Tag: Kenji Bahar

Multiple former Ravens selected on Day 1 of USFL draft

Multiple former Baltimore Ravens players were selected on Day 1 of the 2022 USFL draft

The NFL has been the pinnacle of football for years. However, there have been many other leagues that have come and gone, and on Tuesday a new league held their draft as teams began to fill out their rosters.

The United States Football League (or USFL), held the first day of their 2022 draft, which consisted of 12 rounds. Multiple former Baltimore Ravens players were selected over the course of the night, including quarterback Kenji Bahar, edge Aaron Adeoye, and cornerbacks Mazzi Wilkins as well as Terrell Bonds.

 

 

Ravens make three practice squad moves on Tuesday, protect four players ahead of Week 17

The Ravens made three moves relating to their practice squad on Tuesday while also protecting four other players

The Baltimore Ravens have needed to find needless contributors from their practice squad over the course of the 2021 season. Injuries, COVID and even more have decimated the Baltimore roster, so they’ve needed to find other ways to put players out on the field.

On Tuesday, the Ravens made three practice squad moves in adding center James Murray to the group while releasing quarterback Kenji Bahar and defensive back Blake Countess. They also protected offensive tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith, defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie and Isaiah Mack, as well as defensive back Robert Jackson.

Murray worked out for Baltimore last week, and now finds himself in Baltimore. Bahar was signed in an emergency situation, and has been in and out of the Ravens’ organization countless times over the course of the year. Countess signed with the team a few weeks ago.

Jones-Smith would provide some offensive tackle depth for the Baltimore offense, while both McKenzie and Mack played some good snaps against the Cincinnati Bengals. Jackson has been relied upon to play a lot in a decimated secondary, so him being protected is not surprising.

Ravens add 12 players to game day roster ahead of Week 16 matchup vs. Bengals

The Ravens added 12 players to their game day roster ahead of their Week 16 matchup with the Bengals

The Baltimore Ravens have seen injury after injury impact their team over the course of the 2021 season. Now with just three regular season games to go before the playoffs begin, COVID-19 has hit Baltimore hard, with many players being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list over the past week.

On Saturday, it was announced that quarterback Tyler Huntley was added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list and quarterback Lamar Jackson wouldn’t be traveling with the team, leaving just Josh Johnson as the only healthy signal caller on the Ravens’ roster. In light of all of their absences, the team added 12 players to their game day roster for Week 16, including quarterback Kenji Bahar, wide receiver Sammy Watkins and outside linebacker Daelin Hayes.

Baltimore will need every one of the elevated players to make an impact against the Cincinnati Bengals in what is the biggest matchup of the season for the Ravens. If Johnson goes down, Bahar suddenly becomes next in line. Watkins provides wide receiver depth, while Hayes will help out the outside linebacker position that is currently missing Justin Houston and Pernell McPhee.

 

Ravens make multiple moves on Monday

The Ravens made multiple moves on Monday that involved both their active roster and practice squad

The Baltimore Ravens picked up an important 16-10 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 12 of the 2021 season. The victory moved them to 8-3 on the 2021 season, while Cleveland fell to 6-6 and is in last place in the AFC North.

On Monday after their win the team made a few roster moves that pertain to both their active roster and their practice squad. The team signed quarterback Chris Streveler to their practice squad while releasing quarterback Kenji Bahar in a corresponding move. They also placed cornerback Kevon Seymour on the Reserve/COVID list.

Streveler was let go by the Arizona Cardinals after the team signed quarterback Trace McSorley off of the Ravens’ practice squad. Bahar was signed in McSorley’s place initially, but the team has decided to go with Streveler as their backup instead.

Seymour was signed to the Baltimore active roster before Week 12. He has spent time with the Ravens since the early part of the season, and was active for Baltimore’s Week 12 win.

 

Ravens HC John Harbaugh comments on departure of QB Trace McSorley

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh commented on the departure of Trace McSorley, who was signed to the Cardinals’ active roster

The Baltimore Ravens have put together an overall solid practice squad for the 2021 season. Although they have had to do some shuffling over the course of the year, the unit has had quality depth that has been able to contribute on game day.

However, the team lost one of their practice squad players on Monday as quarterback Trace McSorley was signed off of the Baltimore practice squad by the Arizona Cardinals and onto their active roster. When Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was asked about the departure of McSorley, he talked about the move from multiple different angles.

“First, just from the relationship part of it, it’s bittersweet, because Trace [McSorley] has been tremendous. We’ve gotten to know him really well. He’s a tremendous person. I just personally love being around him. He’s a pro. He’s a great guy, and he’s good for our team. So, that’s the bitter part of it. The sweet part of it is that it’s a great opportunity for him. He’s going to get an opportunity to go there and have a chance to possibly play and be on the 53-man roster for the rest of the season. That’s a big deal in a lot of ways. For our situation, it’s a little bit of a hole we’ll have to fill. We’ll have to figure out how to do that real soon.”

McSorley’s subtraction from the team was probably a bit unexpected, but the team responded quickly by signing quarterback Kenji Bahar in his place. The former Penn State star will be missed, especially because he was in Baltimore for over two years and knew the playbook. However, he now has the opportunity to potentially get playing time in Arizona being on the active roster, something that Harbaugh noted was the sweet aspect of a “bittersweet” move.

Ravens sign three players to practice squad, release one

The Ravens signed three players to their practice squad on Tuesday while releasing one

The Baltimore Ravens have found some solid contributors on their practice squad in 2021. They’ve needed to elevate multiple players to be able to play high-level football due to how many injuries the team has sustained over the course of the year, including losing multiple stars for the season.

On Tuesday, the team made multiple moves in relation to their practice squad, signing three players while releasing one. The team added quarterback Kenji Bahar, offensive tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith, and defensive back Kevin Toliver, while saying goodbye to offensive tackle Adrian Ealy.

Bahar is a Baltimore native, and spent time with the team in training camp, so he has some familiarity with the offense. The move comes after the Ravens lost quarterback Trace McSorley to the Arizona Cardinals.

Toliver has spent time with both the Denver Broncos and the Chicago Bears, and will give Baltimore some depth in the secondary, a position where they have been decimated by injuries.

Jones-Smith had been on the Ravens’ practice squad until last week, when he was released by the team. He will provide offensive line depth for unit that has had to shuffle around all season long.

Ealy signed with Baltimore as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He was released during final roster cuts but signed with the Baltimore practice squad the following day.

Ravens bring in five players for tryouts including trio of RBs

The Ravens tried out a trio

The Baltimore Ravens have been hit extremely hard by injuries so far over the course of 2021, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Over the past week the team has lost two running backs to season-ending injuries in J.K. Dobbins and Justice Hill, leaving them with just two healthy rushers on their roster.

On Monday the team brought in five players for tryouts, three of which were running backs. Two of those rushers were veteran options, while one has very little experience at the NFL level. Either way, it makes sense that Baltimore is looking at outside options at the position considering how few bodies they have right now.

Bell is the most accomplished of the group, carrying the football 1,556 times for 6,453 yards and 40 rushing touchdowns while also catching 394 passes for 3,259 yards and eight scores through the air. However, he isn’t the player he once was, and comes with some off-field concerns as well.

Freeman was recently released by the New Orleans Saints, but has seen success at the NFL level. He’s put up 4,144 rushing yards and 33 rushing touchdowns on 1,005 carries while also being a threat as a receiver, catching 264 footballs for 2,073 yards and 11 scores.

Holyfield is a bit of a different story. He’s only played one game at the NFL level after signing with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He was cut and re-signed to Carolina’s practice squad that offseason, but hasn’t made a very big impact as a professional yet.

It remains to be seen if the Ravens will value special teams ability as well as proven ability out of their third running back. Hill was a good special teams player, but Bell and Freeman likely aren’t suiting up on that side of the ball. Baltimore needs a third running back (and probably another on the practice squad as well), so a signing or two will likely be coming in the next few days.

Ravens waive quarterback, trim roster to 80 players

The Ravens waived a quarterback to get their roster down to 80 players, currently leaving them with just two healthy signal callers

The Baltimore Ravens made a flurry of roster moves on Monday, which left them with 81 players on their team. However, they needed to take one more player off of their roster in order to get to the required 80 player limit by Tuesday.

Baltimore announced who they decided to part ways with shortly after the 4pm EST deadline.

Bahar has been in and out of Ravens’ training camp in 2021, and was most recently brought back after fellow quarterback Trace McSorley went down with a back injury. Bahar played sparingly during Baltimore’s Week 2 preseason win against the Carolina Panthers, not attempting a pass.

The departure of Bahar leaves the Ravens with just two healthy quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley. With Baltimore still having one more preseason game to play, it seems like Jackson could take some snaps on Saturday against the Washington Football Team. However, another possibility would be for Huntley to play the entirety of the game, much like he almost did against Carolina.

Ravens’ offense struggles during final day of joint practices with Panthers

Ravens’ offense struggles during final day of joint practices with Panthers

The Baltimore Ravens wrapped up their joint practices with the Carolina Panthers on Thursday as they prepare for their matchup in Week 2 of the 2021 preseason, which will take place on Saturday.

Overall, it was a rough day for the Baltimore offense. The quarterbacks threw five interceptions against a talented Carolina defense, and the Ravens didn’t have many of their top wide receivers, so separation against the Panthers’ secondary didn’t come often.

While the quarterbacks did struggle, having plenty of solid contributors out at wide receiver and on the offensive line didn’t help things. As Baltimore’s key players work back to full strength, there will be days where the team struggles, especially the offense, which has been the unit that’s been hit the hardest with ailments.

It will be interesting to see how playing time shakes out during Saturday’s game, as head coach John Harbaugh didn’t provide any clarity of if Lamar Jackson would play in the game or not. The starters who do play should get their most extensive action of the preseason, but that might mean just a series or two for most.