Tag: shemar bridges

Updated depth chart projection for Ravens offense

We’re updating our Baltimore #Ravens projected offensive depth chart after a slew of roster moves and ahead of preseason matchup vs. Commanders via @Thacover2NFL

The Ravens are just 48-hours away from their second preseason matchup of the summer when they travel to face the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field on Monday at 8 p.m. ET, and you can watch on ESPN.

Baltimore is favored in a game where most of their starters will sit, while several key rookies and veterans will compete for final remaining roster spots.

With cutdown day fast approaching, we’re providing an updated regular season depth chart prediction ahead of Monday night.

Ravens stock watch: Who’s up, who’s down heading into preseason matchup with Commanders?

We’re looking who’s seen their stock rise and stock fall ahead of the Baltimore #Ravens preseason matchup against the Washington Commanders via @thacover2NFL

The Ravens are starting to form their 53-man depth chart and as the team prepares for a preseason tilt against the Commanders, several stock portfolio’s are starting to take shape.

Baltimore has a loaded roster, with more players on the roster bubble, than available slots on the depth chart.

With the team wrapping up a morning session ahead of Monday’s national television appearance, we’re looking at who’s stock is up, and who’s stock is declining.

The hype about Zay Flowers is real and he’s excluded from the list because his stock pprtfolio is obviously high.

Highlights and notes from Ravens second joint practice with Commanders

We’re looking at highlights and notes from the Baltimore #Ravens second and final joint practice with the Washington Commanders via @Thacover2NFL

The Ravens and Commanders hooked up for the second of two joint practices at the Under Armour Performance Center.

It was a difficult day with the news that Marlon Humphrey needed to have foot surgery that would require a month of rehab.

The Baltimore defense picked up the slack, pressuring Sam Howell throughout the 11-on-11 period.

Here are highlights and notes from Day 2.

Ravens sign six players to reserve/future deals

The Ravens sign six players to future/reserve deals.

With the Baltimore Ravens losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round, their season came to an end.  Another year with plenty of potential ended too soon, especially without their best player in quarterback Lamar Jackson.

With the season ending, the team’s offseason roster moves have already begun. The Ravens have signed six players to reserve/future deals in wide receiver Shemar Bridges, defensive back Bopete Keyes, outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon, defensive lineman Rayshad Nichols, guard John Simpson, and wide receiver Mike Thomas.

Bridges was a star in training game and preseason before being cut due to an injury.  He was signed back to the practice squad late in the season, but never made it to the active roster.  Defensive tackle Rayshad Nichols played in Week 17 against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the absence of Calais Campbell. Nichols recorded four tackles on 15 snaps in that game.

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Ravens waive WR Shemar Bridges with injury settlement

The Ravens waived wide receiver Shemar Bridges with an injury settlement

The Baltimore Ravens brought in numerous undrafted free agent wide receivers to compete for a roster spot. They looked to have targeted a specific profile in most of the players, that which was a big-bodied player that can make contested catches.

One of the rookies that the team brought in was wideout Shemar Bridges out of Fort Valley State. He burst onto the scene in the first game of the 2022 preseason, catching multiple impressive passes. However, he suffered an injury in the final preseason game and was waived/injured once the Baltimore roster had to be trimmed to 53 players. On Monday, it was made known that Bridges was cut from injured reserve with an injury settlement.

5 takeaways from Ravens’ Week 1 preseason win vs. Titans

We look at five takeaways from the Ravens’ Week 1 preseason win over the Tennessee Titans

The Baltimore Ravens picked up a 23-10 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 of the 2022 preseason. It extended their preseason winning streak to 21-straight games, which means the team is continuing to build on their NFL record.

There were plenty of things to take away from the game on all three sides of the ball. Baltimore didn’t play many of their projected starters, which meant young players had the opportunity to step up in a big way. They delivered, with many making a case for a roster spot as well as more playing time.

Below we look at five takeaways from the Ravens’ Week 1 preseason win over Tennessee.

Secret Superstars for Week 1 of the 2022 NFL preseason

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar has scoured preseason tape, and here are his Secret Superstars for Week 1 of this NFL preseason.

Those party-poopers who tell you that “It’s only the preseason” have never tried to make an NFL team, or grab a starting role, by the skin of their teeth. For more players than not, the three-game stretch before the regular season begins is their best way to prove that they belong on an NFL roster once things get “real.”

Now that Week 1 of the 2022 preseason is in the books, here are the players we think have done the most to create — or enhance — those favorable impressions when they matter the most.

The players on this list are not the obvious names — there are no first-rounders, or players who came into the new season with advanced amounts of hype based on their collegiate or previous NFL exploits. These guys are either trying to stake their claims, or save their careers.

So, let’s take a look at the Secret Superstars of Week 1 of the 2022 NFL preseason.

(All metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise indicated).

Ravens WR Shemar Bridges reveals what he needs to do to make final 53-man roster

Ravens wide receiver Shemar Bridges discussed what he thinks he needs to do to make the team’s final 53-man roster

The Baltimore Ravens are going to need to get major contributions from young players in their wide receiver room, especially after the trade of Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals. Some of the bigger names that they have at the position right now include Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay and James Proche II, but there are others that could step up in a big way.

One of those players is undrafted free agent Shemar Bridges, who is currently fighting for a spot on the team’s final roster. After Baltimore’s Week 1 preseason win against the Tennessee Titans, Bridges described what he feels he needs to do to make the team’s final roster, saying that he wants to keep working hard and improving.

“I just got to keep working hard, keep grinding, do stuff on special teams, and just keep going hard, and just improve on things that I need to improve on. I made some plays today, but there’s definitely things I want to improve on and do better. So, just really going by the drawing board, learn from my mistakes, going hard on special teams, doing all the little things – blocking, doing all the little dirty work things to help me make the team and make a name for myself in the league.”

Bridges burst onto the scene in the team’s 23-10 win, catching four passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 207 pounds, the rookie has a skillset that the team needs on the field, and his NFL debut showed plenty of promise in the fact that he could be the player to fill that role.

Unheralded HBCU WR Shemar Bridges was a secret superstar for Ravens in NFL debut

Fort Valley State receiver Shemar Bridges, ignored in the draft process, blew it up for the Ravens in his NFL debut.

Shemar Bridges doesn’t currently have an entry in the Pro Football Reference or College Football Reference databases. NFL.com’s comprehensive draft prospect tracker didn’t write him up. Bridges did show up in Dane Brugler’s pathologically detailed “The Beast” draft guide… as the 178th-best receiver in this class. Other than that, mostly crickets from the Draft Industrial Complex. Bridges was interviewed by Damond Talbot of the Draft Diamonds site in June, 2021, which is about the most recognition he’s received from anybody.

“My work ethic and want to be the best,” Bridges said back then about his value as a prospect. “My size/speed combination and ability to move at my size. Also, my ability to make touch catches and tough plays. Opting out and coming back for another season has helped me earn a draft grade and opportunity to prove to people what more I can do to move up in stock while also looking to compete for a championship.”

The Fort Valley State alum, one of the few HBCU players currently in the NFL, signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent, and is now just trying to make the team.

Bridges participated in the first annual Legacy Bowl in New Orleans, a game which allows lesser-known HBCU players to show NFL teams what they can do. He also was involved in the first HBCU scouting combine, which similarly helps players who aren’t invited to the actual combine to display their skill sets to NFL teams. 

The 51 greatest HBCU players in NFL history (slight return)

“I performed well. I showed what I can do,” Bridges said in late February, per Chris Porter of First Coast News. “I talked to about seven different teams, and I got good feedback from them.”

Given his performance against the Tennessee Titans in his preseason debut, Bridges might be on his way to surprising a lot of people. He caught four passes on five targets for 62 yards and a touchdown in Baltimore’s 23-10 win, and two of those catches were similarly spectacular. 

With 2:10 left in the third quarter, Bridges got vertical for this 38-yard reception on a pass from Anthony Brown Jr.

The overhead looks even better.

Bridges had already made a great like-as-like play on this 14-yard touchdown near the end of the first half on a fade ball from Tyler Huntley.

We don’t yet know how things will turn out for Bridges, but given the Ravens’ perpetually receiver-light status… if he keeps making plays like this, his new NFL team would have to think more than twice before letting him go.