Tag: Nelson Agholor

Ravens TE Mark Andrews has high expectations for Baltimore’s new offense

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has high expectations for the team’s new offense

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The Baltimore Ravens’ plan during the 2023 offseason was to improve the team’s offensive weapons. They stayed true to that agenda by signing Nelson Agholor and Odell Beckham Jr and drafting Zay Flowers, putting the cherry on top by signing quarterback Lamar Jackson to a five-year mega-extension.

The team also brought in a new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken, replacing now-former offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews talked to the media after a session of organized team activities, and was asked about the offense, especially the new additions.

“I think it’s super exciting just to … From being out here the last two days, and, obviously, seeing Zay [Flowers] run some routes – he was running some incredible routes today and getting open – and then, obviously, ‘OBJ’ [Odell Beckham Jr.] and some of the other young guys that I’m excited about, I think it’s going to be a dangerous offense. I’ve really loved what Coach [Todd] Monken has had to teach and the way he’s teaching and his energy that he brings – very enthusiastic. So, I think the sky is the limit. I think for us, it’s just about taking charge, taking control of this offense, making it ours and just keep on going, keep on working.”

Bleacher Report rates Ravens’ offense highly in post-draft rankings

Bleacher Report ranked the Ravens’ offense highly in their post-draft rankings

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The Baltimore Ravens have been busy this offseason trying to revamp the offense after offensive coordinator Greg Roman and the team parted ways after the 2022 season. So far, they’ve made a lot of moves that will hopefully lead to success all over their offense, such as the additions of Nelson Agholor and Odell Beckham Jr, drafting Zay Flowers, hiring Todd Monken, and signing Lamar Jackson to a contract extension.

Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine recently ranked the NFL’s offenses following the 2023 NFL draft. He placed Baltimore in the No. 9 spot, mentioning their additions, subtractions, and Jackson.

“Signing Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor while drafting Zay Flowers gives them two proven veterans and an explosive rookie who should start from Day 1 as a slot receiver…It all coincides with the transition from Greg Roman to Todd Monken as offensive coordinator. The latter will be tasked with opening the offense up a bit while maintaining the run game powered by Jackson’s mobility…The only thing holding them back is health. Jackson has dealt with injuries that limited him to 12 games in each of the last two seasons, OBJ is coming off a torn ACL, and J.K. Dobbins has struggled to remain healthy throughout his three years in the league.”

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson ‘very eager’ to work with new WRs

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson shared his eagerness to work with the team’s new wide receivers

The Baltimore Ravens needed to revamp the wide receiver room in the offseason, and they’ve done just that. The additions of Nelson Agholor, Odell Beckham Jr, and Zay Flowers on paper make the room a lot of fun, and a lot more explosive.

Baltimore replaced former offensive coordinator Greg Roman with Todd Monken, who is expected to make big changes to the offensive side of the ball. When quarterback Lamar Jackson was asked about his new weapons, he said he was very eager to work with them and play in games alongside them.

“I’m very eager; I’m very eager to be honest with you. I think I told someone, ‘I want to throw for like 6,000 yards with the weapons we have.’ I’m not an individual award type of guy or stat watcher, I just want to do that because no one’s ever done it. I feel like we have the weapons to do it. We have explosive guys. Like Coach [John Harbaugh] said, Nelson [Agholor] the new addition, Zay [Flowers], ‘OBJ’ [Odell Beckham Jr.], and we have [Rashod] Bateman who’s going to be 100 percent healthy, ‘Duv’ [Devin Duvernay] is going to be healthy … I can’t forget about Mark [Andrews]; [I] can’t forget about my boy, Mark, and [Isaiah] Likely. So, I just can’t wait to get rolling.”

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta shares unique story on how the deal QB Lamar Jackson picked up steam

Ravens general manager shared a unique story on how the contract between the team and quarterback Lamar Jackson picked up steam

All offseason, a deal with the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson seemed like a long shot, with no end in sight to the contract saga. However, on Thursday the two sides agreed to a long-term extension, ending the long standoff between the two sides.

Now that Jackson and the Ravens have agreed to a deal, general manager Eric DeCosta details how the deal got done.  DeCosta said he was watching the Boston Celtics game after a game-winning shot by Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, Jackson texted him an encouraging message about the contract, making the general manager’s night.

Having Jackson back in the fold to play under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken will do wonders for the team moving forward. His next order of business will now be gaining a rapport with new receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Nelson Aghulor, and Zay Flowers.

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Ravens GM Eric DeCosta talks about team’s building strategy over course of 2023 offseason

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta talked about the team’s building strategy over the course of the 2023 offseason

The Baltimore Ravens aren’t usually a team that makes a ton of moves during the free agent period.  They are very particular with the players they target and go after, with the 2023 offseason being no different.

This particular offseason has been a struggle due to the uncertainty with quarterback Lamar Jackson.  So far, the team has only signed wide receiver Nelson Agholor, while retaining some free agent that were already part of the organization. General manager Eric DeCosta was asked during the Pre-Draft Press Conference how tough it’s been to navigate the roster before the draft, and talked a bit about his offseason roster building.

“Not too much, not too bad, I would say. We’ve signed a lot of free agents; they just had played for us in the past. We had a lot of guys who we wanted back, is what it amounts to, and guys that have played winning football for us. We’ve never been a big free agency team prior to this year. We very much pick and choose, [and] it’s based on a lot of different factors, so it’s a bigger-picture team-building strategy that I believe in and that goes back to [executive vice president] Ozzie [Newsome] that [head coach] John [Harbaugh] and Ozzie have developed over the years, and Coach [Brian] Billick and Ozzie … Everything … It’s just the way that we operate. And so, for us, the Draft will always be paramount. It will always be our biggest and best way of improving our team for the long term. So, that’s what we believe in. We’re not done. As Ozzie has said a million times, the roster is not set until September, and we’ll have a lot of different opportunities pre-Draft [and] post-Draft to build a strong football team. We’ll take advantage of every single mechanism that we can – free agency, undrafted free agency, trades, waiver wire pickups – whatever that might be, to build the best team we can. So, this is just really the beginning, not the end.”

With the Ravens needing to keep money for Lamar Jackson available if and when he signs his non-exclusive tag, it makes it hard for the team to build a roster. The team likely wants to be more active, but they are strapped for space and cash right now.

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Ravens GM Eric DeCosta shares thoughts on WR, OL, DL prospects in 2023 NFL draft

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta talked about the depth of WR, OL, and DL positions in 2023 draft

The Baltimore Ravens held their annual pre-draft press conference on Wednesday, and dove into plenty of topics with the 2023 draft almost three weeks away. Baltimore currently holds five picks in the draft, with potential opportunities to acquire more if the opportunity presents itself.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta was asked about some positions of strength heading into the upcoming draft, and mentioned a few areas that the team believes have strong prospect classes. DeCosta talked about the wide receiver position, as well as the depth on the offensive and defensive lines.

“I think the fans will be happy that it’s a strong receiver class. Again, we see a multitude of guys that could go in the first couple rounds. It’s a great opportunity for us. I think offensive line is a strong position this year. [There are] some defensive linemen that we like as well. So, we think it kind of shapes up nicely based on our needs. Of course, you have to have a little luck on Draft day, but we see a lot of players that make us a better football team at those positions, for sure.”

As of now it seems like the Ravens will likely draft a receiver, as they didn’t last season and haven’t made any upgrades to their group other than Nelson Agholor. The offensive needs to scare opponents, and a true No. 1 wide receiver would help them do that, whether it be a veteran, a rookie, or someone already on the team.

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Around the North: Ravens make odd decision to sign Nelson Agholor

The signing doesn’t make much sense.

So far NFL free agency for the rival Baltimore Ravens has been quiet in terms of additions. The Cleveland Browns’ division foe currently is not sure what their quarterback situation will be which is likely why they haven’t made many moves. Their wide receiver group has been horrible and on Friday they made a bizarre addition by signing Patriots free agent Nelson Agholor.

Agholor has not lived up to the hype of being a first-round pick in 2015 often struggling with drop issues. For a team that needed to improve the pass catcher position, this signing seems a little hollow, and most are not sure this makes the room better.

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Ex-Patriots WR Nelson Agholor staying in AFC after recent signing

Nelson Agholor is staying in the AFC.

Former New England Patriots receiver Nelson Agholor is taking his talents to the AFC North and joining the Baltimore Ravens, according to The Score’s Jordan Schultz.

The 29-year-old will try to aid a passing attack for the Ravens that could definitely use a boost. Whether he’ll be catching passes from Lamar Jackson or not remains to be seen.

Things never worked out for Agholor in New England after he signed a two-year, $26 million contract back in 2021. He was part of a wave of a free agency splurge for the Patriots that never really panned out. Tight end Jonnu Smith was also part of that same wave, and he was ultimately traded out of town for a seventh-round draft pick at the start of free agency.

Despite having one of the most expensive contracts on the roster last season, Agholor only hauled in 31 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns. We’ll see if the grass really is greener for the veteran wideout in Baltimore.

According to the The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec , the deal is for one-year and $3.25 million with another $3 million in incentives.

The Patriots also lost Jakobi Meyers in free agency to the Las Vegas Raiders, while picking up JuJu Smith-Schuster in the process. They have still yet to lock down a true No. 1 option at receiver, but there is obviously still time to do so through free agency and the draft.

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9 former Patriots players who are still free agents

Here are the last remaining former Patriots players still listed as free agents.

After one week of free agency, the New England Patriots have managed to re-sign the vast majority of their pending free agents since the turn of the new league year.

They’ve also lost some key players as well, including wideout Jakobi Meyers and running back Damien Harris.

But not everyone has been picked up by another team yet. There are still some considerably noteworthy names swimming in the massive pool of free agency. For New England, that number has dwindled all the way down to 10 players left on the list.

Here are the former Patriots players still waiting to be signed in free agency.

27 former Eagles players who are still unsigned free agents

We’re looking at 27 former Philadelphia Eagles players who are still currently unsigned 2023 NFL free agents

The Philadelphia Eagles have lost 10+ players to free agency.

Two starters in the secondary (C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Marcus Epps), both starting linebackers (T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White) and one all-world defensive tackle (Javon Hargrave) are exiting for greener pastures on the open market.

With ten players signing with other teams, here’s an updated look at 27 former Eagles who are currently free agents on the open market via Over The Cap.