Tag: Le’Veon Bell

Le’Veon Bell is promoted to Ravens’ 53-man roster

Former MSU running back Le’Veon Bell has been promoted from the practice squad to the Baltimore Ravens’ 53-man roster

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Former Michigan State running back Le’Veon Bell has been promoted from the practice squad to the Baltimore Ravens’ 53-man roster.

The team made the roster move announcement on Tuesday. Bell had already been called up from the practice squad twice this year. This past weekend, Bell scored a touchdown and finished with 18 yards on eight carries against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Check out the complete details on the roster move by clicking on the tweet below:

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CBS Sports grades Ravens’ Week 6 win over Chargers

CBS Sports graded the Baltimore Ravens’ Week 6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers

The Baltimore Ravens put together their most complete and dominant performance of the 2021 season in Week 6, defeating the Los Angeles Chargers by the final score of 34-6. Baltimore got off to a fast start and never looked back thanks to a combination of ball-control offense, a suffocating defense, and great play on special teams.

John Breech of CBS Sports graded each team’s performance in Week 6, and gave the Ravens very high marks for their game against the Chargers. Breech rewarded Baltimore with an “A” grade, citing their dominance as well as their success on both offense and defense.

“How about that statement made by Baltimore against a Chargers team that appeared unbeatable based on how it played the last three weeks? The Ravens made your 2016 fantasy football team proud as Latavius Murray, Devonta Freeman, and Le’Veon Bell each had a rushing touchdown. Baltimore took full advantage of the Los Angeles run defense, finishing with 38 carries for 187 yards (4.9 yards per carry) in the win. The Ravens’ defense was also dominant, allowing just six points to Herbert and the electric Chargers offense — and might not have allowed any if it wasn’t for an ill-advised Jackson interception to give the Chargers a short field. John Harbaugh, Jackson and Freeman downplayed it, but this was a statement win for Baltimore against a division leader. The Ravens have the look of the best team in the AFC, beating their opponents in different ways each week. Don’t be surprised if Baltimore ends up with home-field advantage in the AFC come January.”

Like Breech mentions, this was absolutely a statement win by the Ravens. They were able to get each of their active running backs involved in Latavius Murray, Le’Veon Bell, and Devonta Freeman, and didn’t need a superhuman performance by quarterback Lamar Jackson to win the game. The defense stepped up to the plate after struggling in a few areas, and Baltimore was able to knock off a very good football team in the Chargers.

Watch: RB Le’Veon Bell scores first touchdown in Ravens uniform

The Ravens saw running back Le’Veon Bell score the first touchdown of his Baltimore career

After seeing running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards go down with season-ending injuries, the Baltimore Ravens have been relying on multiple new faces in the running game in 2021, including Latavius Murray, Ty’Son Williams and Devonta Freeman. However, in Week 6 against the Chargers, another new face scored his first touchdown as a Raven in Le’Veon Bell.

Bell went around the right edge and leapt into the end zone for a two-yard score.

Bell has made an impact in his second game being called up from the practice squad. He is looking to secure a bigger role in the offense, and plays like his short touchdown run will certainly help that.

Ravens elevate two practice squad players to active roster for Week 6 game vs. Chargers

The Ravens elevated two practice squad players to their active roster ahead of their Week 6 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers

The Baltimore Ravens are set to face the Los Angeles Chargers in what should be an exciting Week 6 matchup. Both teams boast 4-1 records and will be looking to pick up their fifth win on the 2021 season.

In order to win on Sunday, Baltimore will have to get key contributions from many players on their roster, not just their stars. Ahead of the game, the Ravens announced that they had elevated two players from their practice squad to their active roster in running back Le’Veon Bell and offensive lineman Andre Smith.

This will mark Bell’s second appearance with Baltimore, as he was also called up from the practice squad for the team’s Week 4 game against the Denver Broncos. He has four carries for 11 yards on the year.

Smith will provide tackle depth in the event that Alejandro Villanueva can’t play with a knee injury that he’s currently working through. If Villanueva is unable to play, Smith could draw the start at left tackle.

Ravens reportedly receive trade inquires for RBs

The Ravens have reportedly received trade inquires for their running backs

The Baltimore Ravens lost three running backs to major injuries before the 2021 season began. While some teams might have been mentally defeated, the Ravens took on the challenge and brought in backs that could help make up for the stars that they lost.

Ahead of the Ravens’ Week 5 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, it was reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN that teams have reached out to Baltimore about their current group of running backs.

When the Ravens’ lost their starting rotation at running back, the team signed former New Orleans Saints running backs Latavius Murray and Devonta Freeman. Baltimore then brought in running back Le’Veon Bell, who last played for the Kansas City Chiefs. Those running backs would join second-year rusher Ty’Son Williams who was recently a healthy scratch from the team’s Week 4 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Bell made the move to the active roster in place of Williams.

Murray appears to be the Ravens No. 1 back and it would be shocking if the team decided to trade him away. Before Week 4, Williams was the guy behind Murray. Freeman and Bell have made little impact on the team so far. Freeman has rushed for 41 yards in four games while Bell only has 11 rushing yards since making his Ravens debut.

While the teams who have reached out to the Ravens’ have not been made public, many around the league seem to be in the market for depth at the running back position. It’s also not clear who Baltimore would be willing to trade away.

The NFL’s trade deadline is November 2nd this season. It wouldn’t be surprising if talks heated up in the coming weeks or if a move is made right before the deadline expired.

Ravens WR Devin Duvernay says it’s ‘been surreal’ playing with RB Le’Veon Bell

Ravens wide receiver Devin Duvernay told the media how it feels to play with running back Le’Veon Bell.

The Baltimore Ravens have dealt with season-ending injuries to all three of their remaining running backs from 2020. To fill in that hole, the team signed running backs Latavius Murray, Devonta Freeman and Le’Veon Bell in free agency before the start of the 2021 season.

Baltimore placed Murray and Freeman on the active roster to handle ball carrying duties behind Ty’Son Williams. However in Week 4, Baltimore activated Bell to the roster for their game against the Denver Broncos and made Williams a healthy scratch, which was a surprise to many.

On Wednesday, Ravens wide receiver Devin Duvernay spoke with the media about what it’s like to have Bell on the team.

Many are quick to say that Bell is not the same player he once was when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Sunday, Bell rushed for 11 yards on four carries against the Broncos. Despite the low numbers, Bell was not utilized much in Week 4, with his work coming against the No. 5 ranked defense in terms of yards on the ground allowed in the NFL. Denver held the Ravens to just 102 rushing yards on the day, which is a low number for what Baltimore’s ground attack is used to putting up on opposing teams.

Bell has veteran leadership qualities that can help the Ravens in many different ways. He also impressed in pass protection in Week 4, which is an area that can earn him more playing time if he continues to play relatively mistake-free. It would not be surprising if Bell gets utilized more in the offense as the season progresses.

John Harbaugh shares thoughts on performance of Le’Veon Bell in Week 4

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh shared his thoughts on how he thinks Le’Veon Bell performed in Week 4

The Baltimore Ravens have done their fair share of roster shuffling over the course of the 2021 season so far. After dealing with so many different kinds of injuries, the team has had to find plenty of contributors from outside of the organization to help play at a high level.

On Monday, Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh shared his thoughts on how he felt practice squad call up Le’Veon Bell performed in the Ravens’ 23-7 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 4. Harbaugh praised Bell, pointing out his reps in pass protection and shiftiness in the backfield. Overall, he said the veteran “did well”

“…Le’Veon [Bell], to your point, did a really nice job in pass protection – a couple really good blocks in there and made a couple nice cuts. He got hit in the backfield one time, spun out … Speaking of player safety, getting grabbed and his head twisted – that was one for player safety. But he made a couple guys miss. I thought he did well.”

Bell carried the football four times for 11 yards in Week 4. It seems like the team is very high on the former Pittsburgh Steelers star, and he could be called up from the practice squad once again to see if he can carve out a long-term role with Baltimore and help pick up some of the production from players such as J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, both of whom were lost for the season with injuries.

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 elevate three practice squad players to active roster for Week 4 game vs. Broncos

The Ravens elevated three practice squad players to their active roster ahead of their Week 4 matchup with the Broncos

The Baltimore Ravens are gearing up to take on the Denver Broncos in Week 4 of the 2021 season. Due to the many injuries that the team has gone through over the course of the year Baltimore has had many different contributors step up during the season, including multiple practice squad elevations.

On Saturday, the Ravens announced that they elevated three players from their practice squad to their active roster in running back Le’Veon Bell, offensive tackle Andre Smith, and defensive back Kevon Seymour. All three players will provide depth and could also potentially contribute in a very big way on Sunday.

Bell will seemingly get his first action of the year on Sunday in Denver after signing with Baltimore in early September. Smith will serve as offensive tackle depth with Ronnie Stanley ruled out of the contest, and Seymour could get a decent amount of playing time due to the Ravens’ secondary being stretched so thin with cornerback Anthony Averett and safety DeShon Elliot potentially unavailable for Week 4.

 

Broncos cut former Ravens RB Nate McCrary

On Thursday the Broncos cut a solid 2021 preseason contributor of the Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens had many tough decisions to make ahead of 2021 cut down day. They had a plethora of depth at a lot of different positions, and they simply couldn’t keep everyone who they wanted to on their roster.

One of the players who was on the outside looking in was running back Nate McCrary. Baltimore released him before the season-ending injuries to Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, and McCrary was subsequently claimed on waivers by the Denver Broncos. After being inactive for Denver’s first two games, the Broncos cut McCrary on Thursday.

The undrafted rookie free agent put up somewhat impressive numbers for the Ravens in the preseason, rushing the ball 42 times for 163 yards and a rushing touchdown, averaging 3.9 yards per carry. He also caught three passes for 34 yards.

It will be interesting to see if Baltimore will bring McCrary back into the organization. They would likely have to decide between him and running back Le’Veon Bell for a spot on the practice squad, as keeping two rushers on the practice squad along with three on the active roster could cause roster constrains elsewhere. With Bell becoming more and more familiar with the Ravens’ offense by the day, McCrary might not be needed in Baltimore anymore unless another injury arises. However, it wouldn’t be shocking if the Ravens at least considered the possibility of bringing a good preseason contributor for them back to the team in some capacity.