The Baltimore Ravens keep marching forward in their quest to build out their 90-man roster. Though they had agreed to terms with linebacker Jake Ryan, the Ravens made it official after he passed a physical, according to a press release from the team.
Baltimore also signed three more undrafted free agents, bringing their count to eight officially under contract. These three players add to their 10-man 2020 NFL Draft class:
- OLB/DE Chauncey Rivers, Mississippi State
- WR Michael Dereus, Georgetown
- C Sean Pollard, Clemson
Ryan adds valuable experience to what had been the Ravens’ weakest unit before the 2020 NFL Draft. With the addition of Patrick Queen in the first round and Malik Harrison in the third round, Baltimore now has a wealth of young talent as well as a few veteran options at their disposal for the upcoming season.
Ryan has had an injury-filled career, first with the Green Bay Packers for three seasons and then two years with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Over five seasons in the NFL, Ryan has played in just 45 of 80 possible games. But when on the field, Ryan has been productive as a run defender, notching 213 combined tackles along with one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
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The three UDFAs add depth to some positions that are expected to have fierce competition in training camp. But with a history of at least one UDFA making the 53-man roster for 16 consecutive years, it’s a group that bears watching.
Rivers joins an outside linebacker group that isn’t very deep and has no definitive starter beyond Matthew Judon. Jaylon Ferguson and Tyus Bowser figure to compete for the starting job opposite Judon but any backup role is firmly up in the air among the rest of the roster. The Ravens are hoping to see Rivers put up the type of stats he did at Mississippi State, where he posted eight tackles for a loss and five sacks as a defensive end in 2019.
Dereus joins a group of wide receivers that are becoming increasingly deep after Baltimore has spent two picks in each of the 2019 and 2020 NFL Draft. But there are still expected to be a major competition for likely one or two roster spots at the position, as well as time on the practice squad. Over 11 games in 2019, Dereus caught 41 passes for 726 yards and five touchdowns.
Pollard adds much-needed depth at center where last year’s starter, Matt Skura, is still recovering from a season-ending knee injury. He’ll join Patrick Mekari and Colon-Castillo as UDFAs at the position behind the presumptive starter Skura. If Skura isn’t fully healthy to start training camp, the Ravens will likely push the other three to compete for the starting job.
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