The Ravens made six roster moves prior to Week 18 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals
The Baltimore Ravens are preparing for Week 18 against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens need a win to go along with a Los Angeles Charges win and a win of a coin flip to host a Wild Card playoff game after new rules were put in place following the scary situation with Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
The team made six roster moves prior to Sunday’s game, with multiple involving big names. Baltimore waived veteran tight end Nick Boyle and wide receiver DeSean Jackson, elevated quarterback Brett Hundley and defensive tackle Rayshad Nichols from the practice squad, and activated wide receiver Tylan Wallace and cornerback Daryl Worley from injured reserve.
The Ravens have waived veteran WR DeSean Jackson and TE Nick Boyle.
The team has elevated QB Brett Hundley and DT DT Rayshad Nichols from the practice squad and activated WR Tylan Wallace and CB Daryl Worley from IR.
The waiving of tight end Nick Boyle seemed inevitable. His playing time has been significantly less this year and he hasn’t been the same player since before suffering a significant leg injury during the 2020 season. The fifth-rounder out of Delaware was drafted by the Ravens in the 2015 NFL Draft. Known for his blocking skills, in 90 career games, Boyle had a total of 121 receptions for 1049 receiving yards and four total touchdowns.
Ravens inside linebacker Roquan Smith got his first interception as a member of the team in Week 14
The Pittsburgh Steelers were driving deep in Baltimore Ravens territory late in the second quarter of a 10-7 game in Week 14. Steelers backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky tried to find tight end Pat Freiermuth, but linebacker Roquan Smith jumped and picked it off. It was Smith’s first interception as a Raven, and third on the season.
The interception set up a 35-yard field goal by Justin Tucker to give the Ravens a 13-7 lead with a minute left in the half. Before the field goal, Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley connected with receiver DeSean Jackson for 25 yards on a third and seven.
After the first two drives of the game, it looked like the Raven’s defense could dominate rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, but he left the game with a concussion. Trubisky made some nice throws before Smith’s crucial interception to stop a potential scoring drive to tie the game.
The Baltimore Ravens have been shuffling their roster around throughout the entirety of 2022. They’ve seen players go down and come back from injury, made trades and signed plenty of free agents along the way as well.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Baltimore is signing wide receiver DeSean Jackson to their active roster from their practice squad, per his agent. Per NFL rules, you can only be elevated from the practice squad three times in total, and this past weekend was Jackson’s third time of the 2022 season. Baltimore also announced that they signed quarterback Brett Hundley to their practice squad and waived linebacker Devon Kennard from their practice squad, as well as waived wide receiver Binjimen Victor from their active roster.
Ravens are signing veteran WR DeSean Jackson to their active roster, per his agent @DrewJRosenhaus.
We have signed QB Brett Hundley to the practice squad and released LB Devon Kennard from the practice squad. We have waived WR Binjimen Victor from the active roster. pic.twitter.com/zN2K0H7YzH
In the Ravens 10-9 victory of the Denver Broncos in Week 13, Jackson had two receptions for 10 yards. He was targeted a third time, but quarterback Tyler Huntley couldn’t connect with him down the sideline. For Victor, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him back with Baltimore’s practice squad, as he was signed to the active roster for Week 13.
The Ravens made four roster moves ahead of their Week 13 game against the Broncos
The Baltimore Ravens will take on the Denver Broncos in Week 13 of the 2022 season, looking to improve their record to 8-4 on the year. Baltimore lost a heartbreaking game to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 12, and will be looking to get back on track in a big way.
Ahead of the contest, Baltimore announced that they made four roster moves. They placed wide receiver Tylan Wallace on injured reserve, signed wide receiver Binjimen Victor to the 53-man roster, and elevated wide receiver DeSean Jackson and defensive back Ar’Darius Washington from their practice squad to their active roster.
We have placed WR Tylan Wallace on IR.
We have signed WR Binjimen Victor to the 53-man roster.
We have also elevated WR DeSean Jackson and DB Ar'Darius Washington from the practice squad for tomorrow’s game.https://t.co/KxVtsSfyql
Each player could be relied upon heavily to make an impact in Week 13 against Denver, especially with some of the injuries that the team is going through at the moment. The Broncos have a strong defense, so hopefully Jackson and Victor can loosen up the defense with his speed.
Heading into Week 13, the teams that remain in contention get smaller and smaller in the NFL and in fantasy. This is the time top fantasy teams hope they can coast into their playoffs while the contenders have to fret over picking a defense or kicker because every point may count.
There is still transition on NFL teams though most of it is still related to the injury impacts. Starting now, teams slide into the “next year” mentality and will try out new players to evaluate their rosters.
Hopefully your still in the thick of the playoff race. Even if you aren’t, there’s always something to learn for next year.
Six items for this weekend:
1.) The Jets backfield – It was a surprise to see that James Robinson was inactive last week and that Zonovan “Pardon me?” Knight took his place. It was even more surprising to see Knight lead the offense with 14 carries for 69 yards. And no one was more surprised than James Robinson. Ty Johnson was given five carries and gained 62 yards that included a 32-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Robinson spoke with his RB coach and was told that the backfield will always be a committee approach and could change week to week.
HC Robert Saleh said that Knight had earned a spot in the rotation as the undrafted rookie was on the practice squad up until last weekend. He said that Robinson was still learning the system. Also notable, the trade for Robinson was for a sixth-round pick that could become a fifth-round pick if he gained 600 rushing yards. Robinson is currently at 415 yards.
What makes this even more interesting is that Michael Carter injured his ankle and hasn’t practiced yet. He may miss this game depending on what happens (or doesn’t) in Friday practice. The beauty of Breece Hall was that he handled around 20 touches per game and was a lock for a full-time workload. The Jets backfield is getting very hard to rely on right when fantasy playoffs are coming into focus.
2.) Deshaun Watson (CLE) – Needless to say, all everyone will watch Watson’s debut for the Browns against his old team. Maybe it won’t be much more than a rusty quarterback in new system that likes to run and he does starts slowly. Maybe having a playbook and some practice time is all he needed. Maybe the media, Houston fans, and potential protesters will make this all into a circus. At 4-7, the Browns have fallen from contention but there is every reason to want to end on a high note. This feels like a messy way to start.
It looks like Watson will be without David Njoku, so beware of assuming patterns to persist from his first game. It will also be interesting to see how much he runs.
3.) WR Rashid Shaheed (NO) – Speaking of teams that are no longer in contention, the 4-8 Saints are sticking (at least for now) with Andy Dalton as the starting quarterback. But they have ramped up the use of undrafted rookie wideout Shaheed. The ex-Weber State receiver played there for five years as a kick and punt returner and totaled 146 receptions. His small school and lack of production left him out of the NFL draft but he’s become the No. 3 wideout in New Orleans.
He played almost as many snaps as Chris Olave (38) or Jarvis Landry (32) last week and had 28 in Week 11. The Saints are giving him a chance to be more than just a returner. He ran in a 44-yard touchdown in Week 6 and then caught a 53-yard score in Week 7. He’s been sparsely used but last Sunday, he ran once for six yards and caught passes of 35- and 18-yards as the Saints started to explore their roster more. He’s done well in abbreviated use and they are looking to involve him more. He’s 6-0 and is estimated to run between 4.3 and 4.4 40-time.
4.) Houston offense – The Texans once again spent their season trying to get their offense to stop sputtering and gain some consistent firepower. That happened in part with Dameon Pierce, who exceeded all expectations with six games of 100+ total yards and four scores in the first nine games. But Week 11 versus the Commanders was just ten runs for eight yards. Week 12 saw the same eight yards on five rushes in the loss to Miami. The Texans lost almost all their previous games, so why stop handing off to the only thing that used to work?
HC Lovie Smith, no doubt feeling the weight of losing, said that the change in workload was related to the ground game not showing enough to warrant forcing the carries in the backfield. They are at that part of a season gone bad where the fans and owners need to see there is still an attempt to find something that works better, hence the change to Kyle Allen at quarterback. The Texans may continue to focus on the pass at the expense of Pierce. Allen threw 39 passes in his debut, while Davis Mills only turned in one of his ten starts with that many passes. It hasn’t changed much for Brandin Cooks or Nico Collins yet, but at least Jordan Akins had a season-high game last week.
5.) 49ers backfield – For a unit that has so much fantasy potential, it is just getting to be a bigger headache to expect reliable results. Elijah Mitchell is out again with a <just pick something> for the next six or eight weeks, which is another way to say “maybe the playoffs.” Deebo Samuel contributes as a running back but was held out of practice yesterday which was a downgrade from his limited work on Wednesday. Friday practice and the injury report will disclose his status, but he is not trending in the right direction. That leaves just Christian McCaffrey from the A-Team.
He left last week complaining about knee irritation and then missed practice on Wednesday. According to HC Kyle Shanahan, the problem was caused by his knee brace. McCaffrey said he would play this week, but he has made it deeper into this season than he did in 2020 or 2021. Just saying.
Even with McCaffrey there, the 49ers need to mix in one or two other backs. That should fall on Jordan Mason, Tyrion Price-Davis or even Tevin Coleman who is on the practice squad after being released earlier this season. The 49ers need at least one of them to assume the role for Elijah Mitchell. They may regret trading Jeff Wilson. If one of the three is allowed a significant amount of touches (compared to the other two backs), then he could offer surprising fantasy value and if McCaffrey was to miss time or be rested, it could allow one of the three to become a rarity – a new primary back in a great offense with good blocking in the final month of the season.
6.) WR DeSean Jackson (BAL) – Sure, he is 36 years old. He changed teams six times and hasn’t scored more than twice in a season since 2018. He’s played in just two games as a Raven, but last week his two catches for 74 yards included a 62-yard gain in the fourth quarter of the loss to the Jaguars. Rashod Bateman left in Week 9 and Devin Duvernay is locked under 25 yards per game. Demarcus Robinson had one good showing in Week 11 but only one catch last week.
Jackson is more of a Daily Fantasy play. The Ravens need the help in the passing offense and there are a few soft secondaries looming that he could potentially exploit – Steelers twice and the Falcons with their No. 32 ranked pass defense. Again – no one has gotten rich off Jackson in many years, but he could help the Ravens while offering a cheap Daily play with upside.
Ravens wide receiver Demarcus Robinson talks about how he could be a focal point
The Baltimore Ravens haven’t always been known for their wide receivers. Heading into the 2022 season, the position was a question mark once again, and the team signed wide receiver Demarcus Robinson during training camp, starting his career in Baltimore.
In the 13-3 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 11, Robinson had his best game with nine receptions for 128-yards. With Rashod Bateman out for the season and DeSean Jackson missing the game, Robinson needed to step up, and he did. Robinson spoke about being glad to be a focal point in the Ravens offense during the game, and how he feels like he can be a focal point in general.
“I felt like I could be a big focal point wherever I would have [gone]. I’m glad it’s here, obviously. I feel like I can be a big focal point, for sure.”
The offense needs the rest of the receiving corp to step up during the second half of the year if they plan on going far in the postseason and playing consistent football. If Robinson can carry the load from now on with some of his teammates, the team will be in great shape moving forward.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh gave injury updates on key players
The Baltimore Raven’s bye week ended has concluded as they now prepare to face Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers at M&T Bank Stadium. Before the bye, the Ravens faced a few injuries, such as tight end Mark Andrews, running back Gus Edwards, wide receiver DeSean Jackson, and outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul.
The bye week came at a great time for the team in hopes of getting those players back for the stretch run. Head coach John Harbaugh spoke to the media on Monday, and gave updates on the injured players as well as how it was for Andrews to have a few weeks off.
Coach Harbaugh on the status of TE Mark Andrews, RB Gus Edwards, OLB Jason Pierre-Paul and WR DeSean Jackson. pic.twitter.com/Y8DmmzD6PD
“I think, good. [When] you talk to Mark [Andrews], he sounds very positive, obviously, about it, and the trainers, as well. We’ll see how it progresses throughout the rest of the week. It’ll be the same answer for Gus [Edwards]. ‘JPP’ [Jason Pierre-Paul] was out there today. And [with] DeSean [Jackson], all those guys, we’ll just see how they look on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. They all have a real good chance.”
If the Ravens can stay relatively healthy for the rest of the season, they should have a legitimate shot at making a deep run in the playoffs. Andrews and Edwards in particular are crucial parts of the offensive game plan, so having them both back will be able to keep opposing defenses honest. This season health-wise, the team is in better shape than they were in 2021.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh gave updates on injured players following Week 9 against the Saints
The Baltimore Ravens beat the New Orleans Saints 27-13 on “Monday Night Football” in Week 9. The win brought their record to 6-3 and allowed them to keep sole possession of first place in the AFC North as they head into their bye week.
Baltimore saw a few players go down with injuries throughout the contest in wide receiver DeSean Jackson and outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul. Head coach John Harbaugh gave an update on both players, talking about how the outside linebacker tweaked his ankle and both he and Jackson should be good to go after the bye week.
"Yeah JPP tweaked his ankle a little. Nothing too serious.. he should be fine coming back from the bye. Same thing with DeSean, he should be fine coming back from the bye." pic.twitter.com/ckQOf0zgd2
“Yes, he kind of tweaked his ankle a little bit. Nothing too serious, it just wasn’t something that we felt like we wanted to challenge too much with the way the game was going right there. So, he should be fine coming back from the bye [week]. Same thing with DeSean [Jackson]; he should be fine coming back from the bye.”
The good news about the bye week is that it will give players who are dealing with minor injuries a chance to heal up in time for the stretch run. The Ravens need as many players healthy as possible in order to make it to the Super Bowl, and while they’ve seen season-ending injuries happen, they are in a relatively good spot, especially compared to last season.
The Baltimore Ravens released their second injury report before Week 9
The Baltimore Ravens the second injury report in preparation for their Monday night game in New Orleans against the Saints. The Ravens are 5-3 on the season while the Saints are 3-5. It was announced that second-year receiver Rashod Bateman would be out for the rest of the season to undergo surgery on his foot.
The report for Friday remains almost the same as the first injury report, with wide receiver Demarcus Robinson as the newest member added, being limited in practice with a groin injury. The receiving group will need everyone to step up with the absence of Bateman and possibly being without tight end Mark Andrews as well.
It’s more than likely that newly signed receiver DeSean Jackson will be active on Monday night. He will add another deep threat for the offense that will be in need of the receivers to help quarterback Lamar Jackson. The receivers as a whole have the second fewest yards in the NFL, so they need to step up in a big way.
Kirk Cousins returns to FedEx Field this weekend. We look back at the top 10 performances from his six seasons in Washington.
Kirk Cousins is a divisive figure in Washington. A fourth-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft, Cousins immediately began his career in the shadow of the No. 2 overall pick from the same draft, Robert Griffin III.
While Griffin had an electric rookie year, it was all downhill for him after injuring his knee in a home playoff game in Jan. 2013. His career in Washington — or the NFL — would never be the same.
Enter Cousins.
After bouncing in and out of the lineup throughout his first three seasons, head coach Jay Gruden named Cousins the permanent starter ahead of the 2015 season, and his career took off.
Cousins returns to FedEx Field this weekend for the first time since leaving as a free agent after the 2017 season, signing with the Minnesota Vikings.
We aren’t going to get into why Cousins left. Instead, we look back at Cousins’ top 10 performances in the burgundy and gold.
