Tag: Justin Ellis

Giants’ Justin Ellis feels confident, expects a ‘big year’

Justin Ellis feels confident as his development as a player and expects to have a “big year” for the New York Giants.

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The New York Giants are in the process of revamping their defense this offseason, which means putting together a unit that fits new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s style.

One player they’ve brought in is massive nose tackle Justin Ellis, who played under Martindale the past three seasons in Baltimore with the Ravens.

Ellis, a 6-foot-2, 350-pounder was a fourth-round pick of the Oakland Raiders out of Louisiana Tech back in 2014 and has started 50 games in his NFL career, bringing some experience and depth to the Giants’ defensive line.

Ellis is looking forward to a fourth year ear under Martindale.

“I’m excited. I feel like if I do the right things and I take the coaching it’ll be a big year for me,” Ellis told Ed Valentine of Big Blue View. “All coordinators have their things that they do. I really like you just never know how we’re going to attack you (as an offense), I just like the aggressiveness of the defense. I like how we dictate to the offense what we want to do.”

Ellis will naturally be in rotation with several other players but as of today, he is considered the Giants’ starting nose tackle. He is acclimating to line coach Andre Patterson’s style.

“Jelly’s been in this league for a long time. He’s been a good player in this league, and now I’ve just totally revamped his game,” Patterson said. “He looks like a totally different guy right now.”

“I feel different. I feel like I’m recognizing how to transition from being a run player — a lot of time when you get in a game and you’re a run guy you’ve gotta play the run first,” Ellis said.

The Giants will need to stop the run as they play three teams — Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington — who plan on running the football a lot this year.

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Former Ravens DL Justin Ellis finds new NFL home

Former Ravens defensive lineman Justin Ellis signed with a new NFL team

Entering 2022 free agency, the Baltimore Ravens had multiple holes to fill on their roster as they looked to improve their team. They’ve addressed some of those needs, but others have opened up due to the departure of some of the team’s own 2022 free agents.

On Wednesday, it was reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that former Baltimore defensive lineman Justin Ellis signed with the New York Giants on a one-year deal. The veteran reunites with Don Martindale, who is now in New York as the Giants’ defensive coordinator.

Ellis signed with the Ravens in the middle of the 2019 season and was with the team ever since, signing a series of one-year contracts. He accumulated 41 total tackles over 17 games in Baltimore, and was a good run-stuffing presence.

Report: Giants agree to terms with DT Justin Ellis

The New York Giants have reportedly agreed to terms with former Baltimore Ravens DT Justin Ellis.

The New York Giants have agreed to terms with former Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Justin Ellis, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rappaport.

Selected by the then-Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft, the eight-year veteran is a low-cost option that adds depth to the defensive line.

Ellis has 148 tackles over his career, 83 of which were solo. He also comes in knowing the defensive scheme, having played under current Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale during his time in Baltimore.

Ellis also helps replace the departure of Austin Johnson, who the Giants lost in free agency. That said, Ellis’ 2021 PFF grade was a paltry 49.2. Still, he’s played in 100 NFL games with 50 starts, and has appeared in three postseason games. Joining the Giants would also reunite Ellis with outside linebacker Jihad Ward, both of whom played in Baltimore.

At 6-foot-2 and 350 pounds, Ellis is a force to be reckoned with. He’s reached the quarterback four times in his career and six of his tackles are for a loss. He adds size, depth and experience to the defense, and will likely be instrumental in implementing Martindale’s defense.

The final step in this process is for Ellis to pass a physical, and when he does that, he’ll suit up in blue.

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2022 Giants free agency: Contract details for new players

A breakdown of the contracts the New York Giants have handed out to free agents, as well as details of restructures and pay cuts.

The New York Giants and general manager Joe Schoen entered the new league year and free agency with very little money to spend. The idea was to clear upwards of $40 million in salary cap space while hunting for bargains on the open market.

Through a week and a half, the Giants have fared relatively well. They’ve been unable to trade either cornerback James Bradberry or running back Saquon Barkley, but they’ve found other ways to clear room.

New York has also added a number of new contracts, including multiple offensive linemen. But only one of them was a big-ish money signing.

Here’s a quick look at the basic contracts for all new signees, as well as some information on restructures and pay cuts.

Note: New details will be added as they become available.

Ravens DC Don Martindale says DL Justin Ellis has been ‘a stud’

Ravens defensive coordinator Don Martindale called defensive lineman Justin Ellis “a stud”

The Baltimore Ravens have had to rely on multiple different players to step up in different positions on their team with how many injuries they’ve gone through. One of those positions is the defensive line, where multiple players have missed multiple weeks with injuries.

When Baltimore defensive coordinator Don Martindale was asked about on of the players who has stepped up in defensive lineman Justin Ellis, the coach called Ellis “a stud”.

“He’s been a stud. He’s been that way throughout the year, as well as the others that we’ve been calling on up front. And I’m really happy for him, too.”

Ellis first came to the Ravens during the 2019 season and has carved out a role for himself ever since. The defensive lineman has totaled 12 tackles this year, but has been good against the run and can take up multiple blockers with his strength and big frame.

With players such as Derek Wolfe and Brandon Williams missing time, Baltimore has had to have different guys produce for them more than initially anticipated. Ellis has been one of those players, and he’s fit into his role well so far during the 2021 season.

 

Ravens make four roster moves, including the promotion of two veterans to active roster

The Ravens made four roster moves on Wednesday, including promoting two veterans to the active roster

The Baltimore Ravens have been busy shaking up their roster after dealing with a plethora of injuries. They’ve signed multiple new faces who are working hard to get up to speed with their new team, and Baltimore is adjusting to life without some of their injured stars.

On Wednesday, Baltimore made four roster moves, including promoting two veterans from their practice squad to the active roster in defensive lineman Justin Ellis and defensive back Anthony Levine Sr., both of which could be asked to play big roles on game day. The team also signed offensive tackle Andre Smith and defensive back Kevon Seymour to their practice squad.

Ellis and Levine were both promoted from the practices squad for Monday night’s Week 1 game, while Smith was cut during cut down day, signed back to the practice squad, and then let go again after a short amount of time.

Seymour has appeared in 33 games since being drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 draft by the Buffalo Bills, accumulating 52 total tackles and seven passes defended.

Ravens elevate DT Justin Ellis from practice squad to face former team

Ravens elevate DT Justin Ellis from practice squad to face former team

After spending the past two seasons in Baltimore, the Ravens cut veteran Justin Ellis prior to the season and brought him back on their practice squad. And today they activated the former Raiders nose tackle, allowing him the chance to face the team on which he spent the first four years of his NFL career.

Ellis was the team’s fifth-round pick in 2014. He was part of the Raiders’ somewhat famous 2014 draft in which they also landed Khalil Mack (4th overall), Derek Carr (round two), Gabe Jackson (round three), Latavius Murray (round 6), CB TJ Carrie (round seven), and DE Shelby Harris (round seven).

An interesting sidenote is the Ravens also added Latavius Murray this week after a string of injuries to their running back corps. So, they will have a member of that 2014 draft class on both sides of the ball.

Hard to say how much insight they’ll get from these two considering Ellis last played with the Raiders in 2018 and Murray in 2016. But both should be motivated to show up against their former team.

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Ravens elevate two practice squad players to active roster for Week 1 game vs. Raiders

The Ravens elevated two veterans from their practice squad ahead of Week 1 vs. the Raiders

The Baltimore Ravens will be rounding out Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season by taking on the Las Vegas Raiders. Baltimore hopes that they will get solid contributions for all over their roster, and even though they’ve dealt with injuries, they have the depth to soften the losing players such as running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, as well as cornerback Marcus Peters.

Before the game, the Ravens elevated two veteran players from their practice squad to the active roster in defensive tackle Justin Ellis and defensive back Anthony Levine Sr., both of which will help the team on Monday night.

Ellis will be relied upon to provide depth up front on defense since fellow defensive lineman Derek Wolfe won’t play in Week 1 due to a back injury. Levine has been one of Baltimore’s most consistent special teams contributors and will provide the team with secondary depth after the loss of Peters.

In a somewhat surprising move, the Ravens decided not to activate running backs Le’Veon Bell or Devonta Freeman. Some were expecting the team to elevate one for running back depth, but the team is rolling with Ty’Son Williams, Latavius Murray, and Trenton Cannon at the position.

Ravens protect four players on practice squad ahead of Week 1

The Ravens protected four players on their practice squad ahead of Week 1 against the Raiders

After trimming their final 2021 roster to 53 players, the Baltimore Ravens have put together a well-balanced practice squad that includes young talent as well as experienced veterans. With the NFL keeping many practice squad rules from 2020, Baltimore can keep 16 extra players with the team, call up two for game day, and protect four each and every week.

On Wednesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic shed light on who the Ravens would be protecting on the practice squad for the first week of the 2021 season. They used every one of their protection slots, choosing to protect one offensive player and three others on the defensive side of the ball.

Now that McSorley, Bynes, Ellis and Levine are protected, teams can’t sign them from Baltimore’s practice squad until next week at the earliest, unless they are then protected once again.

McSorley is the only other quarterback with the team outside of Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley and he knows the Ravens system, which is valuable. Bynes, Ellis, and Levine each have a case to be game day call ups.

Bynes would be a veteran in the inside linebacker group in the wake of L.J. Fort’s season-ending injury. Ellis could be used for defensive line depth with fellow defensive lineman Derek Wolfe trending in the wrong direction for Week 1 with a back injury. Levine has been the most consistent special teams contributor for years in Baltimore.

Ravens re-sign OLB Pernell McPhee

The Ravens re-signed outside linebacker Pernell McPhee to their active roster

The Baltimore Ravens parted ways with outside linebacker Pernell McPhee during final cutdown day as they trimmed their roster down to 53 players. It widely expected that McPhee would return to the active roster in short order, but with players like defensive tackle Justin Ellis and defensive back Anthony Levine Sr. re-signing with the team’s practice squad, some began to get a bit antsy, wondering if something unexpected was happening with the veteran defender.

Despite it taking a bit longer than anticipated, on Thursday Baltimore officially announced that McPhee was returning to the team in a move that many are excited about.

McPhee has been a key rotational piece on the Ravens’ defense ever since returning to the organization in 2019. He was originally drafted by Baltimore in the fifth round of the 2011 draft, and spent the first four years of his career with the Ravens before signing a big-money deal with the Chicago Bears. After his stop in Chicago as well as another in Washington, he signed back in Baltimore, where he’s seen success playing outside while also being able to kick inside.

In 10 NFL seasons, McPhee has accumulated 246 total tackles 37 sacks, and six forced fumbles.