Tag: Damion Ratley

Vikings make two practice squad additions

The Vikings announced the addition of two wide receivers to the practice squad on Wednesday.

With Adam Thielen’s playing status for Week 15 up in the air, Minnesota bulked up its practice squad wide receiver depth.

The Vikings announced Wednesday that they signed WRs Damion Ratley and Darrius Shepherd, both of whom could be decent candidates to be called up for the Bears game Monday night,

Thielen missed Week 14 with an ankle injury. Additionally, the Vikings placed WR Dede Westbrook on the COVID-19/Reserve list this week, leaving his playing status in doubt.

Ratley signed with the Cowboys practice squad earlier this year, only to be released shortly after. He most recently played in an NFL game in 2020, doing so with the Giants. He had 63 receiving yards in five games with New York.

Shepherd has experience in the league as a kick and punt returner, which suggests he may be a possible replacement for Westbrook this week. He had one punt return for six yards with the Packers in 2020. He also had 11 kick returns for 227 receiving yards that year.

With Vikings RB Alexander Mattison out for the Bears game Monday night, Minnesota may opt to give kick returner Kene Nwangwu more reps at running back in Week 15. That could open the door for Shepherd to take kick returning duties in addition to punt return duties. However, nothing is set in stone at the moment. The Vikings could go in a lot of different directions in Chicago.

Lions waive-injured OT Tyrell Crosby among series of roster cuts

Offensive tackles Tyrell Crosby and Dan Skipper were each waived with injury status, ending their 2021 seasons in Detroit

The Detroit Lions got a sweeping start off on their roster cutdowns. The team made several moves on Monday in advance of the 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline to trim the active roster to 53.

After earlier releasing WR Breshad Perriman and CB Mike Ford, the Lions announced more cuts from head coach Dan Campbell prior to taking the practice field on Monday. The most notable is offensive tackle Tyrell Crosby, who was waived with injury designation.

Crosby was the team’s starting right tackle in 2020 and was projected to be the top reserve offensive lineman in 2021, but he’s battled an injury throughout training camp. He played poorly in the third preseason game, allowing an easy sack in the loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Campbell did not mince words in talking about the decision to waive Crosby.

We didn’t feel like he was one of the best guys,” Campbell said.

The same fate befell offensive tackle Dan Skipper, who would have been the proverbial “next man up” behind Crosby. Skipper suffered a bad leg injury in Friday night’s preseason finale against Buffalo.

Both Crosby and Skipper will revert to the Lions’ injured reserve if they are not claimed by another team. They will not be eligible to return for Detroit in 2021.

The other players released on Monday:

  • WR Victor Bolden
  • DT Miles Brown
  • OL Evan Heim
  • WR Damion Ratley
  • S Alijah Holder

None of the players released are expected to be candidates for the Lions’ practice squad.

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Jeff Okudah back for final minicamp practice, Tracy Walker sits out

Okudah had a bandage over his right eye

A day after sitting out of Detroit Lions minicamp practice, starting cornerback Jeff Okudah was back on the practice field in Allen Park on Thursday. Okudah didn’t go full bore but participated in the defensive install at the beginning of practice before observing during drills.

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Okudah and wide receiver Damion Ratley had a collision late in Tuesday’s practice that saw both players holding their heads. Both sat out Wednesday as precautionary measures, per head coach Dan Campbell. As the coach stated, it was not a serious injury. Okudah had a bandage over his right eye.

Safety Tracy Walker did sit out Thursday’s final session of minicamp for undisclosed reasons. He joined fourth-round rookie LB Derrick Barnes in watching from the sidelines and working with trainers.

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Damion Ratley: What the Lions are getting in their new WR

Scouting report on the newest Lions WR

The Lions signed free agent wideout Damion Ratley to a one-year contract on Wednesday. Ratley joins an overhauled receiving corps that also features new additions Tyrell Williams, Kalif Raymond and Breshad Perriman.

What are the Lions getting in Ratley?

I covered Ratley with the Cleveland Browns, who drafted him in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL draft. Lions senior personnel executive John Dorsey was the Browns’ GM at the time, and his faith in Ratley remains strong.

Ratley is a downfield, outside-the-numbers threat. At 6-2 and 200 pounds, measurements which pass the eye test, he’s a long-striding speedster. The Browns used him as a vertical threat, running primarily deep outside routes flanking a slot receiver underneath (Jarvis Landry) or a flexed-out TE (David Njoku).

This route chart from Ratley’s rookie season against the Chargers is very emblematic of how he was used. The 6-catch, 82-yard output is his best career game through three years.

Ratley has proven capable of making the amazing catch. His one-handed stab while fully extended in the end zone against the Bengals in 2019 is an impressive career highlight. It’s his only career TD,

He was always a player for the Browns who hinted at being capable of more, but he wasn’t ever able to string together solid practices or games. Injuries have been a factor; while he’s never had a serious injury, he missed time in both the 2019 and 2020 training camps with leg issues that severely hindered his ability to compete for a bigger role. For a straight-line speed guy, having issues with soft tissue in the legs is problematic.

The Browns cut him prior to the 2020 season and he wound up making a small ripple with the New York Giants. He had four catches in six games but Giants fans remember him for an offensive pass interference penalty that wiped out a Sterling Shepard TD in a 3-point loss to the rival Cowboys.

He gives effort as a blocker but has never been effective at it. Despite his size, he’s not a physical player. He can make the contested catch and will go get the ball in the air, but more physical coverage and jams do impact him more than others. The Browns briefly auditioned him as a return man but that was a non-starter, as he lacks the field vision and quickness to be effective in that capacity.

In Detroit, Ratley figures to get a chance to prove he can be the No. 4/No. 5 wideout and a deep threat who can impact the coverage. He’s a more natural catcher and nuanced route runner than ex-Lions draft pick Corey Fuller, though they play the same basic role and are physically quite similar.

Lions sign WR Damion Ratley

The Detroit Lions have signed WR Damion Ratley as a free agent

It was a busy Wednesday at Detroit Lions headquarters in Allen Park. The team signed former Saints linebacker Alex Anzalone to a one-year contract, but they weren’t done adding talent. Detroit also added free agent wide receiver Damion Ratley.

Ratley was most recently with the Houston Texans, though he never played for the team. He spent the first part of the 2020 season with the New York Giants after two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. The 6-2, 200-pound Ratley has 29 career catches in 31 games.

He is the latest addition to an overhauled receiving corps that is clearly more focused on speed. Ratley clocked a 4.40 40-yard dash time at his pro day at Texas A&M in 2018. That happens to be head coach Dan Campbell’s alma mater, too.

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Texans waive four players as free agency push continues

The Houston Texans have waived four players as they seek to get under the salary cap for the start of the new league year on March 17.

The Houston Texans announced Tuesday they have waived four players as they seek to get under the salary cap before March 17 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time.

The Texans waived former Fort Bend Elkins receiver J’Mon Moore, who played with the Green Bay Packers in 2018 and then the Cleveland Browns from 2019-20 before coming to Houston. Moore originally signed a two-year reserve/future contract with the Texans at the end of the 2020 season.

Houston also waived former Texas A&M receiver Damion Ratley, who was on the team’s practice squad since October.

The Texans waived inside linebacker Curtis Bolton and defensive tackle Andre Brown.

In addition to getting under the salary cap by the deadline, the Texans are also evaluating which personnel can help in their new Tampa-2 scheme which deploys a 4-3 front. The Texans are also evaluating the depth of their roster, as special teams appears to be a point of emphasis in roster construction.

Texans cut former Texas A&M receiver Damion Ratley

The Houston Texans cut former Texas A&M receiver Damion Ratley, a 2018 Cleveland Browns sixth-round pick who also played with the New York Giants.

The Houston Texans are cutting former Texas A&M receiver Damion Ratley.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans are parting ways with the former Cleveland Browns 2018 sixth-round pick. The 6-2, 200-pound wideout was added to the Texans’ practice squad on Oct. 22, 2020 after the New York Giants cut him on Oct. 14. Ratley was not active for any games for Houston, and he was due a $920,000 base salary in 2021.

Ratley caught four passes for 63 yards in his five games with the Giants. From 2018-19 when he was with the Browns, Ratley caught 25 passes for 344 yards and a touchdown in his 26 games with the AFC North club.

The 25-year-old played his high school football at Yoakum High School in Yoakum, Texas.

Texans waive RB C.J. Prosise, sign WR Damion Ratley to active roster

The Houston Texans made adjustments to the active roster, waiving RB C.J. Prosise and signing WR Damion Ratley to the active roster.

The Houston Texans continue to find ways to adjust their roster, even as they enter a meaningless Week 17.

The club waived running back C.J. Prosise on Monday and signed receiver Damion Ratley from the practice squad to the active roster.

Prosise played in 10 games for the Texans, carrying 10 times for 19 yards and catching five passes for 18 yards and a touchdown. The former Seattle Seahawks 2016 third-round pick also had eight kickoff returns for 149 yards.

Ratley, a former Yoakum High School and Texas A&M product, was taken by the Cleveland Browns in Round 6 of the 2018 NFL Draft. Ratley spent two seasons with Cleveland before being waived at the end of training camp. The 6-2, 200-pound wideout played for the New York Giants until being waived on Oct. 13.

Texans place practice squad protections on DT Auzoyah Alufohai, WR Damion Ratley

The Houston Texans placed practice squad protections on defensive tackle Auzoyah Alufohai and receiver Damion Ratley for Week 16.

The Houston Texans have announced their practice squad protections for Week 16 as they gear up to play the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium.

Houston has placed protections on undrafted rookie defensive tackle Auzoyah Alufohai and receiver Damion Ratley.

Alufohai saw the first action of his career in Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts. The former West Georgia product collected a tackle among his 15 snaps played on defense. The 6-4, 320-pound interior defensive lineman also played five snaps on special teams.

Ratley, a Yoakum High School and Texas A&M product, has been a member of the Texans’ practice squad since Oct. 20. The Texans signed former practice squad receiver, Chad Hansen, to the active roster ahead of the Week 15 loss to the Colts.

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Darius Slayton, James Bradberry were highest-graded Giants in Week 5

WR Darius Slayton and CB James Bradberry were the highest-graded New York Giants in a Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

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The New York Giants experienced another mixed bag in a Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Their offense finally stepped up to the plate, but it was their defense that ultimately let them down.

It was just the latest example of the Giants failing to put things all together and ending up with another loss.

On the positive side of things, wide receiver Darius Slayton had one of the best games of his career (8 receptions for 129 yards) and that was reflected in the Pro Football Focus grades. Slayton earned a team-high grade of 91.6.

On the defensive side of the ball, cornerback James Bradberry led the charge with an overall grade of 77.9, including a coverage grade of 791. And even that seems low for a guy who completely shut down Amari Cooper.

Also checking in with an impressive grade was punter Riley Dixon, who earned an 87.9 for his beautiful touchdown pass to tight end Evan Engram on a fake field goal (the play was negated due to a penalty).

Meanwhile, quarterback Daniel Jones earned an overall grade of 68.6, defensive tackle Leonard Williams a grade of 74.6 and safety Jabrill Peppers a grade of 73.5.

The lowest-graded Giants of Week 5 were linebackers Tae Crowder (28.0) and Devante Down (32.4), and cornerback Ryan Lewis (33.8).

The lowest-graded offensive players were center Nick Gates (42.6) and wide receiver Damion Ratley (49.0).

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