Tag: John Harbaugh

Report: Ravens cut UDFA QB Tyler Huntley

The Baltimore Ravens are cutting UDFA quarterback Tyler Huntley, making way for Trace McSorley to make the Ravens’ 53-man roster again.

The Baltimore Ravens continue to make their cuts as they look to create the best 53-man roster possible for the regular season. That means trimming back at the most important position on the team: quarterback.

According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, the Ravens have cut undrafted free agent quarterback Tyler Huntley. The move comes as a bit of a shock since Huntley had been outplaying Trace McSorley throughout training camp, showing off a big arm and accuracy to go along with his mobility.

Baltimore coach John Harbaugh indicated the team was likely to keep three quarterbacks on the roster yet again this season. This bucks a tradition of keeping just two on the roster in previous years. However, with primary backup quarterback Robert Griffin III in the final year of his contract and having said he wants to start again, the third quarterback would seemingly be groomed to be Lamar Jackson’s backup as early as next year. The decision was too close to call heading toward the deadline with McSorley’s experience likely winning out over Huntley’s offseason play.

The decision to cut Huntley is yet another blow to the Ravens’ chances of keeping a UDFA on the team. Huntley and safety Nigel Warrior seemingly had the best chances of making Baltimore’s 53-man roster, but have been cut with a chance to return on the practice squad. The coronavirus pandemic has made it harder for undrafted players to make the team this season, potentially breaking a 16-year streak of the Ravens keeping at least one UDFA on the 53-man roster.

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Ravens 3rd QB spot still up for grabs as training camp closes

Who will win the Baltimore Ravens’ third quarterback spot on the 53-man roster? It’s too close to tell with roster cuts coming down.

Final cuts are coming, but that doesn’t necessarily mean all the major roster decisions have been made already. With teams having until 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday to get their rosters down to 53 players, the next few hours will see front offices and coaches making their final cases to keep some players and to cast others aside.

One of the bigger issues affecting the Ravens would seem to be the identity of their third quarterback. The team has spoken quite openly about retaining three signal-callers this season after historically only going with two. That means the team faces a choice between second-year player Trace McSorley and undrafted rookie Tyler Huntley to sit behind Lamar Jackson and Robert Griffin III.

McSorley and Huntley are similar athletes, effectively running the same 40-yard dash times (4.56 at Huntley’s pro day and 4.57 for McSorley at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine). Though McSorley made the 53-man roster last year, he was hardly featured during his first season, playing in a single game in 2019. In that game, he had a single rushing attempt for one yard. McSorley stuck on the roster behind Lamar Jackson and Robert Griffin because, as Harbaugh alluded to earlier this offseason, they didn’t think he would stick on the practice squad and would be poached by another team.

Huntley has seriously turned some heads with his play during Ravens training camp. His senior season with Utah in 2019 was the best year of his college career, completing 73.1% of his passes for 3,092 yards while tossing 19 touchdowns to just four interceptions. He also scored 16 rushing touchdowns in his four seasons with the Utes. Huntley was named to the first-team All-Pac-12 over former Oregon quarterback and first-round pick Justin Herbert last season.

Huntley has taken advantage of an increased workload with Lamar Jackson missing time over the last few days and seems to have impressed onlookers with his play. Jamison Hensley of ESPN suggested the final call could be as close as a coin flip.

With both players eligible for the practice squad, it is likely that they will both be around in the future. But if the Ravens have pre-existing doubts that they’d be able to keep McSorley on the practice squad, then they may feel justified in keeping him on the 53-man roster. We’ve given Huntley a 50% shot of making the team in our look at all of the Ravens UDFAs ahead of cut day but have him on the final 53-man roster prediction.

Either way, both young players will be anxious to avoid a call from The Turk on Saturday afternoon.

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Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s brother, Raven’s coach John Harbaugh: ‘Free the Big Ten’

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh’s brother, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, has seemingly started a campaign to ‘Free the Big Ten.’

Ohio State fans love to hate on Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh but have a softer spot for his brother, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. Maybe it has something to do with beating up on his younger brother in the NFL and adding to the misery of the khaki wearing, awkward press conference holding Wolverine head man. Or, maybe it has more to do with a few former Ohio State players being drafted and on the Ravens’ roster.

Either way, Buckeye fans don’t invoke a gag reflex when they hear John as opposed to Jim speak.

And so it was with another sound bite we got from John (not Jim) this past week. At his media availability session this past Wednesday, the elder Harbaugh started what seemed like a campaign to get the Big Ten to play football as soon as possible.

“Free the Big Ten, Free the Big Ten,” said Harbaugh. “Let’s go, let’s go play some football. Let’s get Michigan and Ohio State and all those great teams out there and play some football. Michigan has zero positive tests in August. They are doing a great job with their protocols. And those guys want to play.”

John is of course beating a drum that is near and dear to his little brother’s heart. The Big Ten voted (supposedly) to postpone the fall season over COVID-19 concerns and Jim Harbaugh has been a proponent of moving forward. Michigan’s testing results have been extremely positive and he and other coaches believe the monitoring and protocols set up for the student-athletes provide a safe enough environment to move forward. That includes Ohio State.

The Ravens head coach went on to say that players and families should have the option of playing or not rather than taking the opportunity completely away.

“And for anyone that wants to opt out, they can,” John Harbaugh continued. “Their families should have that choice, just like the Southeastern Conference gave the players and families … that choice, and most of them decided to play.”

In fact, one of the biggest criticisms of Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren’s desire to play in the spring is the fact that his son is still set to play this fall with Mississipi State, an SEC team.

But hey, who’s keeping track? Just the whole world it seems.

 

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Ravens coach John Harbaugh wants to ‘Free the Big Ten’

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said that he wants the Big Ten to gear up and play football as quickly as possible.

In the midst of a worldwide pandemic, sports have been severely impacted. Leagues have been suspended for long periods of time, countless protocols have been implemented, and we are just recently seeing certain sports come back and resume play. However, one of the sports most severely impacted by COVID-19 has been college football.

While schools all across the country have welcomed students back onto campus, some major Power Five conferences have decided to suspend their seasons. While conferences such as the SEC, Big-12, and ACC have all committed to playing fall football, others like the Pac-12 and Big Ten have decided to forgo fall football and hopefully play in the spring.

One of the schools impacted by the Big Ten and their decision not to play in the fall is the University of Michigan, where Ravens coach John Harbaugh’s brother Jim coaches. John Harbaugh rallied for college football to return.

“This is my position: I say, ‘Free the Big Ten. Free the Big Ten! Let’s go. Let’s go play some football. Let’s get Michigan and Ohio State and all those great teams playing amazing football out there.'”

Harbaugh pointed to the fact that Michigan had no positive tests in the month of August and that players and coaches have been doing an exceptional job of following protocols.

While Michigan has seen few cases, that’s not the same everywhere. And one of the top concerns about returning too soon is the lack of information about the long-term effects of the virus. Beyond just the initial illness and the risks associated, some recovered patients have been found to have myocarditis — inflammation that weakens the heart and can lead to further medical issues, including heart failure. Of the Big Ten athletes that did contract the virus, “30 to roughly 35 percent” indicated symptoms of myocarditis, according to Penn State director of athletic medicine Wayne Sebastianelli.

The NFL has done a great job getting its players and coaches ready for the season, as indicated by the very low infection rate thus far. Harbaugh would like to see college football do the same. He joins a growing number of athletes, fans, and even the President of the United States in calling for the conference to open back up for football.

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Lamar Jackson says he’s 100% healthy after missing practices

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson missed several training camp practices but says he’s healthy for the start of the regular season.

The collective breath of Baltimore was held when quarterback Lamar Jackson missed a few training camp practices a few weeks ago. Though Jackson returned to the field after two practices, the performance of the offense in his absence was a reminder of how precarious every season in the NFL is.

With the Ravens kicking off the 2020 regular season against the Cleveland Browns in just 10 days, Jackson’s health is a paramount concern. But according to the reigning MVP, he’s good to go.

“Actually, I was just getting a little maintenance. I just felt . . . it wasn’t anything major, at all,” Jackson said before Thursday’s practice. “I’m good now. I was good the day I sat out of practice but they just wanted me to just keep it safe, stay in the safe zone cause the season is coming up. But like I said, I’m 100 [percent] right now. I’m good.”

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Baltimore tends to not reveal many details about their injuries, especially to a superstar player like Jackson. But there were conflicting reports about what Jackson’s injury actually was.

Ravens wide receivers coach and assistant head coach David Culley said Jackson was getting a typical veteran day off to rest his arm. The following day, John Harbaugh called it a soft-tissue injury and said the team was playing it safe by keeping Jackson out. ESPN’s Adam Schefter further clarified, saying Jackson had suffered a groin injury.

Jackson returned to practice and has continued to look like his usual self, which is a real positive for the Ravens. Jackson won the MVP award, in part, because of his ability to make plays on the ground. While Jackson has said he’s worked on becoming a more consistent passer this offseason, focusing on the deep ball, being mobile is a very large part of his game and Baltimore’s offensive scheme.

The Ravens start their regular-season schedule on Sept. 13 against the Cleveland Browns.

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Raven’s head coach John Harbaugh: J.K. Dobbins will “probably have a significant role” in 2020

Ravens HC John Harbaugh is so impressed with former Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins that he says he’ll have a significant role in 2020.

We’ve reported several times already that former Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins is turning heads in Ravens preseason camp. He has drawn rave reviews from onlookers, players, and more. Some of the highlights coming out of camp showcase his explosiveness and athleticism.

He has also jumped out to head coach John Harbaugh as well. So much so that Harbaugh singled out Dobbins after Tuesday’s practice. He first highlighted what the all-time single-season rushing yards leader at Ohio State brings to the table.

“Confidence plus coachability plus talent, that’s a pretty good combination and he’s got all of that,” Harbaugh said of Dobbins.

But he didn’t stop there. When commenting about what kind of role the rookie could have on a team that already has a stable of running backs, including presumptive starter Mark Ingram, Harbaugh didn’t hold back.

“I think he’s gonna definitely have a role and he’s definitely gonna have, probably a significant role,” Harbaugh said after Tuesday’s practice according to Ravens Wire.

That’s saying a lot. Dobbins was graded out as a first-round talent by a lot of draft analysts but somehow fell to the latter half of the second round. Guys that are paid a lot of money to evaluate talent across multiple organizations found some way to believe there were four other running backs better than he was. Turning the tape on should have been all that was needed, but we digress.

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Kudos to Baltimore for having the courage to take him despite a perceived lack of need at the position. Sometimes things just fall in your lap and you have to pull the trigger on it.

It looks like we’ll get to see a lot of former Buckeyes showcase themselves this year in the NFL, with Dobbins now apparently being in that mix too.

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Ravens rookie DT Justin Madubuike dealing with ‘week-to-week’ injury

Baltimore Ravens rookie DT Justin Madubuike has missed a few practices after Saturday’s scrimmage but John Harbaugh isn’t that worried

Though the Baltimore Ravens are relatively healthy as they prepare for the regular season, they do have a few players still banged up. One such player is rookie defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, who went down during Saturday’s scrimmage at M&T Bank Stadium.

Madubuike hasn’t been back on the practice field for Baltimore since that point. But no fears, coach John Harbaugh said the injury isn’t all that bad.

“It’s not that kind of an injury,” Harbaugh said following Tuesday’s practice. “It’ll be a little bit but it’s nothing close to season-ending, it won’t even be multiple weeks during the season. He got caught up in a little pile. I’d say he’s a little more than ‘day-to-day,’ maybe ‘week-to-week’ here for a couple weeks and we’ll just see where he’s at.”

While Harbaugh seemed to feel good about where Madubuike is at, the Ravens host the Cleveland Browns in less than two weeks for the start of the regular season. Baltimore still has time to let the injury take its course before they have to play real football, but with roster cuts due this weekend, Madubuike’s injury status could impact the Ravens’ roster decisions.

If Madubuike’s prognosis isn’t much better later this week, Baltimore might have to think about keeping on an extra defensive tackle who might have normally been cut. That would mean limiting depth at another position for at least a few weeks or letting a player hit the waiver wire that’s likely to be poached.

Though the Ravens have completely revamped their defensive line this offseason with the additions of Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe, Madubuike is expected to get some playing time as a rookie. Baltimore’s defensive line depth chart is full right now but very few players are under contract beyond the 2021 season, meaning the Ravens need Madubuike and other young players to develop quickly if they want a more seamless transition.

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Ravens coach John Harbaugh says rookie RB J.K. Dobbins to have a ‘significant role’ this season

Despite a wealth of talent at running back Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said rookie J.K. Dobbins should have a “significant role”

Baltimore Ravens rookie running back J.K. Dobbins talked about his lack of patience this offseason. He believed if he could show enough in training camp, the team would have little choice but to put Dobbins on the field. A few weeks later and Dobbins’ prediction proves right as coach John Harbaugh said he’s in line for a significant role this season.

“I think he’s gonna definitely have a role and he’s definitely gonna have, probably a significant role,” Harbaugh said following Tuesday’s practice.

Though Baltimore didn’t have a desperate need for a running back entering the 2020 NFL Draft, the Ravens had a first-round grade on Dobbins and couldn’t believe he was still available at No. 55. With Baltimore having a well-known philosophy of taking the best player available, Dobbins was an easy pick.

But while he’s supremely talented, he’s also joining a group of running backs that helped break a 41-year-old record for rushing yards last season. It’s no shock to hear Dobbins will play this season but it was expected he might be buried on the depth chart until he got his feet under him.

But Dobbins wasn’t about to wait for his opportunity to come to him. At the start of training camp, Dobbins said he’s not very patient when he puts the work in and didn’t want to ride the bench this season. That confidence earned praise from Harbaugh but it’s his on-field production throughout training camp that really has Dobbins in line for playing time early this season.

Dobbins has been one of the shining stars of training camp, regularly breaking off big runs and catching the ball well. But most importantly, he’s been careful with the football, with only one notable fumble to his name at training camp.

Dobbins looked to be the whole package when the Ravens selected him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. After a few weeks of practice, he’s proven himself enough to have a seat at the table with the likes of Mark Ingram. If he keeps impressing into the regular season, it won’t take long for Dobbins to claim that starting job.

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Longhorns in the NFL: Is DeShon Elliott in line to replace Earl Thomas

With Earl Thomas now out of Baltimore, the Ravens turn to another former Texas Longhorns safety in DeShon Elliott.

Following the release of Earl Thomas from the Baltimore Ravens, questions began of what is next for Baltimore? Or should we say who is next? In Baltimore or should we say the University of Texas at Baltimore, they have another former Longhorn at safety they could play. DeShon Elliott was drafted late in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Ravens in the sixth round. The former All-American safety could now find himself in a larger role in 2020.

Baltimore Ravens passing defensive coordinator Chris Hewitt spoke about Elliott recently.

“He’s definitely a confident young man – sometimes too confident,” Hewitt said. “He’s just been that kind of kid. He’s an energy bunny. He comes in the building and he’s just ready to go. When he gets out on the field, he brings the energy to the rest of the defense. He’s just one of those guys. I love the way that he plays.”

Elliott is set to become the starter for the Ravens defense at safety. The biggest question with Elliott isn’t his ability but staying healthy. After all the best ability is availability. DeShon played in just six games for the Ravens in a reserve role and missed all of his rookie season after being placed on the injured reserve list.

One player who thinks DeShon will do well in a larger role is Chuck Clark. Clark was the player who got into an altercation with Thomas. When discussing Elliott, Clark spoke about how well they mesh. They have great communication, which is something that was clearly lacking between Clark and Thomas.

It won’t be easy replacing a multi-time All-Pro safety like Earl Thomas. Elliott has the confidence to get the job done, it is just a matter of the in-game reps. Given how the Baltimore Ravens operate, they have the structure around them for DeShon Elliott to succeed.

CB Tavon Young is back healthy and playing better than ever before

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Tavon Young has been turning heads at training camp after missing all of last season with a neck injury.

The Baltimore Ravens might have the most dangerous secondary in the entire NFL right now. Even though the team just cut Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas following a fight with fellow safety Chuck Clark, it’s hard to ignore just how deep and impressive the roster is on the backend. What makes the group even more exciting is getting cornerback Tavon Young back healthy and playing at a high level again.

Young missed the entire 2019 season with a neck injury, but he has done nothing but turn heads with his performances in camp so far. Baltimore pass defense coordinator Chris Hewitt said earlier this week that having Young back on the field was like “having another first-round draft pick coming back.”

Speaking to the media on a Zoom call on Tuesday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh remarked that Young “looked great,” noting that he looked “like he picked up right where he left off before.” Harbaugh also added that he “can’t wait to see him play this year” and believes Young is a “special kind of guy.”

It wasn’t only the coaching staff that had words of praise for Young. Outside linebacker Tyus Bowser also had nothing but good things to say about his returning teammate.

“He has a strong mindset. He has great pride in himself and he’s definitely confident in himself to go out there and come back and be who he is. I feel like he’s even better than what he was before. You can see it out there. He’s playing fast, he’s moving fast, and it’s great to see that. It’s great to see him back on the field. I missed him from these last couple of years. I’m definitely looking forward to this year to see what he can do.”

Defensive end Derek Wolfe is a newer member of the Ravens after coming over from the Denver Broncos this offseason via free agency. But just because Wolfe is a newcomer to the team, he wasn’t shy about what he has seen so far, noting that Young’s ability “is unbelievable” and that “the sky is the limit” for him.

Young certainly seems to be enjoying himself and performing like a top cornerback throughout training camp. He’s stuck to his assigned receivers like glue, according to BaltimoreRavens.com writer Ryan Mink, despite seemingly being outmatched at times physically. Young has beaten bigger guys like tight end Mark Andrews, and faster guys like Marquise Brown, according to Press Box’s Bo Smolka.

If Young can pick up right where he left off, both he and the Ravens will be in good shape. Though Young has missed two of the four years he’s been in the league, he’s been productive when he’s been on the field. In 31 games, Young has come down with three interceptions, four fumble recoveries (including two returned for touchdowns), two sacks, and 90 combined tackles.

Young has also taken a bit of a leadership role as well. After the unfortunate situation with Thomas, Young was quick to point out that the secondary would move on after the unfortunate events of the weekend.

“We all have a tight camaraderie and we’re a tight group. The main thing is communication, and we all have that. Everybody knows the playbook. It’s been cool.”

The Ravens defensive backfield will certainly look a little different in 2020 than it did a year ago. But if Tavon Young can continue in his current vein, that may not be such a bad thing.

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