Tag: Kahlil McKenzie

Ravens make multiple roster moves ahead of Week 11 matchup vs. Bears

The Ravens announced a series of roster movies ahead of their Week 11 matchup with the Bears

The Baltimore Ravens have been shuffling their roster around at a rapid pace ever since before the 2021 season began. Every team makes constant changes to their roster as the year goes along, but Baltimore has been dealing with a massive amount of injuries as the year has gone on, so they’ve added and taken off a lot of players to and from injured reserve.

On Saturday, the Ravens announced multiple roster moves. They activated guard Ben Cleveland from injured reserve while also placing outside linebacker Pernell McPhee on injured reserve.

Cleveland has been out of action ever since Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts, where he suffered a knee injury. McPhee was already ruled out for Week 11, but his placement on injured reserve opens up a spot on the active roster.

Baltimore also signed guard/defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie to the active roster, while also elevating quarterback Trace McSorley and inside linebacker Joe Thomas from the practice squad.

McKenzie provides depth on both offense and defense, as the team has been cross training him at guard after starting the year as solely a defensive tackle.

McSorley gives the Ravens an insurance policy in the event that quarterback Lamar Jackson can’t suit up on Sunday as he battles an illness. Thomas provides some inside linebacker depth.

Carpenter signed with the team’s practice squad a few weeks ago, and was elevated to the active roster for Baltimore’s Week 10 loss to the Miami Dolphins

Ravens protect four players on practice squad ahead of Week 11

The Ravens protected four players on their practice squad ahead of their Week 11 matchup with the Bears

The Baltimore Ravens are looking to bounce back in a big way against the Chicago Bears during Week 11. Baltimore fell to the Miami Dolphins in shocking fashion in Week 10, losing 22-10 in a game that many projected them to win by a rather large margin.

Ahead of their Week 11 bout with Chicago, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic shared the Ravens’ four practice squad protections for the matchup in guard James Carpenter, guard/defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie, offensive tackle David Sharpe and inside linebacker Joe Thomas.

Baltimore is going rather offensive line heavy with their practice squad protections, with two pure lineman as well as a cross trained defensive tackle who can also play a bit at guard. Thomas should also provide a bit of inside linebacker depth in the event that the Ravens want to call up an extra defender.

Ravens make multiple roster moves ahead of Week 10 matchup vs. Dolphins

The Ravens made a series of roster moves ahead of their Week 10 game against the Dolphins

The Baltimore Ravens are set to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 10 of the 2021 season. Baltimore currently stands on top of the AFC North at 6-2, while Miami has struggled for most of the season as they boast a 2-7 record.

Ahead of their matchup with the Dolphins, the Ravens made a series of roster moves just a few hours before kickoff. They announced that they have promoted tight end Eric Tomlinson and cornerback Chris Westry to the active roster, while also elevating guard James Carpenter and guard/defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie from the practice squad to the active roster.

The promotion of Tomlinson to the active roster casts doubt over whether tight end Nick Boyle will be able to suit up in this game. Boyle has been out since the middle of the 2020 season with a serious knee injury. Westry suffered a torn meniscus in Week 1 against the Las Vegas Radiers, and now makes his return to the active roster.

For their practice squad elevations, Baltimore decided to beef up their offensive line with the elevations of Carpenter and McKenzie. Carpenter has years of experience at left guard, while the Ravens are cross-training McKenzie, who is a defensive lineman, to play on the offensive line.

Ravens protect four players on practice squad ahead of Week 10

The Ravens protected four players on their practice squad ahead of their Week 10 game against the Dolphins

The Baltimore Ravens have been following the “next man up” mentality for all of the 2021 season, as they’ve had to go through multiple losses on both sides of the ball due to injury. Even so, they’ve put together a 6-2 record and stand on top the AFC North through nine weeks.

On Tuesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reported that Baltimore had protected four players on their practice squad ahead of their Week 10 matchup with the Miami Dolphins in running back Nate McCrary, guard James Carpenter, guard/defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie and inside linebacker Joe Thomas.

McCrary could be an option to get elevated to the active roster for Thursday if fellow running back Latavius Murray is unable to play as he continues to nurse an ankle injury. Carpenter could provide interior depth on the offensive line, while McKenzie could take snaps at multiple positions. Thomas could be used as an extra inside linebacker, especially with the absence of Malik Harrison.

Ravens elevate two practice squad players to active roster for Week 9 game vs. Vikings

The Ravens activated two of their practice squad players to the active roster for their Week 9 game against the Vikings

The Baltimore Ravens have seen positive contributions on the field from practice squad elevations all season long. With how many injuries they have gone through, they’ve needed production from elsewhere, and so far they’ve done a good job of finding it.

Ahead of their Week 9 game with the Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore elevated two players from their practice squad to the active roster in tight end Eric Tomlinson and offensive lineman/defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. The team also promoted offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi to the active roster.

As Zrebiec notes the Ravens ended up not activating tight end Nick Boyle from injured reserve, so he will not play on Sunday. Baltimore has two games in a span of five days over the next two weeks, so it makes sense for the Ravens to not want to activate Boyle and put him through two full games in such a short amount of time.

Tomlinson will play Boyle’s role once again on Sunday, as he has been for the entire season up to this point. McKenzie is an interesting activation, as Zrebiec notes.

Now that Ogbuehi is officially on the 53-man roster, he will provide some depth at the offensive tackle position, while even potentially being asked to play big snaps depending on who the team decides to roll with at right tackle.

Ravens HC John Harbaugh says team is ‘cross training’ DT Kahlil McKenzie at offensive line

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said that the team is “cross training” DT Kahlil McKenzie on the offensive line

The Baltimore Ravens have known a thing or two about two-way players over recent seasons. Fullback Patrick Ricard has turned into a huge piece on the offensive side of the ball, but he also played defensive tackle for the team before making the full-time transition to fullback. Baltimore also drafted fullback Ben Mason in the 2021 NFL draft, who saw time on both offense and defense as well.

When speaking with the media on Friday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said that Baltimore was cross training defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie at offensive line.

“We have. He actually has played on the offensive line in his career – in college and a little bit in the NFL, in some of the practice places he’s been. His [uncle], obviously, was a pretty fair offensive lineman. He even told me his dad kind of thinks he [maybe] should be an offensive lineman. So, we’re going to start working him over there a little bit – cross training him. We’ve got some time with him, but we still … He played already on the defensive line this year, so we might need him there. But that’s a thought – absolutely.”

As Harbaugh notes, McKenzie has experience playing on the offensive line before, and it doesn’t hurt to see what they have in a young player on their practice squad. They can see how he looks and judge from there, but with the success that the Ravens have had with two-way players in the past, they might be able to work with McKenzie to turn him into a quality piece on both sides of the ball.

Ravens protect four players on practice squad ahead of Week 7

The Ravens protected four players on their practice squad ahead of Week 7

The Baltimore Ravens have found multiple players who can contribute at a high level through their practice squad in 2021. They’ve needed to rely on new faces (and some old ones as well) due to the fact that they’ve suffered a slew of injuries, but they have barely missed a beat, going an AFC-best 5-1 through their first six weeks.

On Tuesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reported that Baltimore has protected four of their practice squad players ahead of their Week 7 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals in offensive linemen David Sharpe and James Carpenter, defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie, and inside linebacker Joe Thomas.

Both Carpenter and Thomas were signed to the Ravens’ practice squad on Tuesday, and they would each provide depth at their respective positions. However, it’s fair to question how much of the playbook they would understand in just a few short days before Sunday.

Sharpe was a practice squad protection last week and would be a depth piece at tackle with Ronnie Stanley now on injured reserve. McKenzie was called up for Baltimore’s Week 3 game against the Detroit Lions.

Ravens protect four practice squad players ahead of Week 5

The Ravens protected four practice squad players ahead of their Week 5 matchup with the Colts

The Baltimore Ravens have relied on some of their practice squad players to make a big impact for them throughout the course of the 2021 season so far. With all of the injuries that the team has gone through, they’ve needed to take multiple different approaches to make up for some of the production that they’ve lost from many of their key contributors.

On Tuesday, the Ravens protected four players on their practice squad according to the NFL’s personnel notice. Those players are quarterback Trace McSorley, running back Le’Veon Bell, offensive tackle David Sharpe, and  defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie.

Bell was called up from the practice squad last week and carried the ball four times for 11 yards against the Denver Broncos. McKenzie was called up against the Detroit Lions and played snaps with much of Baltimore’s front seven unavailable. Sharpe could get elevated for offensive tackle depth, while McSorley is unlikely to get on the active roster unless there’s an injury to Lamar Jackson or Tyler Huntley.

Ravens protect four players on practice squad ahead of Week 4

The Ravens protected four players on their practice squad ahead of their Week 4 matchup with the Denver Broncos

The Baltimore Ravens have been relying on many new players to pick up some of the production that they’ve lost due to some of their stars suffering multi-week or even season-ending injuries. Some players who have made important impacts are call ups from the practice squad, whether they were asked to play a huge role or they were brought up for just depth purposes at a certain position.

Ahead of their Week 4 matchup with the Denver Broncos, Baltimore protected four players on their practice squad in offensive lineman Andre Smith, defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie, outside linebacker Chris Smith and defensive back Kevon Seymour.

It’s unclear as to who will get called up at this point, but Andre Smith would provide offensive line depth, while McKenzie and Chris Smith could get game day call ups depending on how thin the Ravens’ front seven looks come Sunday. Seymour has provided defensive back depth in the wake of injuries to Marcus Peters and Chris Westry, and with DeShon Elliott’s status unknown right now, the team might need more healthy bodies in their defensive backfield.

Ravens call up four practice squad players to active roster as COVID-19 replacements for Week 3

The Ravens called up four practice squad players to the active roster as COVID-19 replacements for Week 3

The Baltimore Ravens are getting ready to face off against the Detroit Lions in Week 3 of the 2021 season. Baltimore will look to pick up their second win of the year, while Detroit is still in search of their first victory this season.

Ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Lions, Baltimore called up four players from their practice squad to the active roster as COVID-19 replacements. This comes on the heels of the team placing four defenders on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. The players put on the list are all unavailable to play in Week 3, so the four that were called up will provide much needed depth at many different positions.

McKenzie will join a interior defensive line group that will be without Brandon Williams, Justin Madubuike and Derek Wolfe on Sunday, while the team opted not to bring up OLB Chris Smith from the practice squad even though fellow outside linebackers Justin Houston and Jaylon Ferguson will miss Week 3 against Detroit.

Bynes could get a few snaps at inside linebacker, especially if fellow ILB Chris Board (other) is unable to play. Seymour was a practice squad call up last week, and provides cornerback depth to a team that has been hit hard with injuries in the secondary so far. Smith was also called up last week as depth on the offensive line. He will likely be the emergency offensive tackle in case of an injury.