Tag: D.J. Fluker

Willie Snead, D.J. Fluker thinner as Marquise Brown gets bigger this offseason

Several Ravens players changed physique this offseason with Marquise Brown getting much bigger while Willie Snead, D.J. Fluker got smaller

Baltimore Ravens players had a variety of different goals this offseason. For some, it was simply to improve their technique from what they did last year. For others, there was a weight change in the plans. Now as the Ravens get into training camp, we’re seeing the results of all their hard work and some impressive new physiques.

Both wide receiver Willie Snead and guard D.J. Fluker are thinner than they were last year. Snead said he’s been working out since last season ended until now and is seven pounds lighter because of it.

“I started working out [in] February until we reported last week,” Snead said on a video press conference with reporters Wednesday. “I got the results I wanted. I feel faster. I feel lighter. I dropped like seven pounds. I’m really feeling good at this weight. I haven’t been this weight since my first year in the league and I’m just feeling pretty good going into the season.”

Snead is feeling good and based on his Twitter account, he’s ready for a breakout season.

Fluker has been posting some of his workouts to Instagram. He quipped the “proof is in the salad not the pudding,” saying he’s down two shirt sizes.

On The Lounge podcast, Fluker said his goal was to get down to 330 pounds where he’s a “whole different breed of animal.” While he was listed at 342 pounds on Baltimore’s roster this offseason, it seems like he could be down to around that goal weight if his social media photos are any indication.

But it’s not all about trimming the pounds for every player this offseason. Unlike Snead, who talked about being faster with the loss of weight, Marquise Brown wanted to bulk up a bit before his second season in the NFL.

Brown said he actually lost weight last year, which was likely due to a foot injury that kept him out of the NFL Scouting Combine and a large part of training camp. But Brown entered training camp after having a screw removed from his foot and said he’s feeling “100 times better” than he did last year. Not only did Brown get to the 170-ish pounds he was at Oklahoma, but he added another 10 pounds of muscle on top of that. And for those that fear Brown’s increased weight and strength might have sapped his top speed, he said he’s just as fast as ever.

“While I was gaining weight, I made sure I was running. I kept track,” Brown said Wednesday. “I got the Ravens to send me a GPS tracker down to make sure I was still running at top speed, at good speed. Everything, with gaining weight, was keeping my speed and getting faster.”

Brown thinks the extra weight will help him with “absorbing hits off the catch” as well as blocking downfield. But more importantly, Brown believes the extra weight and strength will help with injuries.

Entering his second season in the NFL, Brown is primed for a true breakout year. He had a stellar rookie campaign, especially considering his foot injury, catching 46 passes for 584 yards and seven touchdowns. But if Brown is indeed as fast as he was last year and bigger, it stands to reason he could truly ball out in 2020 and set the league on fire.

Throughout the entire offseason, every player we’ve had a chance to talk to has given off the energy of being hungry, going the extra mile to reach a new level. After back-to-back disappointing postseasons, that desire certainly makes sense. Now it’s time to see if that hard work results in more wins and a Lombardi Trophy and not just the need for a new wardrobe.

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Ravens G D.J. Fluker alleged victim of domestic violence incident

According to police and court documents, Baltimore Ravens guard D.J. Fluker was allegedly punched in the nose by his long-time partner.

Baltimore Ravens guard D.J. Fluker has allegedly been the victim of several domestic violence incidents from his long-time partner Kimberly Davis, according to police documents obtained by Austin Denean of Fox 45 Baltimore.

Fluker alleges Davis punched him in the nose over an argument over social media on July 13. Davis was arrested after police observed dried blood coming from Fluker’s nose, according to the police report. Davis has been charged with second-degree assault, according to court records.

The Ravens are aware of the situation, according to Senior Vice President of Communications Chad Steele.

“We have been in regular communication with D.J. regarding this matter and will continue to monitor the situation,” Steele said in a statement to Denean.

Baltimore signed Fluker to a one-year contract this offseason, following the retirement of Marshal Yanda. Fluker is expected to be in competition for the starting right guard job in training camp after two years starting for the Seattle Seahawks. Fluker is entering his seventh season in the NFL after being selected 11th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft by the then-San Deigo Chargers.

Seahawks use Twitter to remember fallen soldiers on Memorial Day

Russell Wilson and a handful of other Seattle Seahawks used social media to commemorate those who lost their lives on Memorial Day.

Memorial Day often marks the beginning of the warm weather season, summers filled with barbecues, beverages, friends, and baseball on the TV.

This year is a little different, as the COVID-19 crisis has made the holiday feel a lot more like a regular day, thanks to social distancing practices that have kept the majority of Americans at home, many without jobs.

However, it is still a day to celebrate those who have lost their lives while serving our country, and while that may not happen over a barbecue with the neighbors, remembrance can still be had over social media.

The Seattle Seahawks took to Twitter to celebrate our fallen soldiers, and a handful of current and former players followed suit as well.

The Seahawks will continue to hunker down, with a handful of NFL teams set to re-open their practice facilities in the month of June.

The Seahawks are not set to begin training camp until the end of July, and it is still unclear if that will happen at the practice facility or not.

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Ravens officially sign OL D.J. Fluker

The Baltimore Ravens had previously agreed to terms with former Seattle Seahawks offensive lineman D.J. Fluker but made the deal official.

The Baltimore Ravens had previously agreed to terms with veteran offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, but they made the deal official, announcing it on Twitter.

Fluker had been released by the Seattle Seahawks this offseason, entering free agency. He’ll join a Ravens roster that will see competitions for multiple starting jobs along the interior of the offensive line. Right guard is the job most clearly up for grabs after Marshal Yanda retired this offseason, but general manager Eric DeCosta also said left guard and center will see competition in training camp as well.

While Baltimore has Ben Powers likely penciled in for the starting job at right guard, Fluker has the experience to make a push there as well. As a former first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft and with seven years in the league, Fluker is the most experienced player on Baltimore’s offensive line behind backup tackle Andre Smith. Fluker also has played at tackle, giving the Ravens another potential backup option for Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown Jr.

Fluker’s signing had likely been held up as Baltimore waited for the offensive lineman to pass a physical. Teams have struggled to get physicals done with states enacting stay-at-home restrictions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The Ravens, like most NFL teams, have agreed to terms with players with deals being made official when physicals were done and passed. However, Baltimore has also seen one deal — for defensive tackle Michael Brockers — get canceled due to concerns that arose with a physical.

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Mike Iupati brought in to compete with Phil Haynes at left guard

The Seattle Seahawks aren’t just handing veteran Mike Iupati his old job at left guard, he will have to compete with Phil Haynes for it.

Speaking on the radio at 950 KJR, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider provided some clarity to the team’s guard situation following the selection of Damien Lewis and the subsequent release of veteran guard D.J. Fluker.

“Everybody felt like we were drafting a starting right guard in the National Football League,” Schneider said about Lewis, the team’s third round pick in the 2020 NFL draft. “He’s just a man.”

Even after cutting Fluker though, the team won’t just hand a rookie a starting job on the offensive line. Chance Warmack, who they signed early into free agency, is a former first round pick who the team believes has the ability to start in the NFL as well, and the team brought back Jordan Simmons, who started a few games for them back in 2018.

However, one of the expected sources of competition, 2019 fourth rounder Phil Haynes, is apparently going to compete to start at left guard with veteran Mike Iupati, who the team re-signed last month.

Schneider said the team decided to, “bring Mike Iupati back to add some stability on the left side [and] to compete with Phil Haynes.”

Iupati started every game he played last year, but evidently the little the team saw of Haynes near the end of the year was enough for them to consider it an open competition – which also bodes well for Lewis potentially starting on the right side.

No job is guaranteed on the Seahawks, except Russell Wilson’s, so the position battles all along the offensive line should be fun to track over the summer as this team looks to put the most competitive product on the field ahead of the 2020 campaign.

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What the D.J. Fluker signing means for the Ravens’ offensive line

The Ravens are bringing in former Chargers and Seahawks G D.J. Fluker, but what does it mean for their offensive line?

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The Baltimore Ravens are bringing in former Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks guard D.J. Fluker. This move comes after the team spent two picks over the 2020 NFL Draft beefing up their offensive line, adding Tyre Phillips and Ben Bredeson. With the recent influx of bodies at guard, the biggest question to be asked with Fluker’s signing is how it impacts everyone else on the offensive line.

The signing of Fluker brings some veteran experience to a Ravens offensive line that lost one of its leaders in Marshal Yanda, who retired this offseason. Ben Powers is tentatively expected to be the first man up to replace Yanda at the right guard spot, but he has very little in the way of experience in the NFL, something Fluker has in spades.

Fluker has played right guard for the bulk of his NFL career, moving there after playing right tackle for his first two years in the league with the Chargers. In total, Fluker has started 88 games and played for 5,833 offensive snaps, significantly more than Powers’ 30 and both Phillips’ and Bredeson’s 0. It’s also worth pointing out Fluker brings valuable versatility. He has some experience playing tackle and currently, Baltimore only has Andre Smith as a backup to both Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown Jr.

However, Fluker’s signing may just be a case of the Ravens wanting some veteran depth in the likely event of a truncated offseason. Fluker won’t count against Baltimore’s compensatory pick formula and depending on the price tag, it’s a low-cost move that they can quickly get out of should the youngsters prove up to the task.

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Ravens agree to terms with former Seahawks G D.J. Fluker

The Baltimore Ravens are beefing up their offensive line after the 2020 NFL Draft, adding experience at guard in D.J. Fluker

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The Baltimore Ravens are trying to fill the spot left by guard Marshal Yanda’s retirement this offseason. They already have Ben Powers and added Ben Bredeson as well as Tyre Phillips in the 2020 NFL Draft. But that apparently wasn’t enough.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Ravens are set to sign former Seattle Seahawks guard D.J. Fluker, pending a physical.

Fluker was a first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft to the then-San Diego Chargers before moving on to the Seahawks for the last two years. He’s started 88 total games, including 23 over the last two seasons and earned a 60.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus last year.

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The Ravens are bringing in some experience to their competition for the starting right guard job. While Powers is likely penciled into the starting role right now, neither he or Phillips and Bredeson have any NFL starts under their belt. As we saw last year at training camp, Baltimore likes having a competition for open offensive line jobs, and they want to bring in as many different angles as possible to get the best results.

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Seahawks confirm release of center Justin Britt, guard D.J. Fluker

The Seahawks have officially confirmed the team has released starting center Justin Britt and right guard D.J. Fluker, both cap casualties.

The Seattle Seahawks have officially confirmed the release of two veteran, starting offensive linemen – center Justin Britt and guard D.J. Fluker. News broke Sunday afternoon that both had been cut, with each player sharing his goodbye on social media.

Britt spent six seasons in Seattle after he was selected by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. After a couple of years at tackle and guard, Britt found his place at center in 2016 where he remained the starter.

Only quarterback Russell Wilson was a longer-tenured member of Seattle’s offense and the Seahawks quarterback penned his own goodbye to his center via his Instagram account.

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“Thanks for all the focus and hard work and love you brought to the game,” Wilson posted. “You laid it on the line for many years together and I will be forever grateful for your work ethic, passion, and love for the game, but most importantly others.”

Fluker, another cap casualty this season, spent two years in Seattle as the starting right guard. He will likely be replaced by Damien Lewis, who the Seahawks selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

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Damien Lewis will still face competition to start at right guard

Even after the Seattle Seahawks released D.J. Fluker, rookie Damien Lewis will face competition to start at right guard in 2020.

The Seattle Seahawks released hulking right guard and fan favorite D.J. Fluker on Sunday evening, clearing $3.6 million in cap space while appearing to clear the deck for Damien Lewis – the team’s third round pick in the 2020 NFL draft – to start in 2020.

Although coach Pete Carroll sounded very confident that Lewis could start right away – going as far as to say that, “he won’t take a back seat to anybody,” Carroll’s culture of competition won’t allow him to just hand the job to a rookie right away – he’ll have to earn it.

And with 17 offensive lineman still on the roster, even after the release of Fluker and Justin Britt, competition will be aplenty whenever the team is able to get back onto the field.

B.J. Finney is expected to move into the starting center role in place of Britt, but Lewis will still face competition from a litany of names; including Phil Haynes, Jamarco Jones, Ethan Pocic, Chance Warmack, Jordan Simmons, Jordan Roos, and Demetrius Knox.

Jones could end up reverting back to tackle, his natural position out of the draft, while Pocic is an option at center as well. However, both guys could conceivably see some work at right guard over the summer.

Lewis’ primary competition is Haynes, last year’s fourth round pick who started the final game of the season after missing the first half of the year while on the PUP list.

Haynes and Lewis are similar players, and Haynes has a full-year of development at the NFL level – which could work in his favor especially with a very different training period leading up to the 2020 season.

Haynes does profile more as a left guard however, and he could settle in as the backup to veteran Mike Iupati, likely paving way for Lewis to start in his first NFL campaign.

There’s a long way to go until then though, and coach Carroll will take every last minute before making his decision of who will be protecting Russell Wilson in the trenches.

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Report: Seattle Seahawks release starting center Justin Britt

The Seattle Seahawks have released starting center Justin Britt, the second of two offensive linemen cut on Sunday, according to reports.

The 2020 NFL Draft was the first glimpse of a sporting event American fans had seen since the coronavirus pandemic began sweeping the nation. But with all the new players added to the roster, cap casualties around the league began to emerge.

Sunday afternoon Seahawks guard D.J. Fluker penned a classy goodbye to Seattle fans, indicating that he had been released by the team. Seattle added right guard Damien Lewis to the squad via the draft to join the numerous offensive linemen added to the roster via free agency.

The next domino to fall was Seattle’s starting center, Justin Britt. While the Athletic’s Aaron Fentress was the first to tweet the news, the move was confirmed by numerous reporters citing sources close to the Seahawks.

Britt himself posted a simple “Thank you” via his Instagram account.

View this post on Instagram

Thank You.

A post shared by Justin Britt (@justinbritt68) on

Britt had been a likely cut candidate all offseason, saving the Seahawks roughly $8.5 million against the salary cap.

A six-year starter in Seattle, Britt appeared in only eight games last season after suffering an ACL injury midway through the year.

With Britt and Fluker no longer on the squad, the offensive line will be one of the position battles to watch closely when things finally open up and the new players can take the field.

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