The Baltimore Ravens revamped their offensive line in a big way during the 2021 offseason. They brought in guards Kevin Zeitler and Ben Cleveland, as well as offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva. Each player should help improve a unit that struggled at times during the 2020 season and also saw Orlando Brown Jr. depart for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite all of those moves, one addition that has been going under the radar is the signing of offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James. The veteran was cut by the Denver Broncos after suffering a torn achilles while working out away from their facility.
Denver decided to move on from James because salaries for players can become unguaranteed for injuries that happen away from a team. Baltimore took advantage of that and signed a starting quality tackle in the middle of the offseason, albeit on that’s recovering from a major ailment.
On Thursday when asked about the possibility of James playing at some point this season, head coach John Harbaugh provided an update on the offensive tackle.
“I don’t think that’s changed. It’s kind of early to make any kind of prediction about timing and stuff like that, but he looks good. [He’s] walking around. He’s in the meetings and is very much a part of everything. So, that’s where you want him to be right now. [He’s] a great guy, a very likeable guy [and] a hard worker. So, we’ll just see what happens.”
The fact that the Ravens placed James on the non-football injury list instead of injured reserve is a good sign. When placed on the NFI, players are ineligible to practice or play for the first six weeks of the regular season. If James does return during 2021 he would be a great depth piece to have, and could even step in and play meaningful snaps if needed.
Even if James doesn’t play this season, Baltimore signed him to a two-year contract. He should be fully recovered before the start of the 2022 regular season, but whenever he does take the field for the Ravens, he should show why he was a sneaky good pickup.