HEADLINES

Nick Boyle

Ravens Place Nick Boyle On IR

September 10th, 2021 at 11:55am CST by Zachary Links

Another one down for the Ravens. On Friday, the team placed tight end Nick Boyle on short-term injured reserve. 

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Boyle is still healing up from the knee injury he suffered in November of last year. He also had microscopic surgery on the knee recently, but that only elongated his rehab. The good news is that Boyle is expected to return this year. The league’s short-term IR list allows for players to return after three games and that’s a feasible timetable, per head coach John Harbaugh.

“[We just want to] get his knee right, get his body right,” Harbaugh told reporters on Friday. “We expect him to be back Week 4, Week 5, somewhere in there, whenever he gets back.”

It’s just the latest blow to an offense that’s already without running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Without Boyle, the Ravens will be leaning more on tight ends Mark Andrews and Eric Tomlinson, though Tomlinson is more of a blocker than a pass catcher, and not as strong of a protector as Boyle.

Boyle’s best season as a receiver came in 2019, when he had 31 catches for 321 yards and two touchdowns. The Ravens have him under contract through 2023 thanks to the two-year, $13MM extension he inked back in January.

Ravens Activate Nick Boyle From PUP List

August 30th, 2021 at 4:37pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Ravens have dealt with some tough injury breaks recently, most notably to running back J.K. Dobbins and receiver Rashod Bateman, but now they’re finally getting some better news on the health front.

Baltimore has activated tight end Nick Boyle from the PUP list, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Yates notes that Boyle is still uncertain to play Week 1, but this move means the Ravens anticipate him getting back before Week 7 since he would’ve had to miss the first six games had he started the year on the PUP list.

A fifth-round pick back in 2015, Boyle has spent his entire career with the Ravens. He’s never played a huge role on offense, but the team clearly values him. Back in January they gave him a two-year extension worth $13MM with $10.5MM guaranteed to keep him locked up through the 2023 campaign.

The Delaware product is always utilized heavily as a blocker in the Ravens’ run-first offense, but he has shown an ability to snag a few passes in the past. His best season as a receiver was in 2019, when he had 31 catches for 321 yards and two touchdowns. Of course, Mark Andrews is the top receiving option at tight end for Baltimore.

Ravens Sign TE Nick Boyle To Extension

January 29th, 2021 at 2:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens have agreed to another extension with Nick Boyle. The veteran tight end had a season left on the 2019 deal he signed, but he is now locked up through the 2023 season.

Boyle’s new two-year extension is worth $13MM, with $10.5MM of that being fully guaranteed, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. While this represents a show of faith the blocking tight end will re-emerge as a productive player after a severe knee injury ended his season midway through, the move will create some near-future cap space for the Ravens.

On his previous three-year, $18MM extension, Boyle was set to earn a $5.5MM base salary in 2021. That number will drop to $1.5MM, with the tight end’s cap figure being reduced by $2MM as well, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweets. Boyle, 27, will be attached to $5MM and $6MM salaries in 2022 and ’23, respectively.

Boyle topped out at 31 catches for 321 yards in 16 games in 2019. He has scored four touchdowns over the past two seasons — the only four of his career. This move figures to precede contract talks with Mark Andrews, who has one season left on his rookie deal. The Ravens want to extend their top receiving tight end.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/17/20

November 17th, 2020 at 5:55pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Ravens’ Nick Boyle Done For Year

November 16th, 2020 at 8:56am CST by Zachary Links

Ravens tight end Nick Boyle will be out for the year after suffering a gruesome knee injury on Sunday night, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic). The severity of the injury was immediately apparent as Boyle’s left leg bent in the wrong direction.

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“It’s hard to really quantify what Nick does for us as an offense and as a team,” said Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (via ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley). “He’s a person that people gravitate towards. For me, he’s meant a ton to me, and it sucks. It sucks for him; he’s worked so hard to get to where he’s at.”

“Everyone in this locker room loves him to death, and he’s one of the most loved people on this team. We’re going to miss him dearly. We know he has our backs, and we have his. It’s just sad. It’s sad to see.”

Boyle has never been one to light up the stat sheet, but his blocking prowess has made him an integral part of the Ravens’ offense. Last year, he set new career highs with 31 catches for 321 yards and two scores. Through nine games this year, he caught 14 balls from Lamar Jackson for 113 yards and two TDs. The advanced metrics have underscored Boyle’s importance to the team, however — he often places in the top 30 at his position, even though he’s rarely targeted.

The Ravens could call on one of their practice squad tight ends — Xavier Grimble or Sean Culkin — to replace Boyle on the active roster.

Contract Details: Brown, Boyle, Harrison

March 11th, 2019 at 3:44pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed contracts from around the NFL:

  • Trent Brown , T (Raiders): Four years, $66MM, $36.75MM guaranteed. As Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets, Brown will earn $15MM in 2019 but $21.5MM in 2020, when the Raiders move to Las Vegas (there’s no income tax in Nevada). That’s a smart move on Brown’s part, obviously. But as Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal observes (via Twitter), there is no guaranteed money left on the deal after 2020, so the Raiders can cut bait with no dead money ramifications at the end of the 2020 season. Essentially, then, it is a two-year, $36.75MM pact.
  • Nick Boyle, TE (Ravens): Three years, $18MM. $10MM fully guaranteed ($7MM signing bonus, $1MM guaranteed salary in 2019, $2MM of $4.5MM guaranteed in 2020). Twitter link via NFL Insider Adam Caplan.
  • Jonotthan Harrison, OL (Jets): Re-signed on March 9. Two years, maximum of $6MM. Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
  • Angelo Blackson, DE (Texans): Three years, $12MM. $3.5MM guaranteed. Salaries of $2MM (guaranteed), $3.5MM, and $3.5MM. $1.5MM 2019 roster bonus. $31,250 per game 46-man roster bonus. Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
  • Ben Braunecker, TE (Bears): Two-year deal. Total value of $2.7MM. $300K signing bonus. $6,250 per game 46-man roster bonus. Twitter links via Wilson.

Ravens Re-Sign TE Nick Boyle

March 7th, 2019 at 8:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens re-signed tight end Nick Boyle, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a three-year, $18MM deal to keep Boyle off of the free agent market. 

We’ve heard a surprising amount of buzz about Boyle in recent weeks. Blocking tight ends don’t often garner a ton of attention, but Boyle reportedly had interest from about 20 teams this offseason. Those clubs will have to look elsewhere for blocking expertise as Boyle is now under contract with Baltimore through the 2021 season.

Boyle, 26, caught just 23 passes for 213 yards last season. However, he provided quality run and pass blocking across his 670 snaps. Last year, Boyle graded out as the No. 23 ranked tight end in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Interestingly, even without much in the way of offensive production, he placed ahead of Eric Ebron on the list.

Boyle’s early career was marred by a pair of suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs, but he has missed just one game over the last two years. In that two-year span, the Ravens have rushed for a league-high 4,297 yards with Boyle as a tight end/fullback.

AFC North Notes: Browns, Perriman, Bell

March 1st, 2019 at 1:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Redskins and 49ers GM Scot McCloughan is not working for the Browns this offseason, GM John Dorsey told reporters (via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal). McCloughan hooked on with the Browns as a consultant last year and championed Baker Mayfield as the top selection in the buildup to the draft. The exec has consulted with multiple teams as a freelancer in recent years, so he may continue on that front in advance of the 2019 draft.

Here’s more from Cleveland:

  • Dorsey has spoken with wide receiver Breshad Perriman multiple times at the combine (via Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer). There’s mutual interest between the Browns and the speedster, though he could garner sizable offers amidst a weak free agent class for the position. The former first-round pick caught only 16 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns in his ten games with the Browns, but he made some big plays.
  • The Steelers opted against using the transition tag on Le’Veon Bell because the league informed them that it would cost $14.54MM, not the sub-$10MM figure they were hoping for (via PFT). Had the league given the Steelers the news they were hoping for, they could have tagged Bell and worked to trade him in exchange for draft capital.
  • Ravens free agent tight end Nick Boyle has almost 20 teams interested in his services, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com. Boyle doesn’t quite light up a stat sheet, but he has blossomed into one of the league’s best blocking tight ends. The high level of interest in Boyle jibes with what Pauline has heard about this year’s draft – this year’s best TEs are likely to be overdrafted.

AFC Notes: Hill, Ingram, Boyle

June 11th, 2017 at 11:59am CST by Rory Parks

Tyreek Hill was a revelation for the Chiefs last year, and his success as a rookie is one of the reasons the club was comfortable making the surprise decision to release Jeremy Maclin. And as Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star writes, Hill’s role with Kansas City this year will evolve accordingly.

For one, Hill will not be used on kickoff returns, as the team cannot afford to risk his health any more than is strictly necessary (though he will still be deployed on punt returns). Secondly, because Hill is fairly small — Paylor says the 185-pounder is closer to 5-8 than the 5-10 he is listed as — the Chiefs will need to limit his workload to some degree, although head coach Andy Reid, who was generally successful in managing the workloads of players like DeSean Jackson and Brian Westbrook, is unconcerned about that aspect of Hill’s development. Finally, the team expects Hill to step into Maclin’s “Z” receiver spot, the spotlight position in Reid’s offense. The Chiefs believe Hill’s abilities make a Steve Smith-like trajectory — i.e. a small but electric return man becoming a similarly prolific wideout — a strong possibility.

Now for more from the AFC:

  • The Chargers are still negotiating a long-term deal with Melvin Ingram, who is one of two franchise-tagged players yet to sign their tenders or reach a long-term deal with their respective teams (Le’Veon Bell is the other). However, given that Ingram is likely looking for an Olivier Vernon-esque contract (five years, $85MM), Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com says it is more likely Ingram plays under the tag in 2017. That may end up being the best result for both sides, as Ingram would still collect a nice payday this year ($14.55MM), and he would hit the open market at age 29 next year, as Los Angeles is unlikely to tag him again. The Chargers, meanwhile, would get the benefit of Ingram’s services this season, and there is a good chance new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley can adequately develop one of the team’s young pass rushers to replace Ingram’s production in 2018.
  • Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer believes the Browns may get more involved in the Jeremy Maclin sweepstakes if he does not sign with either Baltimore or Buffalo — which seems like a long shot at the moment — and she says Cleveland will likely at least inquire on Eric Decker, which the team has done with every quality veteran receiver hitting the market.
  • Even without Dennis Pitta, the Ravens have a crowded tight end corps., but Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com believes little-known Nick Boyle could be the player to emerge as Joe Flacco‘s go-to target at the position. Boyle has size and good hands and is a capable blocker, and though he has already been suspended twice in his brief career for PED violations, health has not been an issue for him, as it has been for his fellow tight ends on the roster. The team has also discussed using him as a fullback.
  • We rounded up a number of Jets-related notes earlier today.

Ravens Activate Nick Boyle

November 26th, 2016 at 10:41am CST by Ben Levine

The Ravens offensive line will be getting some reinforcement. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports (via Twitter) that the team has activated tight end Nick Boyle. The 23-year-old had been suspended for 10 games after violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. To make room on the roster, the team has waived cornerback Asa Jackson.

Nick BoyleBoyle, a 2015 fifth-round pick, didn’t do much during his rookie campaign. The Delaware product ultimately played in 11 games (two starts), hauling in 18 catches for 153 yards. The tight end ended up missing the final month of his rookie season due to a four-game suspension.

The 6-foot-4, 260-pound tight end is better known for his blocking, and Zrebiec notes that Boyle will likely slide into the “blocking, No. 3 tight end role” while Crockett Gillmore recovers from his thigh injury. The Ravens also have tight ends Dennis Pitta and Darren Waller on the active roster.

Jackson, 26, was on his third stint with the Ravens. The former fifth-rounder has 18 career games under his belt, and he’s compiled 30 tackles and three passes defended. Jackson was promoted to the active roster in mid-November.