Zach Orr - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: Orr, Raiders, Chiefs, Bell

June 28th, 2017 at 7:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A few AFC-themed notes:

Free agent linebacker Zach Orr, who retired in January thanks to a congenital spinal condition, announced Wednesday that he’s planning a comeback. Now, nearly half of the NFL’s 32 teams have interest in Orr, though the Raiders aren’t among those clubs at the moment, reports Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link). The 25-year-old’s agent, Rob Sheets, told Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun on Wednesday that Orr is “100 percent confident he will play this season. This is a one-in-a-billion situation. I couldn’t even make this up.” But Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun is less than enthusiastic about Orr’s potential return, opining that the defender should stay retired instead of coming back and risking paralysis. Regardless of whether Orr plays in 2017, Schmuck doesn’t anticipate him rejoining the Ravens, as there’s doubt that their doctors would deem him healthy enough to play.
Chiefs ownership fired general manager John Dorsey in part over concerns about how he presented himself, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Dorsey is “more comfortable in a sweatshirt than a suit and tie,” writes La Canfora, leading to questions over whether he was corporate enough for chairman Clark Hunt’s liking. Despite that, there were no indications Dorsey was in over his head in the role – the team did go 43-21 with him at the helm, after all – and one agent told La Canfora: “He’s wily. He’s guile. He plays like he doesn’t know, but he knows. He’s creative in his approach to negotiations and he can be strong willed when he has to be. He’s a very smart negotiator. He’s going to get another job, I’m sure, and he’ll show why he is one of the best GMs in the league. He already has to be one of the top evaluators in the game.” Like that agent, La Canfora doesn’t expect Dorsey to go without a job for long, but he also doesn’t see him rushing into a lesser role than the one he just had.
There’s no deal in sight for Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, who will either ink a long-term contract by the July 17 deadline for franchise players or go through the season under the tag. With the calendar moving toward that date, each of Jamison Hensley, Pat McManamon and Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com agree that the Steelers should extend Bell, arguing that the 25-year-old – unlike most running backs – is worth a significant investment.

Latest On LB Zach Orr’s Comeback

June 28th, 2017 at 1:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After announcing this morning that he’s mulling a comeback attempt, linebacker Zach Orr has drawn the interest from at least eight NFL clubs. Orr plans to meet with each and every one of those teams before making a decision on where (and possibly if) to sign, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The Lions were the first club to reach out to Orr, per Birkett, so he’ll take his first visit with Detroit.

Here’s more on Orr as he ponders whether to make a return to the NFL:

Orr’s search for “dissenting medical opinions” was not new, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), and the former Ravens ‘backer finally “found a doctor who told him what he wanted to hear,” a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Baltimore’s doctors wouldn’t clear Orr after a congenital spine condition was discovered, and it’s unclear if another club’s physicians will have a differing view. Initially, doctors told Orr that he was at risk of death or paralysis if he continued his career.
The Ravens opted not to use a restricted free agent tender on Orr because they assumed he was retiring, meaning Orr can now choose his next team unfettered. It’s possible another player could attempt to “escape” the restricted free agent process by feigning retirement, as Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk writes. That’s not to insinuate Orr’s retirement was anything but genuine, as his serious medical condition is clearly limiting. But another player could use Orr’s situation as a template to hit free agency on his own terms in the future (although a club could simply tender said player at the cheapest level, allowing the team to hold the player’s rights).
Now that Orr returning to the NFL is a viable possibility, his former Ravens teammates are lobbying for Orr to re-sign with Baltimore, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. The Ravens haven’t added a free agent or draft pick to replace Orr’s 932 defensive snaps, and currently have 2016 second-round pick Kamalei Correa penciled in to play opposite fellow middle linebacker C.J. Mosley. Given that it was Baltimore’s doctors that failed to medically clear Orr in the first place, it seems unlikely he’ll end up back with the Ravens.

Lions To Host Zach Orr On Visit

June 28th, 2017 at 10:13am CST by Zachary Links

Well, that didn’t take long. The Lions have scheduled a visit with linebacker Zach Orr, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter), just hours announced that he is mulling a comeback. In addition to the Lions, seven other teams have already reached out to the 25-year-old.

Orr was a restricted free agent with the Ravens, but they did not tender him a deal after he elected to retire in January. Months later, Orr has gotten new opinions regarding his congenital spinal condition and the doctors he has consulted with say he can play. The Ravens reportedly doubt their own doctors would clear him for action, so we’ll have to wait and see whether doctors for the Lions will give him a thumbs up.

Last year, Orr finished out with a team-leading 130 tackles and earned second-team All-Pro honors. From a football perspective, the Ravens would probably like to have him back on the field, but it doesn’t sound like they’ll be pursuing a new deal based on what GM Ozzie Newsome had to say Wednesday.

“I spoke with Zach yesterday and he informed me that he would like to continue to play football,” Newsome said in a statement. “He is a free agent.”

Zach Orr Considering Comeback

June 28th, 2017 at 7:41am CST by Zachary Links

Linebacker Zach Orr retired from football in January due to a congenital spinal condition. Surprisingly, the former Ravens standout says that he is now thinking about a return to football.

“I had my mind made up. I was like man, the doctors told me I was done,” Orr said on NFL Network Wednesday morning. “This is a serious issue. So I’m going to leave it alone. But I just kept hearing that from multiple people and some were telling me to just go check out and seek out some more opinions and things like that and come to find out my condition, it is rare — .01 percent of the people have what I have — but there’s no actual evidence or facts that I’m at a higher risk than any other player. And it’s actually been documented that a college player who had the exact same thing that I have that returned to play with no problems.”

The Ravens had the option of controlling Orr through 2017, but they did not use the restricted free agent tender on him before the window expired. The 25-year-old is now a free agent and he could be an interesting option for teams if he is in fact healthy enough to play.

People from the Ravens organization have been in touch with Orr, Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. They love him as a player and as a person, but they seriously doubt their doctors would pass him on a physical. It’s possible that other teams will have similar reservations about Orr, despite his optimism about playing.

Orr’s condition, which affects less than 1% of people, was thought to be serious enough to end his career. Initially, doctors told Orr that he was at risk of death or paralysis by playing with the condition. However, other doctors have since given him the green light to play. Those experts said their only concern would be if Orr played with herniated discs. Fortunately, the herniated discs he suffered last season have corrected themselves.

The former undrafted free agent became a starter for the first time in his career in 2016. As the replacement for Daryl Smith, Orr appeared in 15 games and played the most defensive snaps of any Baltimore ‘backer. All in all, Orr recorded 89 tackles, three interceptions, and five passes defensed.

Ravens’ Zach Orr Retires

January 20th, 2017 at 8:29am CST by Sam Robinson

Hours after a report surfaced the Ravens and linebacker Zach Orr were progressing on an extension, those plans will not come to fruition, it appears. Orr will instead retire due to a “serious injury”, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The talented linebacker was reportedly playing with a cracked bone in his shoulder, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (on Twitter), and he missed Week 17 due to a neck injury. The team attempted to talk Orr out of this decision, according to Rapoport.

Orr is battling a congenital neck condition, Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun reports, adding the discovery of this came a day after the Ravens’ regular-season finale that saw Orr sit with the neck malady. The condition affects less than one percent of people.

He confirmed his retirement, Garafolo tweets, at the scheduled Friday press conference. Orr also insists the Ravens did not talk him out of his decision to retire, Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com relays (on Twitter). Rapoport notes (via Twitter) the Ravens’ attempt to discuss a reconsideration centered on whether he was comfortable with his decision rather than the conversation being about disregarding his health for a return for a fourth season.

Orr spent just three seasons in the league after debuting as a UDFA in 2014 for the Ravens. He was eligible for restricted free agency this year. The 24-year-old ‘backer started 15 games in 2016 after being a first-stringer in none of Baltimore’s contests in 2014 or ’15. The team promoted the North Texas alum into its starting lineup alongside C.J. Mosley, where Orr replaced Daryl Smith. He finished the year as the Ravens’ runaway leader in tackles with 130 en route to second-team All-Pro acclaim. Orr also intercepted three passes and recovered two fumbles.

Orr played for the league minimum his first three seasons and was set to cash in either via extension or RFA tender.

Ravens, LB Zach Orr Progressing Towards Deal

January 19th, 2017 at 9:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Ravens and linebacker Zach Orr have made “considerable progress” towards an extension agreement, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Baltimore has a press conference scheduled for Friday, leading La Canfora to speculate that the club could announce the new contract at that time.

Orr, 24, is a former undrafted free agent, meaning that although his three-year UDFA deal was set to expire this spring, he still would have been under the Ravens’ control as a restricted free agent. As such, Baltimore would have had the option of extending him a first-round tender (worth around $3.8MM), a second-rounder tender (~$2.75MM), or a right of first refusal tender (~$1.75MM). The first two offers would have entitled the Ravens to draft pick compensation if Orr signed with another club, while the latter tender would have given Baltimore the right to match any offer sheet, but would not have netted the club a pick if it opted not to equal a rival’s overture.

Instead, the Ravens are close to locking up Orr for (presumably) several years following a 2016 campaign that saw the North Texas alum become a starter for the first time in his career. Chosen to replace the departed veteran Daryl Smith next to C.J. Mosley in the starting lineup, Orr appeared in 15 games and played the most defensive snaps of any Baltimore ‘backer. In that span, Orr racked up 89 tackles, three interceptions, and five passes defensed, but didn’t grade out well according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked him as the NFL’s seventh-worst linebacker among 87 qualifiers.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/16

December 30th, 2016 at 5:43pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Bengals have placed offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi on injured reserve and promoted running back Tra Carson from the practice squad to take his roster spot, per Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. Ogbuehi has a partial tear of his right rotator cuff, but it’s unlikely to prevent him from participating in the Bengals’ offseason activities. Nevertheless, it ends an injury-marred year for the 2015 first-round pick, who has also dealt with a sports hernia and a toe ailment in 2016. Ogbuehi did start in 12 of 14 appearances after only serving as a reserve last year, but the Bengals demoted him from right tackle to the bench in Week 13 before moving him to left tackle last Saturday. He’ll end 2016 ranked just 65th in overall performance among Pro Football Focus’ 74 qualifying tackles.

The Eagles have promoted running back Terrell Watson from the practice squad, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). The former Azusa Pacific standout joined the organization in late December after having spent time with the Browns and Broncos. The 23-year-old is expected to see some work in short-yardage situations this weekend.
The Ravens have claimed wide receiver Vince Mayle off waivers from the Cowboys and placed linebacker Zach Orr on injured reserve, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com was among those to report. Mayle hasn’t been a factor as a wideout, having gone parts of two NFL seasons without a catch, but did get 94 special teams snaps in Dallas this season before it cut him Thursday. Orr, meanwhile, had already been declared out for the Ravens’ season finale against Cincinnati because of a neck issue. He piled up 132 tackles (47 more than any other Raven) and three interceptions this season.
The Cowboys have promoted offensive lineman Ryan Seymour from the practice squad, reports Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). The former seventh-round pick last made an NFL appearance in 2014, when he played 11 games (three starts) for the Browns.
The Chiefs have activated linebacker Justin March-Lillard off IR and waived defensive lineman David King, per Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. Kansas City designated March-Lillard to return Dec. 21, which came at running back Jamaal Charles‘ expense. Before March-Lillard broke his hand in October, he started in all five appearances and amassed 22 tackles. King picked up three appearances with the Chiefs (two this year, one last season), but he didn’t record a tackle.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Foles, Redskins, Orr

July 17th, 2016 at 12:29pm CST by Rory Parks

Nick Foles, currently listed as the Rams‘ No. 3 quarterback on the team’s depth chart (per Roster Resource), is a prime trade candidate, and as Vincent Bonsignore of The Los Angeles Daily News tweets, nothing has changed in that regard. Bonsignore notes that, barring a last-second trade, the plan is to bring Foles to training camp and to wait for another club to have a need open up at quarterback as a result of injury or underperformance. At that time, Los Angeles hopes to deal Foles to such a quarterback-needy team. And, because the Rams already paid out Foles’ guaranteed $6MM roster bonus, an acquiring club would only be on the hook for Foles’ $1.75MM base salary, which is certainly a palatable figure for a backup quarterback. Also, since the $6MM roster bonus is already a sunk cost, the Rams could simply cut Foles if they cannot find a trade partner during camp.

Now let’s take a look at a few more notes from around the league:

The Redskins‘ cornerback competition will be a fascinating one to watch this summer, as Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com writes. Tandler observes that the maximum number of corners Washington can keep without creating a major numbers squeeze elsewhere is five, and Josh Norman, Bashaud Breeland, Kendall Fuller, and Quinton Dunbar are all virtual locks to make the club. That means that the team will have to cut a player it would prefer to keep, or else try to sneak such a player onto its practice squad. Dashaun Phillips, Greg Toler, and rookie Lloyd Carrington will all battle for that fifth spot, and Toler is the only member of that trio without practice squad eligibility.
Ravens‘ third-year inside linebacker Zach Orr will be under the microscope in training camp, as Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. Orr is currently the favorite to start alongside fellow ILB C.J. Mosley, but despite the fact that his playing time increased late in the 2015 season, he is still largely unproven. If he should struggle, the Ravens could turn to Albert McClellan, Arthur Brown, or (more likely) a free agent.
After Isaiah Crowell made headlines for all the wrong reasons last week, many Browns fans have clamored for his release. Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, however, confirmed that Cleveland will not cut Crowell at this time. She says the club believes his public apology was sincere and adds that the Browns will give him a chance to be part part of the solution instead of the problem. Crowell will be donating $35K to the Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation and will continue doing “other things in the community” to atone for his mistake.
Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com continues his ongoing series on each club’s best and worst contracts. In his opinion, Tashaun Gipson‘s five-year, $36MM deal is the most team-friendly contract on the Jaguars‘ books, while Julius Thomas‘ five-year, $46MM contract is the worst.

Ravens Sign 18 Undrafted Free Agents

May 13th, 2014 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 9:56am: The Ravens have announced an 18th UDFA signing, adding Montana Tech linebacker Ryan Jones to the list (Twitter link). Jones got a signing bonus of $1K, per Aaron Wilson (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 2:38pm: The Ravens have signed 17 players who went undrafted over the weekend, the team announced today in a press release. Here’s the complete list of rookie free agents Baltimore has added to its roster:

Xavius Boyd, LB, Western Kentucky ($1.5K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
Levi Brown, DT, Temple
Jeremy Butler, WR, Tennessee-Martin ($4K bonus)
Jace Davis, WR, Northern Colorado ($4K bonus)
Parker Graham, OT, Oklahoma State ($9K bonus)
Derrick Hopkins, DT, Virginia Tech ($10K bonus)
James Hurst, OT, North Carolina ($9K bonus)
Tramain Jacobs, CB, Texas A&M ($4.5K bonus)
Richie Leone, P, Houston
Jamie Meder, DT, Ashland ($3.5K bonus)
Dexter Moody, S, Albany State
Deji Olatoye, CB, North Carolina A&T ($6K bonus)
Zachary Orr, LB, North Texas ($3K bonus)
A.J. Pataiali’i, DT, Utah State ($1K bonus)
Avery Patterson, CB, Oregon ($3K bonus)
Sammy Seamster, CB, Middle Tennessee State ($8K bonus)
Brett Van Sloten, OT, Iowa ($6K bonus)