Pernell McPhee

Latest On Ravens’ Pernell McPhee, Jimmy Smith

The Ravens roster is still taking shape and John Harbaugh isn’t sure whether two of his veteran defenders will return. When asked about the status of edge rusher Pernell McPhee and cornerback Jimmy Smith, the head coach couldn’t say whether they’d stick in Baltimore, head elsewhere, or even retire.

[RELATED: L. Jackson: “I Love My Ravens”]

I have (talked to them), but I think it’s for them to say what their plans are. I’ll leave that to them,” Harbaugh said (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic).

No matter what McPhee does, it’s likely that the Ravens will be reworking their edge group. Outside linebacker Tyus Bowser could be on his way out after a year of porous pass coverage capped by a torn Achilles. Fellow pass rusher Justin Houston is also a free agent, which means that the Ravens are likely to prioritize the position in the draft.

Smith, 34 in July, has spent his entire career in Baltimore. Since 2011, he’s suited up for 128 games with 90 starts, registering 14 interceptions, three sacks, and 374 career tackles. While he’s been a staple of the secondary, his production has clearly slipped with time. He’s also earned more than enough money to walk away, so it’s possible that he’ll move on to new endeavors this offseason.

Both players are out of contract and free to sign anywhere, but we’ve haven’t heard much about either vet in recent weeks.

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/21/21

Once again, we’ve had a busy day of moves on and off the reserve/COVID-19 list. Here are the players who were placed on the list or activated off of it today:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Dalton Keene (remains on IR)

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions:  12/20/21

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

  • Promoted: OL Jacob Capra

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Washington Football Team

  • Promoted: OT Sam Cosmi

Pernell McPhee Underwent Knee Surgery

Placed on IR last weekend, Pernell McPhee will be sidelined for at least two more Ravens games. But the team did not shut him down merely for rest purposes. McPhee is recovering from knee surgery, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes (subscription required).

McPhee’s latest knee operation was arthroscopic in nature, giving him a chance to return later this season. The Ravens are indeed hoping they will have him back at some point in December, Zrebiec adds.

Knee procedures are not uncommon for the 11-year veteran. Over the course of his career, McPhee has seen both knees go under the knife for injuries in different years. Before this most recent procedure, he had last seen his knee worked on just before the start of the 2017 season in what was described as a cleanup surgery.

The Ravens re-signed McPhee to a one-year deal just before the start of the season, following a 2020 slate in which he started 13 games and was third on the team with three sacks. The 11th-year veteran returned to the team that drafted him in 2019 after injury-riddled stints in Chicago and Washington.

McPhee’s 2021 campaign has been somewhat quiet. He has tallied just one sack and 14 tackles in nine games this year. But the rotational rusher stands to have a chance to contribute more to the Ravens’ latest playoff push.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/20/21

We’ll keep track of today’s stream of minor moves right here:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Promoted: CB Gavin Heslop

Tennessee Titans

Ravens Re-Sign OLB Pernell McPhee

In moving their roster to 53 players, the Ravens released a few vested veterans Tuesday. One of them will rejoin the team. The Ravens re-signed Pernell McPhee on Thursday.

The Ravens moving McPhee off their roster allowed them to avoid losing a non-vested veteran on the waiver wire, and after some Wednesday roster moves, the team will have the veteran pass rusher back. The Ravens placed both Miles Boykin and Rashod Bateman on IR, sidelining them until at least Week 4 but clearing two roster spots.

Baltimore re-signed McPhee this offseason, extending this lengthy partnership. A 2011 Ravens draftee, McPhee played four seasons in Baltimore and circled back to Maryland in 2019. He has played the past two seasons there. McPhee has recorded three sacks in each of the past two seasons in Don Martindale‘s 3-4 scheme. The 32-year-old defender started 13 games in 2020 but re-signed for barely the league minimum this year.

After letting more high-profile edge rushers walk in free agency, with Matt Judon signing with the Patriots and Yannick Ngakoue joining the Raiders, the Ravens prioritized keeping McPhee on the low-cost deal. He and Tyus Bowser re-signed this year, and they will team with new arrivals Justin Houston and first-round pick Odafe Oweh among Baltimore’s edge-rushing contingent this season.

Ravens Reduce Roster To 53

The Ravens cut down their roster to 53 players today, with the team making the following transactions:

Released

Waived/Injured

Placed on Reserve/NFI

The team also announced a handful of previously reported transactions, which you can find here.

Obviously Pernell and Levine are the two major names on this list, but there’s a chance the veterans land back in Baltimore once the team places a handful of players on IR.

Pernell spent the past two seasons in Baltimore, starting 20 of his 22 appearances. In those 22 games, the 32-year-old collected 53 tackles and six sacks. The veteran also started his career with the Ravens before bouncing between the Bears and Washington. Levine, meanwhile, isn’t a stranger to bouncing on and off the Ravens roster, but he’s still managed to miss only one regular season game for the organization since 2013. That missed game actually came in 2020, when the special teams ace finished with only seven tackles.

Ravens Re-Sign Pernell McPhee

The Ravens have re-signed outside linebacker Pernell McPhee (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Exact terms of the deal are not yet known. 

[RELATED: Ravens Restructure Marcus Peters’ Deal]

It’s likely another low-cost, short-term contract for the veteran. McPhee, 32, was one of several Ravens edge rushers due for free agency, along with Matthew Judon, Yannick Ngakoue, Jihad Ward, and Tyus Bowser. Judon and Ngakoue may be the biggest names of the group, but McPhee has been one of the club’s locker room leaders and will ensure at least some consistency heading into 2021.

McPhee appeared in 15 games with 13 starts last season. He notched 34 tackles with three sacks and wound up as the team’s best outside linebacker in 2020, per Pro Football Focus. For his career, McPhee has 246 tackles and 37 sacks to his credit, including time with the Bears and the Washington Football Team.

 

Ravens To Let Judon, Ngakoue Walk?

After featuring two franchise-tagged edge defenders last season, the Ravens’ pass rush may be in for considerable change in 2021. A sizable chunk of their outside linebacker contributors from 2020 are free agents, and the top two may be set for free agency for the first time.

The Ravens retained Matt Judon via the franchise tag last year and traded for Yannick Ngakoue, who received the tag from the Jaguars before being shipped to the Vikings. Baltimore may let both free agents go, with Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com noting the team is expected to part ways with Ngakoue and will not re-sign Judon.

This would be quite the shakeup for the Ravens, but sticking to a price point with edge rushers is not out of character for the team. Baltimore let Paul Kruger, Pernell McPhee and Za’Darius Smith walk in recent years and said goodbye to Terrell Suggs in 2019 as well. The team also did not match the Jets’ market-resetting offer for off-ball ‘backer C.J. Mosley two years ago.

It would cost the Ravens just more than $20MM to franchise Judon for a second time. Judon said earlier this year a Ravens return would need to line up perfectly, and the longtime Baltimore contributor looks set to be a first-time free agent. It will come at a key point, with the ex-Division II standout set to turn 29 this year. Judon has been a key Ravens rusher over the past four seasons. He made the Pro Bowl in each of the past two. Although the former fifth-round pick does not have a 10-sack season on his resume, he posted 33 QB hits in 2019.

Ngakoue moving on would be less surprising. He recorded three regular-season sacks as a Raven but played sparingly in the team’s two playoff games. This will be the former third-round pick’s first go-round in free agency. The former Jaguars standout will only turn 26 this year.

McPhee has since returned to the Ravens, agreeing to two one-year pacts after each of the past two drafts. The 10-year veteran would like to stay in Baltimore, and Hensley views that scenario as realistic. Tyus Bowser may also be in play to return on a low-cost deal. Derek Wolfe is also a free agent, but the longtime Broncos defensive lineman also wants to re-sign with the Ravens. The team would like the 30-year-old defender back as well, Hensley adds. Still, Judon and Ngakoue departing would create a major need for the team going into free agency.

Pernell McPhee Wants To Stay With Ravens

Pernell McPhee wants to extend the latest chapter of his career. After leaving Baltimore as a big-ticket free agent signing several years ago, the veteran pass rusher has resurfaced with his original NFL team as a rotational player. He would like to continue to do so.

The Ravens have nearly their entire edge rusher contingent due for free agency. McPhee joins higher-profile cogs Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue as a free agent-to-be, with Tyus Bowser also on track to hit the market come March.

Of course, the plan is to come back to Baltimore and continue to play some ball, help win a championship and build a dynasty,” McPhee said, via Clifton Brown of BaltimoreRavens.com. “That’s the goal. Myself and my agent haven’t really talked about it yet. I’ve been chilling, taking care of my body. I’ll think about things, but my thought is really just on coming back.”

After battling injuries with the Bears, McPhee returned to the Ravens in 2019. He re-signed on another one-year deal last year. Both accords occurred after those years’ respective drafts. This past season, McPhee served as a starter alongside Judon and matched Ngakoue’s Ravens total with three sacks. McPhee, 32, has recorded three sacks in back-to-back seasons. Last year, however, he posted 15 quarterback hits — his top mark since 2015. He also outsnapped Ngakoue in Baltimore’s divisional-round game.

The 10-year veteran could be a lower-cost option for the Ravens to retain. It would cost just more than $20MM for the team to use its franchise tag on Judon for a second straight year, and Ngakoue figures to have a big market as a first-time free agent. Considering their situation, McPhee’s desire to return might be something to capitalize on as the franchise attempts to craft a new pass-rushing plan.