Joe Flacco - Pro Football Rumors

Draft Notes: Penny, Chiefs, Jets, Jackson

April 27th, 2018 at 5:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Excepting the Eli Manning-for-Philip Rivers exchange, NFL draft trades rarely unfold like NBA draft-night swaps, with teams making picks and then sending players elsewhere. But the Seahawks indicated such an offer emerged on Thursday night. After they’d made their somewhat surprising Rashaad Penny selection at No. 27, John Schneider said (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times) another team called them to try and acquire the running back. Schneider said that was the first time he’d seen such an offer as an NFL executive. Schneider said he would have authorized a Penny pick at No. 18, which would have been even more interesting since the San Diego State product was viewed as a fringe first-round prospect going into the night, and the Seahawks obviously held onto their new rookie after the surely strange phone call.

Here’s more from the draft world going into Night 2.

Despite talk connecting the Jets to Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, and (to a lesser extent) Josh Rosen before the draft, Sam Darnold was the top quarterback on their board, Manish Mehta of the Daily News tweets. The Jets did not expect Darnold to be on the board at No. 3, hence the franchise’s late maneuvering to secure more face time with its top QB prospect.
The Chiefs made two blockbuster trades this offseason, and the team unloading Marcus Peters for second- and fourth-round draft choices deprives Kansas City of what was probably a top-three player on its roster. The now-Brett Veach-run franchise had discussions of moving up from No. 54 and all the way into the first round, and they’ve been reportedly considering a trade-up sequence in Round 2. Albert Breer of SI.com reports the Chiefs discussed moving into the Eagles‘ No. 32 spot last night before the Ravens did so and that a move north tonight will be with a cornerback acquisition in mind. The Chiefs traded for Kendall Fuller and signed David Amerson, but their defense — the No. 30 DVOA unit with Peters — still has a need at this spot.
Some evaluators think that Lamar Jackson‘s best position in the NFL would be at wide receiver, but don’t tell that to Ravens offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. When asked about his plans for the Louisville product, he said, “[Jackson] is a quarterback. Done.” (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). He also emphasized that Joe Flacco will remain the team’s starter.

Joe Flacco In Concussion Protocol

October 26th, 2017 at 9:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joe Flacco has entered concussion protocol, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). This comes less than 15 minutes after Kiko Alonso delivered a controversial hit to the Ravens quarterback’s head on a Flacco slide attempt.

The Ravens ruled Flacco out for the remainder of the game with a concussion.

This comes as little surprise to those watching Thursday night’s Dolphins-Ravens game, given the impact of Alonso’s penalized hit, and Ryan Mallett has taken over for Flacco. The Ravens are up 20-0, with Mallett having thrown a touchdown pass after being summoned in the red zone, but the team’s chances obviously take a hit without their starter.

Although Flacco has struggled this year, he’s been mostly durable during his 10-year career. He missed time earlier this year due to a back injury, but it didn’t cost him any regular-season time. A severe knee injury shelved him for six games in 2015, but Flacco has started every other regular-season contest since the Ravens picked him in the 2008 first round.

AFC Rumors: Chargers, D. Harris, Flacco

October 8th, 2017 at 11:51am CST by Rory Parks

A league spokesperson, Joe Lockhart, said earlier this week there have been no discussions about the Chargers returning to San Diego, and a team source confirmed as much to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The source said simply, “We’re not going back.”

Of course, the Chargers are losing the battle for Los Angeles at the moment, leading some to speculate that the league could choose to reverse course and ship the Bolts back from whence they came. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also suggests that Lockhart’s quote is not as unequivocal as it could be; Lockhart said there have been no discussions about a return to San Diego, not that a return will not happen. Plus, Florio points out that the Chargers source who spoke with Rapoport did so anonymously, which creates the impression that there’s something sensitive about the notion that the Chargers aren’t looking back.

That may be a bit of a reach, particularly since San Diego still does not have a stadium option, which prompted the move in the first place. Anything can happen, of course, but as of right now, it does not look as if the Chargers will be leaving LA.

Now for more from the AFC. We took a swing around the NFC earlier today:

Patriots linebacker David Harris, whom the team signed to a two-year, $5MM deal ($1.25MM guaranteed) in June, has been active for four of New England’s five games but has played in only seven defensive snaps. He is behind four other players on the LB depth chart, leading Mike Reiss of ESPN.com to speculate that, without a significant injury to another player, Harris’ job could be in jeopardy. Reiss cites Harris’ lack of speed as the primary reason for his lack of playing time.
After starting the season 2-0, the Ravens have looked awful in their following two games against the Jaguars and Steelers, making today’s matchup the Raiders almost a must-win. As usual, quarterback Joe Flacco has been a popular whipping boy for the team’s struggles, despite the rash of crippling injuries to the O-line, the lack of a running game, and the lack of imagination in play-calling. But it is clear that something has to give, though if Baltimore were inclined to release Flacco — and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun suggests that thought is not on anyone’s mind at the moment — it would likely not happen until 2019 at the earliest. At that point, if Baltimore continues to struggle, the Ravens could have a whole new coaching staff. It is worth noting, as Zrebiec does, that the one time in Flacco’s career that he has worked with an accomplished offensive coordinator (Gary Kubiak in 2014), he enjoyed the best season of his career, even though the talent around him was not much better than it usually is.
Although Browns fans may not like to hear it, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plainer Dealer believes that Cleveland’s front office is going about building the team the right way. It is stockpiling picks, limiting free agent spending, and some young players are developing as hoped. There have, of course, been some missteps in terms of personnel evaluation, but Pluto suggests the coaching staff is as much to blame for the team’s 1-19 record over the last 20 games as the front office. He says the only thing to do is to stay the course and continue to focus on the draft, though the team will likely need to spend more in free agency than it originally expected. It may also need to reevaluate DeShone Kizer sooner than it hoped.

AFC Notes: Ward, Landry, Flacco, Bengals

August 29th, 2017 at 6:58pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Although Broncos head coach Vance Joseph told reporters Tuesday that he “would be surprised” if they traded safety T.J. Ward, his time on their roster is running out, Mike Klis of 9News suggests. Whether the Broncos trade or release Ward, their safety depth makes him expendable, Klis argues. Moving on from Ward would mean jettisoning someone whose reckless style has led to injury issues, as Klis points out that he missed seven games over the previous three years and hasn’t played any preseason games this summer on account of a hamstring strain. While Klis notes that Ward remains a quality player, he nonetheless expects the Broncos to make the difficult decision of parting with a defender who has made two Pro Bowls and started in all 41 of his games during his three-year tenure with the club. Despite Ward’s accomplished resume, both his age (30) and salary ($4.5MM) torpedo his trade value, Klis contends. If the Broncos end up having to cut Ward, they’d avoid paying him any of the $4.5MM he’s owed.

AFC Rumors: Osweiler, Flacco, Bills, Jaguars

August 18th, 2017 at 9:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Earlier this week, Joe Thomas was asked if he could name all 18 quarterbacks the Browns have started during his tenure. The perennial All-Pro left tackle passed the test, and with Cody Kessler having been demoted to third string for now, that number figures to expand to at least 19 this season. Thomas believes the other veteran in the clubhouse will be the Week 1 starter.

“I might be going out on a limb here, but I think they’re grooming Brock (Osweiler) to be the starter in Week 1 based on what I’ve seen,” Thomas said, via the Associated Press’ Tom Withers. “It is a competition, but I would expect Brock to win because of his experience.”

Osweiler’s primary competition is now DeShone Kizer, the team’s second-round pick who fared well against Saints backups in the Browns’ preseason opener. Kizer remains in the mix due to a combination of physical skills and instincts for the position, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes.

Here’s the latest out of the AFC:

John Harbaugh, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, said Joe Flacco won’t practice this coming week as the Ravens starting quarterback continues to recover from a back injury. This will mean four straight weeks without practice for the 10th-year passer, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport points out (via Twitter). The plan remains for Flacco to start in Week 1 against the Bengals, but if the 32-year-old signal-caller doesn’t practice during Week 3 of the preseason, the Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Zreibec notes (on Twitter) Flacco will get two weeks at most of work before the Baltimore opener. And Zreibec is skeptical he will get that much work (Twitter link).
Reggie Ragland has yet to assimilate well into Sean McDermott‘s scheme, and Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News expects the Bills to attempt to trade the ex-Alabama stalwart. Carucci notes a trade to a team that uses a 3-4 defense would make sense. Buffalo has shifted to a 4-3, and the 2016 second-round pick’s current status — stationed on the third team — is not exactly acceptable for such a big recent investment. PFR’s Dallas Robinson put Ragland on his list of trade candidates.
Should Cordy Glenn‘s foot trouble linger much longer, Carucci expects the Bills to target outside tackle help. Specifying the waiver wire as the player-procurement practice of choice to add a tackle, Carucci notes second-round rookie Dion Dawkins would be the top in-house option to start there if Glenn is unable to man his post. After Austin Pasztor‘s Falcons agreement, the tackle market looks thin. McDermott said (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com) he’s not quite ready to relocate Dawkins from the right tackle competition, where he’s battling incumbent Jordan Mills. However, Dawkins took left-edge reps Friday in practice, while Seantrel Henderson — suspended for the season’s first five games — lined up at right tackle.
Tom Coughlin‘s brought some old-school training techniques to Jaguars camp. Albert Breer of SI.com observed the Jags doing up-downs following their joint practice with the Patriots, and this didn’t sit well with some Jacksonville players. One told Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio the rarely utilized conditioning method will shorten his career “by at least two years.” While that may be an extreme estimate, Florio adds other Jaguars have grumbled about the throwback conditioning style. Florio notes Coughlin is believed to have pushed for a greater conditioning emphasis.

AFC Notes: Bengals, Flacco, Boldin, Landry

August 8th, 2017 at 4:50pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

PFR sends best wishes to Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, who “will be taking time away from the team to focus on a minor health issue,” according to a club announcement. Specifically, Lewis is dealing with a Baker’s Cyst on his ankle, but the initial fear was that he had a blood clot, per Stacey Dales of NFL Network (Twitter link). The Bengals expect Lewis to return sometime this week, fortunately, and special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons will hold the reins as long as he’s out.

Harbaugh: No Definitive Date For Joe Flacco Return

August 6th, 2017 at 9:37am CST by Rory Parks

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said yesterday there is no definitive date for Joe Flacco to return to the field, as Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com writes. Flacco, of course, has been dealing with a back injury, and we heard at the end of July that he was preparing to miss three to six weeks, though more optimistic reports had him returning within one week.

Harbaugh said, “We know he’s getting better every single day. Obviously, we have a plan for him, football-wise, when he gets back. But we haven’t been told when yet.”

Harbaugh’s statement should not be surprising in light of Baltimore’s highly-publicized dalliance with free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick. If the Ravens were truly convinced that Flacco would only be out a short period of time, it is unlikely they would be entertaining the notion of signing Kaepernick as seriously they have, as Kaepernick would not compete with a healthy Flacco for the team’s starting job.

The Ravens have been ravaged by injury in the early stages of training camp, and while they may yet have enough talent to make a playoff push with the talent they currently have at their disposal, they need Flacco to be 100% to have a real chance at being competitive in 2017.

In his only public comments about the injury, which he made on July 28, Flacco said he was unsure of when he would return to practice. He said, “It is just one of those things where you have to be patient and not let your competitive nature get the best of you. I am talking about everybody — myself and, really, everybody.”

Ravens Coach, GM Pushing For Kaepernick?

August 2nd, 2017 at 12:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Both Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and GM Ozzie Newsome support the idea of signing quarterback Colin Kaepernick, sources tell Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Russini hears they have met resistance from owner Steve Bisciotti, but Newsome issued a statement on Wednesday to try and counter those claims:

“We are going through a process, and we have not made a decision. Steve Bisciotti has not told us we cannot sign Colin Kaepernick, nor has he blocked the move. Whoever is making those claims is wrong,” the unusual statement read.

Recently, Bisciotti and team president Dick Cass publicly acknowledged their trepidation in signing Kaepernick, with Bisciotti adding that he wasn’t sure the QB would help the team “win games.” The team’s coach and GM apparently feel that Kaepernick can be a difference maker.

Recently, some of the team’s locker room leaders also voiced their support for adding Kaepernick.

“Hell yeah, if he’s going to help us win,” linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “We have no issues. Not in the locker room. Hell yeah, we want him.”

The Ravens are taking a hard look at their backup quarterback situation as Joe Flacco deals with a back injury and Ryan Mallett struggles in practice. There is some good news on that front, however. A source with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Florio of PFT that he is feeling better, with the “arrow [pointing] up.”

Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.

Latest On Ravens, Colin Kaepernick

July 28th, 2017 at 11:06am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Ravens signed former Arena League quarterback David Olson earlier today, but that won’t necessarily prevent them from adding free agent Colin Kaepernick, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters, including Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).

Staring quarterback Joe Flacco is dealing with a back injury, and although a worst-case scenario clouds his Week 1 status, Harbaugh doesn’t sound worried about Flacco’s condition. “Joe is day to day, so do we really need to make that move or not?” Harbaugh said of signing Kaepernick, per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Baltimore has been in contact with Kaepernick, but the club is “weighing need and fit,” tweets Zrebiec.

In addition to Flacco and Olson, the Ravens currently have two other quarterbacks on their roster: Ryan Mallett and Dustin Vaughan. Mallett has struggled through eight career starts as a member of the Patriots, Texans, and Ravens, while Vaughan, a 2014 undrafted free agent, has never appeared in an NFL game.

Joe Flacco Dealing With Back Injury

July 26th, 2017 at 8:14pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is preparing to sit out three to six weeks with a disc issue in his back, report Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). A worst-case scenario could put Flacco’s status for the Ravens’ Sept. 10 season opener in jeopardy, but the team only expects him to miss a week, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

If Flacco’s injury proves to be serious, the Ravens may choose to scour the free agent and trade markets for available quarterbacks. There are, of course, much-discussed unsigned QBs in Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III. Those two offer vastly different skill sets than Flacco and backup Ryan Mallett, but it may be worth noting in Kaepernick’s case that he played under Jim Harbaugh, the brother of Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, in San Francisco. Kaepernick is also familiar with senior offensive assistant Greg Roman, who was once the 49ers’ O-coordinator.

Other available options include Christian Ponder, Shaun Hill and Zach Mettenberger, and anyone the Ravens bring in would initially join Dustin Vaughan behind Mallett. The team re-signed Mallett to a one-year, $2MM deal in March. Mallett hasn’t been effective since debuting with the Patriots in 2012, though, which could give a newcomer a chance to unseat him and become Baltimore’s top backup.

Flacco, meanwhile, is the unquestioned No. 1 with the Ravens, but the 32-year-old has taken steps backward since their latest playoff campaign in 2014. The onetime Super Bowl champion struggled over 10 games in 2015 and then succumbed to a torn ACL that November. While Flacco returned last year to start all of Baltimore’s games, he posted pedestrian numbers for an 8-8 team.