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Brent Urban

Titans Cut DE Brent Urban

October 19th, 2019 at 9:25am CST by Ben Levine

Brent Urban‘s tenure with the Titans has already come to an end. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Tennessee has cut the veteran defensive end.

The 28-year-old joined the Titans this past offseason after having spent the first five seasons of his career with the Ravens. However, Urban struggled to establish a role with his new team, and he ended up appearing in only four of the Titans’ six games this season. The defensive lineman hasn’t compiled any stats in 2019.

While Urban didn’t work out in Tennessee, he’s not far removed from some productive seasons in Baltimore. He actually had one of the best seasons of his career in 2018, compiling 27 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and two passes defended. Considering his special teams prowess, this probably isn’t the last we’ve heard of Urban.

Considering Urban’s limited role on defense, this move won’t have a major impact on the Titans’ depth chart. The organization could look to promote rookie defensive end Amani Bledsoe from the practice squad to take the open roster spot, although that’s just my speculation. They could also turn to practice squad linebackers Jamal Davis II or Derick Roberson. Today’s move could also be an indication that first-rounder Jeffery Simmons is ready to make his NFL debut.

Titans To Sign DL Brent Urban

April 26th, 2019 at 3:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans have agreed to sign Brent Urban, according to a team announcement. It’s a one-year deal, tweets Paul Kuharksy. The deal comes roughly ten days after Urban first visited with the team. Better late than never, as they say.

The Titans are clearly committed to boosting the defensive line after drafting defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons in the first round and adding Urban. At 6’7 and 300 pounds, Urban gives the Titans size and experience up front.

Last year, Urban started 16 games for the Ravens and finished with 27 tackles and a half sack. Across four pro seasons, he has appeared in 41 games with 52 tackles in total. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but he did grade out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 49 ranked interior defender in 2018 thanks to his solid run defense.

Titans To Meet With DE Brent Urban

April 16th, 2019 at 9:31am CST by Zachary Links

Ravens free agent defensive lineman Brent Urban will visit the Titans on Tuesday, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Urban missed the bulk of the 2017 season thanks to a Lisfranc injury, but he bounced back in 2018 and started in all 16 of Baltimore’s games.

Urban’s 0.5 sacks and 27 tackles didn’t jump off the page in 2018, but he did grade out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 49 ranked interior defender thanks to his solid run defense. The incumbent Ravens haven’t closed the door to bringing him back, but we haven’t heard much on that front since Eric DeCosta spoke on the matter late last month.

“Right player, right price,” DeCosta said of Urban. “The market is a fluid process, and we’re going to try and build the best def. we can. I certainly think Brent is a good player. I’m surprised that he hasn’t signed with another team.”

If Urban does not return to Baltimore, he’ll be the fifth defensive starter to leave the club, following safety Eric Weddle and linebackers C.J. Mosley, Za’Darius Smith, and Terrell Suggs out the door.

Contract Details: Ravens, Redskins, Saints

March 9th, 2018 at 9:37am CST by Zachary Links

Some financial details on contracts signed in recent days:

  • Safety Deshazor Everett‘s contract with the Redskins is for two years and $2.6MM with a $250K signing bonus that represents the only guaranteed portion of the deal, according to ESPN.com’s John Keim (on Twitter). Evertt can void the 2019 season if he plays 85% of the defensive snaps or intercepts five passes in 2018. He can also receive up to $125K in roster bonuses each season. He’ll carry cap hits of $1.1MM this season and $1.475MM in 2019.
  • Defensive end Brent Urban, who was re-signed by the Ravens earlier this week, will have a base salary of $1MM with some incentives on his one-year deal, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. Urban missed the bulk of the 2017 season thanks to a Lisfranc injury, so he was facing a not-so-great market on Wednesday.
  • George Johnson’s one-year deal with the Saints has a modest base of $915K base with a $483K split, according to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter). Johnson will carry a minimum salary benefit cap number of $720K.

Ravens Re-Sign DE Brent Urban

March 6th, 2018 at 1:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens are keeping at least one of their free agents. On Tuesday afternoon, the Ravens announced a new one-year deal for defensive end Brent Urban. 

Urban was slated to start in 2017, but a Lisfranc injury shut him down after just three games. Injuries, of course, were a common theme for Baltimore in 2017. At the time, Urban became the 17th Ravens player to hit the injured reserve list. The injuries continued to pile up from there, but the Ravens still nearly made the playoffs and finished out with a 9-7 record.

The Ravens have other free agents to address in the coming days, including wide receiver Mike Wallace, tight end Benjamin Watson, and running back Terrance West. Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome has indicated that the team will shake up its WR group, which may not bode well for Wallace’s future in Baltimore.

Ravens’ Brent Urban Suffers Lisfranc Injury

September 25th, 2017 at 3:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Ravens defensive end Brent Urban has a Lisfranc injury that will require surgery. Coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Wednesday that it is definitely a season-ender, meaning that he will not return from injured reserve. Brent Urban (vertical)

Urban will now become the 17th Ravens player to go on IR this year. The Ravens managed to start the year 2-0 despite their bad luck, but things caught up to them on Sunday when they lost to the Jaguars in a 44-7 rout. Next up for the Ravens will be a tough matchup with the rival Steelers on Sunday.

This isn’t Urban’s first rodeo when it comes to major injuries. He missed his entire rookie campaign with a torn ACL and a torn bicep limited him to just six games in his sophomore season. The 26-year-old has three sacks and 25 total tackles to his credit across three seasons.

Extra Points: Saints, Fins, Cowboys, Ravens

July 21st, 2017 at 8:02pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints have too many linebackers and not enough spots, which could lead to the ouster of either Manti Te’o or Stephone Anthony, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Te’o hasn’t even played a down yet for the Saints, who signed him in May, but his two-year, $5MM deal includes just $600K in guarantees. With that in mind, the former Charger will be easy to jettison if he doesn’t impress Saints coaches in the coming weeks. Anthony’s contract, on the other hand, isn’t so team friendly. Cutting him wouldn’t save the Saints any money this year, yet it would leave them with $2.1MM-plus in dead money. While the 24-year-old was a first-round pick of the Saints not long ago, in 2015, he’s coming off a subpar second season that ended after 10 games on account of a knee injury.

More from around the NFL:

  • As of late June, the expectation was that Dolphins center Mike Pouncey would be ready for Week 1. That remains the case, it seems, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports that Pouncey hasn’t had any setbacks during his recovery from the hip injury that kept him out of 11 games last year. As a result, both Pouncey and the Dolphins are “confident” a forthcoming hip exam will yield positive results. Still, for precautionary reasons, the Dolphins will limit Pouncey in practice throughout the year in hopes of having him for all 16 regular-season games (and potential playoff contests), relays Salguero.
  • Cowboys defensive end David Irving was a no-show for the team’s first day of camp on Friday, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. It’s unclear why Irving was absent, but he’s now subject to a $40K fine for missing reporting day. Irving’s already set to serve a four-game suspension for a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
  • With training camp approaching, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun projects the Ravens’ season-opening roster. Veterans whose roster spots are in danger include tight end Maxx Williams, fullback Lorenzo Taliaferro, defensive ends Brent Urban and Za’Darius Smith, and cornerback Brandon Boykin, writes Zrebiec. Urban is the only member of the group who appeared in every Ravens game last season, when he picked up two sacks on 150 snaps. Smith, a participant in over 47 percent of Baltimore’s defensive snaps and a starter in 13 appearances, played the biggest role of the five in 2016. But Smith only made a marginal impact statistically (20 tackles, sack, forced fumble), and his performance ranked a less-than-stellar 92nd among Pro Football Focus’ 106 qualified edge defenders.
  • Bears center Hroniss Grasu missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in August, and now it’s up in the air whether he’ll play another down for the team, suggests JJ Stankevitz of CSN Chicago. Grasu’s old starting job now belongs to Cody Whitehair, who more than held his own as a rookie after shifting from guard to center in the wake of Grasu’s injury. So, if the Bears only keep eight offensive lineman this year, it may lead to Grasu’s demise. The 25-year-old was a third-round pick in 2015, when he started in all of his appearances, though a neck injury limited him to eight games that season.

Ravens Activate Brent Urban; Forsett To IR

November 27th, 2015 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Ravens have officially activated defensive end Brent Urban in advance of Monday’s game in Cleveland, the team announced today (via Twitter). To make room on the 53-man squad for Urban, the Ravens placed running back Justin Forsett on IR.

Urban, 24, was selected in the fourth round of the 2014 draft by the Ravens, but missed his entire rookie campaign with a torn ACL. The Virginia product sustained a torn bicep this year, further delaying his regular-season NFL debut as he landed on IR with the designation to return. After returning to practice earlier this month, he could make that debut this week for Baltimore.

As for Forsett, the Ravens’ starting running back suffered a broken right arm during last week’s game against the Rams. It’s not even accurate to call it the “latest” blow for an injury-ravaged unit, since quarterback Joe Flacco went down with a torn ACL later in the same game.

With Forsett out of the picture, Baltimore appears poised to move forward with its current stable of running backs, rather than adding anyone new to the roster for now. Javorius Allen figures to be the club’s new lead back, with Terrance West and Raheem Mostert also in the mix.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/25/15

November 25th, 2015 at 8:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens will activate defensive end Brent Urban off of the IR-DTR list, as Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com tweets. It still hasn’t been determined whether he will play against the Browns on Monday, however. Urban, 24, was selected in the fourth round of the 2014 draft by the Ravens, but missed his entire rookie campaign with a torn ACL. The Virginia product sustained a torn bicep this year, but Baltimore liked him enough to use its only IR-DTR slot on him back in September.

Here are the rest of Wednesday’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL:

  • The Saints are set to sign cornerback Chris Owens to the 53-man roster, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Owens, who turns 29 on Tuesday, played in 11 games for the Chiefs last season.
  • The Raiders will promote wide receiver/return man Jeremy Ross from the practice squad to the active roster, a source tells Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter).
  • The Panthers have signed long snapper Danny Aiken, as Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer tweets. Aiken will give Carolina an option as they wait to learn more about J.J. Jansen‘s availability.

Injury Updates: Hankins, Folk, Hicks, Ware

November 9th, 2015 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

As is often the case on Mondays during the NFL season, there have already been multiple reports of season-ending injuries to key players for contending teams, with the Patriots losing running back Dion Lewis to a torn ACL, and the Colts placing defensive lineman Henry Anderson on IR due to the same injury. Here are a few more of Monday’s latest noteworthy injury updates from around the NFL:

  • Giants head coach Tom Coughlin confirmed today that defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins will undergo surgery for a torn pectoral, ending his season, per Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link). While New York’s defensive line got a boost this weekend with the return of Jason Pierre-Paul, Hankins’ season-ending injury is another step back.
  • Jets kicker Nick Folk has a quadriceps strain, and isn’t expected to play this Thursday against the Bills, a league source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Connor Hughes of the Journal Inquirer tweets that Billy Cundiff will be among the kickers getting a workout from the Jets as they seek a short-term replacement for Folk.
  • The Eagles‘ preliminary diagnosis of the pectoral injury suffered by Jordan Hicks suggests the linebacker should only miss two to four weeks, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The team is awaiting the MRI results to confirm that diagnosis.
  • The Falcons also got good news regarding defensive tackle Tyson Jackson, whose rib injury is a contusion, rather than a fracture, according to Rapoport (via Twitter).
  • After re-aggravating his back injury, Broncos pass rusher DeMarcus Ware is expected to miss the next two to four weeks or so, tweets Rapoport.
  • Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams is expected to miss the team’s next two games, a league source tells Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).
  • The Ravens announced today that second-year defensive end Brent Urban has been cleared to return to practice. Urban, who began the season on injured reserve with the designation to return, can now be activated within the next three weeks to avoid landing on season-ending IR.
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