Tag: Chris Board

Don Martindale details what injury to L.J. Fort means for Ravens’ defense

Don Martindale spoke about what the injury to L.J. Fort means for Baltimore’s defense

The Baltimore Ravens lost a key contributor on both defense and special teams during their Week 2 preseason matchup with the Carolina Panthers in inside linebacker L.J. Fort. The veteran defender tore his ACL in the first half of the contest, and the team placed him on injured reserve earlier in the week, effectively ending his season.

When asked about how Fort’s injury will impact his defense, defensive coordinator Don Martindale spoke on what will be missed about the veteran, as well as what opportunities will be available for fellow inside linebacker Kristian Welch.

“What it means is … L.J. [Fort], to me, is what this league is built on [and] the player that this league is built on; those guys that come in and have the careers that they’ve had just by working their tail off and doing everything right. The thing we’re going to miss out of him, in that room – the linebacker room itself – is just leadership and experience. He’d always talk to the younger guys in helping them along – last year, for example – and he would calm things down when he’d go in the game. So, we’re definitely going to miss that. But you’re seeing these younger guys starting to step up, and it is definitely going to be an opportunity for Kristian Welch, since L.J. went down. But we’re definitely going to miss him.”

It seems that Baltimore trusts the inside linebackers already on their roster, and that includes Welch, who is entering his second year in the NFL. There are a few free agent options available, but with it being so late in the offseason, it would make sense for the Ravens to roll with what they already have and see how it works out for the first couple of weeks.

Fort’s injury also means that linebackers Patrick Queen, Malik Harrison, and Chris Board will be relied upon more during the 2021 season.

L.J. Fort reportedly suffers season-ending injury

The Ravens reportedly lose a key contributor on defense for the season

The Baltimore Ravens have had plenty of injury problems so far during 2021, but none of them had been season-ending. That all reportedly changed in Week 2 of the preseason against the Carolina Panthers, as inside linebacker L.J. Fort went down with a knee injury in the first half.

After the game, head coach John Harbaugh offered a grim injury update on Fort, saying that things didn’t look good. On Sunday, those fears were confirmed, as it was reported that the linebacker tore his ACL, effectively ending his season.

Fort is a big loss for Baltimore’s defense. In his first two years with the Ravens, the linebacker accumulated 88 total tackles and two sacks. He was a big contributor on both defense and special teams, so Baltimore will feel his loss on multiple units.

The veteran’s injury opens up more playing time for linebackers such as Malik Harrison, Chris Board, Otaro Alaka and Kristian Welch. The Ravens could also opt to bring in a player from outside the organization to soften the blow of losing Fort, including K.J. Wright or a familiar face in Patrick Onwuasor.

Ravens 2021 free agency: Grading every signing

With the first wave of free agency over and the picture a lot clearer, we grade all of the Baltimore Ravens’ free-agent signings.

The NFL offseason is underway, meaning contracts are getting signed. Whether it’s extensions for players already on the roster or the signing of completely new free agents, NFL teams are looking to bolster their rosters for the upcoming season. The Baltimore Ravens are no exception, having dipped their toe into the free-agent pool a couple of times as well as looking inward to bring back some familiar faces.

With the first wave of free agency finished, I wanted to take a look back at everyone the Ravens signed this offseason. We now have a far clearer picture of what Baltimore is looking to do as a whole, helping provide more realistic grades for each signing.

Ravens tender 3 players, including RB Gus Edwards

Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said RB Gus Edwards was going to be a part of the team and he held up to it, handing out a 2nd-round tender

It seems like the Baltimore Ravens were waiting for the NFL to release the 2021 salary cap figures before making too many moves. With the NFL announcing the 2021 salary cap will sit at $182.5 million, the Ravens began making some moves.

According to Ravens staff writer Ryan Mink, Baltimore officially handed out tenders to three players — running back Gus Edwards (RFA), center Trystan Colon-Castillo (ERFA), and linebacker Kristian Welch (ERFA).

Though the Ravens didn’t announce which tenders were given to each player, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Edwards received a second-round tender. With the 2021 salary cap finalized, a second-round tender will run Baltimore $3.384 million for one season, according to Over The Cap. As a restricted free agent, Edwards can negotiate with other teams but they’ll have to give the Ravens a second-round selection if Baltimore fails to match an offer sheet. Considering the value of running backs in the NFL in this era, it’s unlikely Edwards will draw much, if any, interest given the tender.

Just because Edwards is now locked up through the 2021 season under a restricted free agent tender, it doesn’t mean the Ravens are done with him. Given the limited cap space this season, inking Edwards to a long-term deal could lower his 2021 cap hit, freeing up valuable funds to sign other players in free agency. At his pre-free-agency press conference, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta noted Edwards was going to be a part of the team “one way or the other” but seemed to indicate they’d like to get a deal done rather than having to rely on the tender.

As a part of a three-headed backfield in Baltimore last season, Edwards didn’t put up crazy stats by himself. Still, Edwards ran the ball 144 times, gaining 723 yards and six touchdowns in the process while adding another 129 receiving yards on nine catches. Edwards’ 5.0 rushing-yards-per-carry average in 2020 was tied for ninth among the entire NFL, or seventh among just running backs.

With fewer than three accumulated seasons in the NFL and expired contracts, Colon-Castillo and Wech are exclusive rights free agents. As ERFAs, Baltimore is able to offer one-year league-minimum contracts and the players cannot negotiate with other teams. Both will likely earn $780,000 in 2021 before becoming restricted free agents next offseason.

While center is one of the positions the Ravens are expected to address this offseason, Colon-Castillo could be in the mix as well, depending on what Baltimore does. Colon-Castillo started two games last season as the Ravens dealt with injuries, a COVID-19 outbreak, and lackluster play at the position.

Welch didn’t get much playing time on defense, seeing the field for just eight snaps. However, he received quite a bit of playing time on special teams, seeing 173 (41%) of the special-teams snaps last season.

The Ravens still have a few other ERFAs and RFAs that have yet to be tendered. Punter Johnny Townsend (ERFA), linebacker Chris Board (RFA), and wide receiver Antoine Wesley (ERFA) were not among those tendered yet. While Baltimore could still do so, the Ravens already have a punter in Sam Koch and are likely to address wide receiver in free agency or the 2021 NFL draft. Unfortunately for Board, his RFA status meant he was unlikely to receive a tender due to the higher cost against the salary cap. However, if Baltimore wants to keep him around, they could try to sign him to a contract extension at a lower value.

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Ravens pending free agents priority list: Who should Baltimore call first?

In total, Baltimore has 24 pending free agents they’ll have to discuss.

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The Baltimore Ravens played their final game of the season and have made a clear transition into the offseason. Coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta have held their annual season-ending press conferences and some initial roster moves have been completed. But as the Ravens begin the offseason, the very top of their to-do list involves figuring out their own roster and pending free agents.

In total, Baltimore has 24 pending free agents they’ll have to discuss. Who should be brought back and at what cost? Those are the questions only the front office can truly answer as they measure production (both current and potential) against what it’ll likely cost to re-sign them and try to fit it all into a very tight salary cap situation.

But with our general manager hats on, we here at Ravens Wire wanted to take a closer look at who we’d be calling if we were in control. Four of us independently ranked our free-agent priorities — not based on expectations of cost or who we felt would return — but on who we’d be most eager to start negotiations with.

Take a look below to see how we ranked the Ravens’ free-agent priorities and a quick analysis of why we placed them in their respective positions.

6 takeaways from Ravens’ 27-13 win over Giants

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants by the score of 27-13 in Week 16. We take a look at six key takeaways from the game

The Baltimore Ravens were able to pull out a 27-13 win over the New York Giants in Week 16 to move to 10-5 on the 2020 season. The game featured a high-powered Baltimore offense which ran all over the Giants’ high-ranked run defense, as the Ravens rushed for just under 250 yards on the ground and passed for almost 200 yards.

It was a well-balanced win for Baltimore, which saw major contributions by Lamar Jackson, J.K. Dobbins, Mark Andrews, Chris Board, and many others. While there were certain areas that Baltimore struggled in, all that matters is that the Ravens were able to come out with a victory and now control their playoff destiny due to the fact that both the Colts and Browns lost on Sunday.

Let’s dive into some major takeaways from Baltimore’s Week 16 win over New York.

Ravens LB Chris Board leads Pro Bowl voting for special teams

Despite having so many well-known players having solid seasons, it’s reserve linebacker Chris Board that leads the Pro Bowl voting.

The Baltimore Ravens put in a record number of players to the Pro Bowl last season, so it should be expected a handful will be invited once again this year. As of right now, the one player seemingly most on track to punch his ticket to the game is linebacker Chris Board, who leads all Pro Bowl fan voting for special teams — the only Baltimore player doing so at any position, holding 99,542 votes.

While the Ravens haven’t quite been as great as expected this season, they certainly haven’t had a bad season. After beating the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Baltimore currently holds a 9-5 record and is making quite the push for a playoff spot in these final weeks. As such, we’ve seen some pretty stellar individual performances this season, including cornerback Marlon Humphrey, linebacker Patrick Queen, quarterback Lamar Jackson, and offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr.

If Board carries through and earns a Pro Bowl nod, it’ll be his first. Board was signed as an undrafted free agent following the 2018 NFL Draft. He was expected to fight for a starting spot last year but was ultimately relegated to special teams following Week 4. This season, with the Ravens selecting Queen and Malik Harrison in the 2020 NFL Draft, Board was once again buried on the depth chart and started this season almost exclusively on special teams. But in recent weeks, Board has been getting more playing time on defense, culminating in getting a 62% snap share on Sunday.

With a great, young linebacker corps as the core of their defense, Baltimore looks like they’ve got a touch of the old school on the roster. And despite being the lesser-known of the group, Board certainly has enough fans out there.

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How Patrick Queen impacts the Ravens’ depth chart

With the Baltimore Ravens taking LB Patrick Queen in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, how does that shake up the depth chart?

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Now that the Baltimore Ravens have taken Patrick Queen with the 28th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, our focus shifts to how that affects to the Ravens’ roster.

Baltimore’s depth chart at linebacker was incredibly shallow prior to the draft, even though the Ravens had just signed Jake Ryan last week and gave an extension to L.J. Fort last season. Queen should be considered an immediate starter for Baltimore, which is something they didn’t have prior to the 2020 NFL Draft. But Queen might not fit in the spot many expect him to.

The depth chart as it stands right now should look like this:

Position 1st 2nd 3rd
MLB Chris Board Jake Ryan Otaro Alaka
WLB Patrick Queen L.J. Fort

Queen as a more rangy player actually fits in best at weak-side linebacker initially. That’s where the Ravens can maximize his playmaking ability and his speed in both coverage and as a potential blitzer, two things he showed at LSU.

One of the bigger knocks on Queen was his ability to play inside in run support. As an undersized linebacker, Queen can get caught up in the mess and struggles at times to recognize gap assignments, which makes him less effective as a traditional middle linebacker. While those are things he’ll certainly work on and he has the ability to improve dramatically at with more experience, Baltimore will get the most out of him by giving him room to run.

That makes middle linebacker a pretty hotly contested battle right now. Board, Ryan, and Alaka are all in the mix there as larger and more stout linebackers. Where Ryan comes with more starting experience, Board has more time in the playbook, which might make all the difference. Alaka still sits in third right now but could surprise people when the Ravens get back on the field for training camp.

Still, this is a group that could use more depth. The 2020 NFL Draft is far from over and there are some linebackers in the mid-to-late rounds that could come in an compete for a job as an early-down linebacker next to Queen. The second wave of free agency could even see an experienced option hit the market, which might be more up Baltimore’s alley given their lack of experience at the position.

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What does Jake Ryan’s addition mean for the Ravens’ 2020 NFL draft plans

With Jake Ryan coming to the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year deal, does it change what the Ravens are going to do in the 2020 NFL Draft?

The Baltimore Ravens bolstered their thinnest position group with the addition of inside linebacker Jake Ryan, who agreed to terms on a one-year contract pending a physical. With the 2020 NFL Draft coming up in less than a week, the biggest question with any new signing is how it will impact the Ravens’ draft plans. For Ryan, that’s a little bit of a complicated situation.

When healthy, Ryan is a starting-quality linebacker. In fact, he did that in 27 games over three seasons for the Green Bay Packers. But injuries have kept him from the field for all but one snap over the last two seasons, with the Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars respectively. While there’s certainly hope Ryan has recovered from the knee injury that put him on injured reserve in 2018 and the hamstring injury that ended his 2019 season, betting on that seems like a shaky proposition.

However, Baltimore just needed more experienced depth. Prior to Ryan’s signing, the Ravens had just three inside linebackers under contract and only L.J. Fort has started even just one NFL game. Only Fort and Chris Board have gotten any defensive snaps. With two linebacker spots to fill on base defense, that very limited depth and production simply wasn’t going to cut it for a Baltimore defense that has a long and proud history of linebacker play.

While Ryan’s addition certainly helps that depth, it likely isn’t a huge impact on the Ravens’ draft plans. They’re still likely going to use at least one of their nine picks at the position in the 2020 NFL Draft. However, they might not necessarily be forced into taking one of the linebackers — Patrick Queen and Kenneth Murray — who have frequently been mocked to them in the first round.

As director of college scouting Joe Hortiz noted in the pre-draft press conference, there are a bunch of linebackers that can be found later in the draft to fill specific roles. If Baltimore wants to split the position group into linebackers who can cover and ones who are stout against the run, they might be able to wait until Day 2 or 3 of the draft to find their other piece of the puzzle to combine with Ryan, Board and Fort.

As with everything the Ravens tend to do in the offseason, Ryan’s addition is about giving them more flexibility. They can let their draft board come to them without having to feel like they need to reach to fill a need with an early pick. It’s a strategy that has worked out quite well for Baltimore over the years, so it’s hard to disagree with it.

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Ravens injuries: LT Ronnie Stanley, ILB Chris Board still in concussion protocol

The Baltimore Ravens could be without left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who missed Week 15’s game against the NY Jets in the concussion protocol

The Baltimore Ravens simply need to beat the Cleveland Browns in Week 16 and they’ll lock themselves in as the No. 1 seed in the AFC. But they could have the tall task of beating a division rival without one of their best players.

According to coach John Harbaugh, left tackle Ronnie Stanley and linebacker Chris Board are still in the concussion protocol.

Both players missed the Ravens’ Week 15 42-21 win over the New York Jets. But with Cleveland likely attempting to play spoiler over Baltimore and looking to pick up a key win to potentially save jobs, missing Stanley would be a huge blow to the Ravens’ offense.

Stanley has been playing at an insane level, stepping up his game this season. He’s allowed just six pressures and no sacks through 13 active games, something that seems almost unheard of in this era of football. Of course, Baltimore features the top-ranked rushing offense in yards, touchdowns and yards-per-carry average — something Stanley is a big portion of.

Board hasn’t played much on defense after the Ravens signed L.J. Fort and Josh Bynes in the middle of the season. However, Board has gotten a number of snaps on special teams for Baltimore. And as a key reserve inside linebacker, Board would likely be counted on if there was an injury to Bynes or Fort.

With such a key game upcoming and with the playoffs looming in the future, the Ravens have an interesting question to ask themselves. While few teams have a chance to sit their players to rest up before the postseason, Baltimore might look to be extra cautious with Stanley returning in these final two games. But with a full week before the Ravens have to suit up against the Browns, there’s plenty of time for Stanley and Board to get healthy and back into the lineup.

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