Tag: L.J. Fort

Josh Bynes officially retires as a Raven after 12 NFL seasons

Following 12 seasons in the NFL, inside linebacker Josh Bynes is officially retiring as a Baltimore Raven. Today, @bynestime56 will officially retire as a Raven Congratulations on your retirement, Josh❕ pic.twitter.com/Wz727HBRbz – Baltimore Ravens …

Following 12 seasons in the NFL, inside linebacker Josh Bynes is officially retiring as a Baltimore Raven.

Bynes was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn in 2011. The very next season, Bynes would make the game-ending tackle on Ted Ginn Jr. on a kickoff in Baltimore’s victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.

Bynes was signed off the Ravens’ practice squad by the Detroit Lions during the 2014 season. After spending three seasons with the Lions, Bynes signed with the Arizona Cardinals, where he would stay for the next two seasons before being released in the 2019 offseason.

Bynes returned to Baltimore during the 2019 season. The Ravens’ young pair of inside linebackers were struggling to start the season after losing C.J. Mosley in free agency to the New York Jets that offseason. Baltimore turned to Bynes and fellow veteran inside linebacker L.J. Fort a few weeks into the season, and the duo did not look back.

Bynes signed with the Cincinnati Bengals following the 2019 season. After one season with the Bengals, he signed with the Carolina Panthers but was released as part of final roster cutdowns before the 2021 season.

The Ravens were in a similar situation to start the 2021 season, with second-year first-round pick Patrick Queen struggling without Fort on the field after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. Baltimore again turned to Bynes to save the day, and he did just that.

Bynes remained a starter alongside Queen into the next season until the Ravens traded for All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith from the Chicago Bears.

The former undrafted linebacker finished his 12-year career with 582 total tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, five interceptions, 34 passes defended, and one defensive touchdown in 138 games played.

Should Giants sign veteran linebacker L.J. Fort?

Pro Football Focus believes the New York Giants should target and sign veteran linebacker L.J. Fort.

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The New York Giants will enter the 2022 regular season thin at several different positions including linebacker and cornerback.

Most experts seem to believe the more pressing need of the two is cornerback, but those at Pro Football Focus do not necessarily agree. Rather, they feel the Giants should scour free agency in search of some linebacker depth.

And who would they suggest the Giants sign? Veteran linebacker L.J. Fort.

NEW YORK GIANTS: SIGN LB L.J. FORT

The best years of Fort’s NFL career came in Baltimore under defensive coordinator Don Martindale, who now heads the Giants’ unit. Fort could slot in as a starter next to Blake Martinez.

The 32-year-old Fort was originally signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He quickly became an NFL journeyman, making stops with the Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and, most recently, Baltimore Ravens.

In 91 career games (19 starts), Fort has recorded 173 tackles (117 solo), 12 QB hits, one forced fumble, 5.0 sacks, 10 passes defensed and one interception.

As PFF points out, Fort spent a couple years under current Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. During that time, Fort put up some of the best numbers of his career both statistically and analytically.

However, Fort did suffer a torn ACL last year that caused him to miss the entire season.

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Ravens players react on Twitter to the hiring of Mike Macdonald as new DC

Multiple Ravens players reacted on Twitter to the hiring of Mike Macdonald as the team’s new defensive coordinator

The Baltimore Ravens announced on Thursday night that they had hired former University of Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald for the same role in Baltimore. Macdonald makes his return to the Charm City after seven years with the Ravens from 2014-2020, and will now take over a defense that was ravaged by injuries but struggled with inconsistencies over the course of 2021.

Macdonald worked in a multitude of roles during his first stint in Baltimore, so he has familiarity with how things work within the organization. After the hire was announced, multiple Ravens players took to Twitter to express their excitement about Macdonald’s return to Baltimore, including inside linebackers Patrick Queen and L.J. Fort, as well as outside linebacker Tyus Bowser.

Macdonald is just 34 years old, but is regarded as a very bright football mind. He turned around the defense at Michigan by implementing multiple new strategies and personnel groupings, leading the university to the College Football Playoffs. The Ravens and their players are excited about the hire, and rightfully so.

 

Ravens planning on signing veteran ILB Josh Bynes to practice squad

The Ravens are bringing back a familiar face to their practice squad

The Baltimore Ravens have begun rounding out their practice squad after they cut down their roster to 53 players. They will look to add players who have been with the team, but also some outside options who can contribute on game day if called upon. There are plenty of spots available, so Baltimore can fill out their practice squad with depth at multiple positions.

As waiver claim and practice squad reports and began to come in, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reported that the Ravens were planning on bringing back a familiar face, signing inside linebacker Josh Bynes to the practice squad for depth.

This will be the third stint in Baltimore. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn University in 2011, and made the Ravens’ final 53-man roster that year. He was with the team for three years before signing with the Detroit Lions in 2013. After three years in Detroit and also making a two-year stop with the Arizona Cardinals, Bynes returned to Baltimore early in the 2019 season and played well, earning a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2020 offseason. He spent one year there and was signed by the Carolina Panthers late in the 2021 offseason, but was part of their final roster cutdowns.

Bynes will help soften the blow of losing inside linebacker L.J. Fort. Unless there are other major injuries, the 10-year veteran won’t be asked to do much, and might not even get called up on game day. However, having an experienced player like Bynes in a young inside linebacker room will certainly help.

Don Martindale details what injury to L.J. Fort means for Ravens’ defense

Don Martindale spoke about what the injury to L.J. Fort means for Baltimore’s defense

The Baltimore Ravens lost a key contributor on both defense and special teams during their Week 2 preseason matchup with the Carolina Panthers in inside linebacker L.J. Fort. The veteran defender tore his ACL in the first half of the contest, and the team placed him on injured reserve earlier in the week, effectively ending his season.

When asked about how Fort’s injury will impact his defense, defensive coordinator Don Martindale spoke on what will be missed about the veteran, as well as what opportunities will be available for fellow inside linebacker Kristian Welch.

“What it means is … L.J. [Fort], to me, is what this league is built on [and] the player that this league is built on; those guys that come in and have the careers that they’ve had just by working their tail off and doing everything right. The thing we’re going to miss out of him, in that room – the linebacker room itself – is just leadership and experience. He’d always talk to the younger guys in helping them along – last year, for example – and he would calm things down when he’d go in the game. So, we’re definitely going to miss that. But you’re seeing these younger guys starting to step up, and it is definitely going to be an opportunity for Kristian Welch, since L.J. went down. But we’re definitely going to miss him.”

It seems that Baltimore trusts the inside linebackers already on their roster, and that includes Welch, who is entering his second year in the NFL. There are a few free agent options available, but with it being so late in the offseason, it would make sense for the Ravens to roll with what they already have and see how it works out for the first couple of weeks.

Fort’s injury also means that linebackers Patrick Queen, Malik Harrison, and Chris Board will be relied upon more during the 2021 season.

Ravens make four roster moves to get down to 81 players

The Ravens made four moves to get their roster down to 81 players

The Baltimore Ravens have to get their roster down to 80 players by Tuesday, August 24th at 4pm EST. On Monday, they took steps towards doing that, releasing three players while placing another on injured reserve.

The move to place Fort on injured reserve was expected, as after Monday’s practice head coach John Harbaugh confirmed that the linebacker tore his ACL in Baltimore’s 20-3 preseason win over the Panthers. His loss is a big one for the Ravens’ defensive and special teams units.

Dereus was brought in while Baltimore was dealing with a plethora of injuries at the wide receiver position. While many wideouts still haven’t returned to practice, some appear close, so Dereus was let go after failing to appear on the box score during either of the Ravens’ 2021 preseason victories.

Richards was added in the middle of the 2019 season, and played a key role on special teams over his two years in Baltimore. However, with so many young defensive backs emerging, there just wasn’t enough room to keep Richards around.

Smith was signed by the Ravens before their playoff game against the Tennessee Titans during the 2019-2020 season. He then opted out of the 2020 season, and was on the roster bubble entering 2021 training camp. After getting and extended look at him during the preseason, Baltimore decided to move on from the former top-10 pick.

The Ravens will still have to make one more move before Tuesday’s deadline to get their roster down to the required 80 players.

L.J. Fort reportedly suffers season-ending injury

The Ravens reportedly lose a key contributor on defense for the season

The Baltimore Ravens have had plenty of injury problems so far during 2021, but none of them had been season-ending. That all reportedly changed in Week 2 of the preseason against the Carolina Panthers, as inside linebacker L.J. Fort went down with a knee injury in the first half.

After the game, head coach John Harbaugh offered a grim injury update on Fort, saying that things didn’t look good. On Sunday, those fears were confirmed, as it was reported that the linebacker tore his ACL, effectively ending his season.

Fort is a big loss for Baltimore’s defense. In his first two years with the Ravens, the linebacker accumulated 88 total tackles and two sacks. He was a big contributor on both defense and special teams, so Baltimore will feel his loss on multiple units.

The veteran’s injury opens up more playing time for linebackers such as Malik Harrison, Chris Board, Otaro Alaka and Kristian Welch. The Ravens could also opt to bring in a player from outside the organization to soften the blow of losing Fort, including K.J. Wright or a familiar face in Patrick Onwuasor.

John Harbaugh gives grim injury update on L.J. Fort

John Harbaugh gives grim injury update on L.J. Fort

The Baltimore Ravens got out of their Week 2 preseason contest with the Carolina Panthers relatively injury free. However, the team did see linebacker L.J. Fort leave the game in the first half with a knee injury.

After the game, head coach John Harbaugh provide an update on Fort, and it was rather grim.

With Harbaugh saying that Fort’s injury doesn’t look good, it raises multiple questions. Many are wondering how many weeks or months it would keep the linebacker out, how the team would replace his defensive and special teams production and more. If Fort is out for an extended amount of time, Baltimore would lose a great contributor and a leader, which would be a big blow to the team.

There will likely be an update on Fort’s status in the coming days, but for now, things aren’t looking promising. The veteran’s absence would open up more opportunities for players such as Malik Harrison, Chris Board, Otaro Alaka, and Kristian Welch.

L.J. Fort questionable to return vs. Panthers with knee injury

L.J. Fort questionable to return vs. Panthers with knee injury

The Baltimore Ravens have been dealing with a plethora of injuries over the course of their 2021 training camp. During Baltimore’s preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, the Ravens saw another one of their players go down with an injury in linebacker L.J. Fort, who the team announced was questionable to return to the game with a knee injury.

It seems unlikely that Baltimore would insert any player who got hurt in a game back into the contest, as it’s not work the potential risk for reinjury. With Fort likely out for the rest of the game, Patrick Queen, Malik Harrison, Chris Board, and Kristian Welch are the only inside linebackers active for the Ravens.

Head coach John Harbaugh will likely give an update on Fort’s status after the game concludes.

L.J. Fort switching from No. 58

The Baltimore Ravens have seen multiple players switch their jersey numbers in the last few days. L.J. Fort becomes the latest

The Baltimore Ravens have already seen a few of their players take advantage of the NFL deciding to ease jersey number restrictions for multiple positions. The team announced that linebacker Patrick Queen was switching from No. 48 to No. 6, while wide receiver Marquise Brown moved on from No. 15 in favor of No. 5. Now, Baltimore has a third player who will ditch their old jersey number for a new one.

Linebacker L.J. Fort posted a picture of him in the No. 3, implying that he’s going to make the switch to a single-digit number.

The Ravens then hinted that the move was happening, posting a series of eye emojis on Twitter.

The single-digit numbers are being taken fast in Baltimore. After Queen, Brown, and now Fort made switches, the only single-digit number that’s available for the Ravens is No. 1. That’s not to say that other players such as Tyler Huntley (No. 2) or Trace McSorley (No. 7) wouldn’t give up their number to a teammate who really wanted it, but at this point almost every single-digit number in Baltimore has a name to it.