January 4th, 2018 at 6:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
October 19th, 2017 at 12:15pm CST by Zachary Links
The Ravens announced that they have signed wide receiver Griff Whalen. In related moves, the team cut offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom and released cornerback Sheldon Price from injured reserve.
Whalen, 27, spent the first four years of his career with the Colts before taking a mini-tour around the league in 2016. The bulk of his action last year came in eight games with the Chargers. He spent this past summer with the Ravens, but he missed the final cut in early September. He has now been called back at a time when Baltimore is in desperate need of wide receiver depth. Breshad Perriman is in concussion protocol while Jeremy Maclin and Mike Wallace have not been able to practice fully.
The Ravens traded a conditional draft pick to the Cardinals in September to acquire Bergstrom. After the offensive lineman played in just 32 snaps on offense and 13 on special teams, the conditions for the pick transfer might not have been met.
The Ravens have made several moves this afternoon. Ian Rapoport tweets that the team has signed running back Alex Collins off their practice squad, while Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun tweets that the team has also promoted cornerback Tony McRae. To make room on the roster, the team has placed cornerback Sheldon Price on the injured reserve (via Zrebiec) and released running back Jeremy Langford (via ESPN’s Adam Caplan on Twitter).
Collins, a 2016 fifth-round pick, joined the Ravens practice squad earlier this month. The 23-year-old spent his rookie season with the Seahawks, where he ultimately appeared in 11 games. He finished the campaign with 125 rushing yards and one touchdown on 31 carries, and he hauled in another 11 receptions for 84 yards. With Danny WoodheadandKenneth Dixon currently on the injured reserve, Collins will presumably serve as the team’s third running back behind Terrance WestandJavorius Allen.
That spot was previously held by Langford, who was promoted from the practice squad earlier this week. The 25-year-old does have plenty of experience, as he appeared in 28 games (five starts) and compiled 210 carries between 2015 and 2016. While he does have 737 career rushing yards and 10 career rushing touchdowns, his 3.5-yards-per-carry mark is rather underwhelming, probably explaining why the Bears moved on from him following last season.
Price, 26, joined the Ravens back in 2015. The 2013 undrafted free agent out of UCLA has six career games with the Colts and Ravens, compiling a single tackle. He spent the majority of the 2016 season on the injured reserve after suffering a biceps injury. McRae, a 2016 undrafted free agent out of North Carolina A&T, will likely take Price’s spot on the depth chart. The 26-year-old figures to compete with Jaylen Hill to be the team’s fourth cornerback behind Brandon Carr, Jimmy Smith, and first-rounder Marlon Humphrey.
It took two months, but Ravens running back Terrance West has signed his restricted free agent tender, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links).
The Ravens gave West an original-round tender, meaning any club that attempted to sign him would have had to surrender a fairly high pick for the 2014 third-rounder. Between that and West’s unspectacular production to this point (3.9 yards per carry on 426 attempts), it’s unsurprising that no one courted him when he was on the RFA market.
Formerly with the Browns and Titans, West is coming off his first full year in Baltimore, where he paced the team’s ball carriers in attempts (193), yards (774) and touchdowns (five) in 2016. The 26-year-old also totaled 34 catches for 236 yards and another score. With Kenneth Dixon set to serve a four-game suspension to open the season, West should again function as the Ravens’ top rushing option at the outset of 2017.
Along with locking up West for another year, the Ravens are keeping cornerback Sheldon Price, who signed his exclusive rights tender. Meanwhile, the team cut three players – running back Stephen Houston and 2017 undrafted free agents Zach Terrell (quarterback, Western Michigan) and Omarius Bryant (defensive end, Western Kentucky) – according to Zrebiec.
