in recovery. This adds to the litany of cornerback injuries the Ravens are currently dealing with. Marlon Humphrey is expected to miss the start of the season, while Rock Ya-Sin, Jalyn Armour-Davis, Damarion Williams, and Arthur Maulet have all been dealing with preseason injuries. The team signed Ronald Darby to address the festering wound, but Darby is coming back from a major injury himself after his 2022 season ended early with a torn ACL.
  • As if Baltimore’s cornerbacks situation wasn’t bad enough, backup corner Daryl Worley informed Zrebiec this week that he’s been moved full-time to safety now. Worley claims that he hasn’t taken reps at cornerback at all this summer. Worley follows Brandon Stephens who also recently made the move back to his drafted position this offseason. This may be a testament to how confident the Ravens are in their young group of corners and new veterans to step up this year, but if things get much worse for the Ravens secondary, Worley and Stephens may find themselves bumping back out to cornerback, something Worley says he’s capable of doing if necessary.

Latest On Ravens’ Patrick Ricard, LG Competition

The return of Patrick Ricard to Ravens training camp earlier this week brought about a notable development. The four-time Pro Bowl fullback was used in a different capacity, one which could signal another position change for him.

Ricard worked as an offensive lineman after being activated from the PUP list, as noted by ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. That represents an interesting development given Ricard’s successful background as a fullback, where he has received a Pro Bowl invitation every year since 2019. That campaign saw the former college defensive tackle serve in a hybrid role, as he logged 342 snaps on offense and 140 on defense.

Since that point, Ricard has been used exclusively as a fullback, a position which held more value under previous offensive coordinator Greg Roman than it is expected to with Todd Monken now at the helm. A shift toward a more pass-oriented scheme led to some questions about Ricard’s roster security, but they have been put to rest. Trying the 29-year-old along the O-line is currently just in the experimental stage, though.

“We’re looking at that,” head coach John Harbaugh said via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic when speaking about the potential position switch (subscription required). “It’s just a multitude role kind of thing. Pat’s quite an athlete. He can do a lot of different things, and maybe we expand his role just a little bit for a little bit of time here and see how he does.”

Ricard could serve in a depth role along the offensive line if needed, but that unit is also the location of an ongoing positional battle. The left guard spot has been up for grabs since Ben Powers signed with the Broncos, and the Ravens have auditioned a number of replacement candidates. 2021 third-rounder Ben Cleveland appeared to be the top fill-in option at one point, but that is no longer the case.

Sixth-round rookie Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu (who has experience as a guard and tackle dating back to his time at Oregon) is currently the frontrunner to win the job, per Hensley. Zrebiec adds that former Raider John Simpson is the other contender for the starting role, and that he recently rotated into the first-team during practice. It will be interesting to see how that competition shakes out over the coming weeks, along with how Ricard is deployed in practice and preseason games.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/7/23

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: OL LaColby Tucker
  • Activated from active/PUP list: DL Calais Campbell
  • Waived: DL Matthew Gotel

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Placed on IR: DT Devonnsha Maxwell

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Waived: OL Trevor Reid

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: LB Jordan Ferguson

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Streveler is currently dealing with an injury, ESPN’s Dianna Russini tweets. The Jets used Streveler as their top backup QB to close last season, inserting him into a Week 16 game ahead of Joe Flacco. Streveler stuck around via reserve/futures contract in January. But the Jets have since traded for Aaron Rodgers and signed Tim Boyle, marking a new era at quarterback. With Zach Wilson still around, the team does not appear to have any room — potentially even on the practice squad — for Streveler, who has played for the Jets and Cardinals in a three-year NFL career.

Apke has been with Washington since being chosen in the 2018 fourth round. He re-signed with the team in 2022 and stayed via reserve/futures contract in January. A shoulder injury, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, will move Apke to IR, which will end his chances of playing a sixth season with the Commanders this year. Kalu started five games for the Titans last season, playing 494 defensive snaps. Over his first three seasons, Kalu had never cleared the 100-snap barrier on defense.

Schoonmaker suffered a foot injury, a plantar fascia tear, during his final year at Michigan. The Cowboys’ top post-Dalton Schultz tight end investment will aim to make a push for a regular role to begin the season.

The Dolphins made Blackman part of their UDFA class this year. The former Florida State starter spent six years in college, finishing up with Arkansas State. The Dolphins swapped out Teddy Bridgewater for Mike White this offseason, but Skylar Thompson has made a push to be Tua Tagovailoa‘s backup. Regardless of that competition’s outcome, Blackman’s ceiling appeared to be practice squad QB in Miami. But the Dolphins may be looking into outside help for that developmental role — provided the team plans on stashing a fourth passer on its taxi squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/21/23

Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league as teams prepare their rosters for training camp:

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

 

There are some big names in Baltimore that won’t be healthy to open camp. Two offensive youngsters who can’t seem to stay on the field, Dobbins and Bateman, continue to struggle to get healthy. Bateman sat out most of the spring after receiving a cortisone shot in hopes it would help get him back in time for camp. While he didn’t report, general manager Eric DeCosta expects him back soon, according to the team’s editorial director Ryan Mink. Dobbins has started thinking about his second contract this summer, and getting healthy will be key to gaining any leverage in negotiations. Ricard is no surprise, as head coach John Harbaugh predicted this placement a month ago. Bowser, though, experienced an unexpected flare up in his knee this spring after missing eight games last season.

In Cleveland, Goodwin experienced a medical scare recently when discomfort in his legs and shortness of breath turned out to be blood clots in his legs and lungs, according to James Palmer of NFL Network. He will miss the start of training camp as the clots are addressed.

In Denver, a kicking competition appears to be in the cards. The team held a workout for Maher, Elliott Fry, and Parker White back in May and ended up signing Fry. Now, with Maher joining the team, and the exit of Brandon McManus, the position battle between Maher and Fry will continue.

In Wisconsin, Gary and Stokes each ended their season after Week 9 of last year due to long-term injuries. Both will continue slowly working their way back in order to play big roles on defense.

In Vegas, Wilson, this year’s seventh overall pick, will have to be patient in finding his way to the field for his rookie year. He was expected to be cleared for training camp after ending his college career with a Lisfranc injury, but he’ll have to wait just a bit longer. The Raiders are counting on him to relieve some of the defensive responsibilities of Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby.