Tag: Trystan Colon-Castillo

Former Ravens OL Trystan Colon-signs with Jets

The Ravens reportedly lost offensive lineman Trystan Colon to the New York Jets

The Baltimore Ravens lost a key piece of their offensive line to the New York Jets on Friday when Trystan Colon inked a new deal to move to the Big Apple for the 2023 season. Baltimore, which has been particularly quiet to this point in the first week of free agency, will need to make a corresponding move to replace Colon in short order or risk compromising the depth of their front five.

In Colon, the Jets will get a versatile lineman who can play at both the guard and center positions competently. That flexibility enabled the Ravens to get creative when injuries came up last season, though the 24-year-old lineman only made one start in their 2022 campaign.

By no means will this move doom the Ravens next season, though the overall attrition to their roster over the last week paired with the uncertainty surrounding quarterback Lamar Jackson’s disposition for 2023 is definitely concerning.

Two Ravens players do not clear COVID-19 protocol in time to play in Week 15

The Ravens will be without two of their players on Sunday, as they didn’t clear COVID-19 protocols in time to play in Week 15

The Baltimore Ravens have been as decimated a team as any during the 2021 season. They’ve dealt with a multitude of injuries and plenty of illness cases, including COVID-19.

On Saturday, it was learned that two of Baltimore’s players who were placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list during the week won’t be able to play in Week 15 since they were not able to clear the COVID-19 protocols put in place by the league in safety Chuck Clark and center Trystan Colon .

 

With the postponements of three NFL games this weekend, the NFL made some changes to the COVID-19 testing, but Clark and Colon will still be unable to play. Their absences add to a long list of players who will be unavailable for Week 15.

The loss of Clark is another blow to the already depleted secondary for the Ravens.  Clark had started every game this season, so the fact that he’s unavailable is something new for Baltimore. Colon is the backup center for Bradley Bozeman, so the team will be down yet another offensive lineman who has seen action in multiple games this season.

Ravens Draft Prospect Profile: Landon Dickerson

The Baltimore Ravens could look to invest even more in their offensive line in the 2021 draft, and Landon Dickerson could be an option

The Baltimore Ravens identified their offensive line as a key need heading into the 2021 offseason. After adding a good guard in Kevin Zeitler, the team most likely isn’t done adding protection for Lamar Jackson, as they’ve seen some of their former linemen in Matt Skura and D.J. Fluker depart for other opportunities. While both Skura and Fluker would most have likely seen their roles in Baltimore decrease this year, the organization can add impact linemen to fill their roster spots.

University of Alabama center Landon Dickerson could be an option for the Ravens if they feel comfortable with his medicals and injury history. When healthy, Dickerson is arguably the best interior offensive lineman in the 2021 class, as he uses his strength, hand power, and awareness to stifle oncoming defenders.

The 6-foot-6, 326 pound Dickerson is technically sound and does a little bit of everything well. He can line up all over the offensive line, but most project him as a center at the next level, the position he played the most during the last part of his college career. Baltimore would gain a great player if they ended up selecting Dickerson, but unfortunately there are some concerns that make teams wary of adding the former Crimson Tide center to their roster.

With Dickerson, his medical history is not pretty. He’s suffered a litany of serious injuries, including multiple different ankle issues and ACL tears. Organizations are reportedly so concerned with what they’ve seen that Dickerson could fall all the way to Day 3 of the draft.

There’s no doubt that Dickerson would provide the Ravens with an immediate starting option on the interior in 2021 and beyond assuming he’s healthy. However, the medical reports are looking to have scared some teams off, especially after having so many lower leg injuries in such a short amount of time. It’s up to Baltimore’s decision makers to determine how comfortable they are with the center’s injury history, but if Dickerson does end up staying relatively injury-free during his NFL career, he could be the steal of the draft.

 

Trystan Colon-Castillo, Kristian Welch sign exclusive rights tenders

The Baltimore Ravens had two exclusive rights free agents sign their tenders on Saturday in Trystan Colon-Castillo and Kristian Welch

The Baltimore Ravens will enter 2021 training camp with plenty of young players ready to compete for a roster spot and prove that they can make an impact at the NFL level. Two of those players signed their exclusive rights tenders on Saturday, the team announced.

 

Colon-Castillo, 23, signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent after playing at the University of Missouri. While he didn’t make the final 53-man roster out of training camp, he was added to Baltimore’s practice squad shortly after he was let go.

After spending the first few weeks of the season on the practice squad, the center was signed to the active roster on October 12th. The promotion came after rumblings began that other teams were looking to poach him from the Ravens’ practice squad and sign him to their own active rosters. He appeared in two games for Baltimore during his rookie campaign, including making his first career start in the Ravens’ December 2nd game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a contest where the Baltimore was missing a plethora of contributors due to the Coronavirus.

Welch, 22, played primarily on special teams for the Ravens in 2020, and filled in nicely after fellow linebacker and special teams contributor Otaro Alaka was lost for the season with a knee injury.

The former University of Iowa Hawkeye was let go by Baltimore during final cut down day, but was back with the team the next day, signing to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 7th after being a game-day call up for multiple weeks. He totalled three tackles on the season.

Both players showed potential last year, and are viewed highly by the Ravens. They could be looking at increased responsibilities, especially after having a year with the team to learn the NFL game and figure out Baltimore does things.

Signing the tenders that they were assigned on March 10th means that both Colon-Castillo and Welch are under contract for another year with the Ravens and will make the league minimum, which is $780,000 for players with one accrued season.

Ravens tender 3 players, including RB Gus Edwards

Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said RB Gus Edwards was going to be a part of the team and he held up to it, handing out a 2nd-round tender

It seems like the Baltimore Ravens were waiting for the NFL to release the 2021 salary cap figures before making too many moves. With the NFL announcing the 2021 salary cap will sit at $182.5 million, the Ravens began making some moves.

According to Ravens staff writer Ryan Mink, Baltimore officially handed out tenders to three players — running back Gus Edwards (RFA), center Trystan Colon-Castillo (ERFA), and linebacker Kristian Welch (ERFA).

Though the Ravens didn’t announce which tenders were given to each player, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Edwards received a second-round tender. With the 2021 salary cap finalized, a second-round tender will run Baltimore $3.384 million for one season, according to Over The Cap. As a restricted free agent, Edwards can negotiate with other teams but they’ll have to give the Ravens a second-round selection if Baltimore fails to match an offer sheet. Considering the value of running backs in the NFL in this era, it’s unlikely Edwards will draw much, if any, interest given the tender.

Just because Edwards is now locked up through the 2021 season under a restricted free agent tender, it doesn’t mean the Ravens are done with him. Given the limited cap space this season, inking Edwards to a long-term deal could lower his 2021 cap hit, freeing up valuable funds to sign other players in free agency. At his pre-free-agency press conference, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta noted Edwards was going to be a part of the team “one way or the other” but seemed to indicate they’d like to get a deal done rather than having to rely on the tender.

As a part of a three-headed backfield in Baltimore last season, Edwards didn’t put up crazy stats by himself. Still, Edwards ran the ball 144 times, gaining 723 yards and six touchdowns in the process while adding another 129 receiving yards on nine catches. Edwards’ 5.0 rushing-yards-per-carry average in 2020 was tied for ninth among the entire NFL, or seventh among just running backs.

With fewer than three accumulated seasons in the NFL and expired contracts, Colon-Castillo and Wech are exclusive rights free agents. As ERFAs, Baltimore is able to offer one-year league-minimum contracts and the players cannot negotiate with other teams. Both will likely earn $780,000 in 2021 before becoming restricted free agents next offseason.

While center is one of the positions the Ravens are expected to address this offseason, Colon-Castillo could be in the mix as well, depending on what Baltimore does. Colon-Castillo started two games last season as the Ravens dealt with injuries, a COVID-19 outbreak, and lackluster play at the position.

Welch didn’t get much playing time on defense, seeing the field for just eight snaps. However, he received quite a bit of playing time on special teams, seeing 173 (41%) of the special-teams snaps last season.

The Ravens still have a few other ERFAs and RFAs that have yet to be tendered. Punter Johnny Townsend (ERFA), linebacker Chris Board (RFA), and wide receiver Antoine Wesley (ERFA) were not among those tendered yet. While Baltimore could still do so, the Ravens already have a punter in Sam Koch and are likely to address wide receiver in free agency or the 2021 NFL draft. Unfortunately for Board, his RFA status meant he was unlikely to receive a tender due to the higher cost against the salary cap. However, if Baltimore wants to keep him around, they could try to sign him to a contract extension at a lower value.

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Ravens pending free agents priority list: Who should Baltimore call first?

In total, Baltimore has 24 pending free agents they’ll have to discuss.

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The Baltimore Ravens played their final game of the season and have made a clear transition into the offseason. Coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta have held their annual season-ending press conferences and some initial roster moves have been completed. But as the Ravens begin the offseason, the very top of their to-do list involves figuring out their own roster and pending free agents.

In total, Baltimore has 24 pending free agents they’ll have to discuss. Who should be brought back and at what cost? Those are the questions only the front office can truly answer as they measure production (both current and potential) against what it’ll likely cost to re-sign them and try to fit it all into a very tight salary cap situation.

But with our general manager hats on, we here at Ravens Wire wanted to take a closer look at who we’d be calling if we were in control. Four of us independently ranked our free-agent priorities — not based on expectations of cost or who we felt would return — but on who we’d be most eager to start negotiations with.

Take a look below to see how we ranked the Ravens’ free-agent priorities and a quick analysis of why we placed them in their respective positions.

Ravens make trio of roster moves after Week 5, including signing UDFA C Trystan Colon-Castillo

The Baltimore Ravens made a trio of moves after Week 5, putting Otaro Alaka on IR and signing Trystan Colon-Castillo to the 53-man roster

The Baltimore Ravens moved to 4-1 on the season, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 27-3 on Sunday. But the coaching staff and front office didn’t have much time to celebrate the win before having to get back to work.

According to the transaction report for Monday, the Ravens were busy. In addition to putting linebacker Otaro Alaka on injured reserve with a knee injury, Baltimore brought up center Trystan Colon-Castillo from the practice squad and signed defensive back Nate Hairston to fill his spot.

The trio of moves was somewhat expected. Alaka suffered what was feared to be a season-ending knee injury against the Bengals. As well, coach John Harbaugh noted Colon-Castillo had been garnering some attention on the practice squad, forcing the team to bring him up to the 53-man roster to keep him from getting poached.

Colon-Castillo was one of the Ravens’ undrafted free agents this offseason. Though Baltimore chose to not keep a single UDFA when creating their initial 53-man roster — breaking a 16-year record — the Ravens clearly feel the former Missouri center is someone they want to continue to develop for the future. With an offensive line that has had some subpar play this season following right guard Marshal Yanda’s retirement, keeping linemen they value is a pretty easy decision.

Hairston joins Baltimore’s practice squad with the veteran exception tag. A former fifth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts, Hairston is in his fourth season in the NFL and on his third team. While it’s easy to think Hairston is simply an insurance policy for the Ravens, he brings quite a bit of experience at cornerback, an area Baltimore has been a little thin at this season.

Hairston has played in 40 games throughout his four-year career, starting 17. He’s notched two interceptions, nine passes defensed, two sacks, 95 combined tackles, and a safety.

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Ravens protect S Nigel Warrior, 3 others on practice squad for Week 3

The Baltimore Ravens protected some familiar names on their practice squad this week but added Nigel Warrior to the list for the first time

The Baltimore Ravens continue to change who they protect on the practice squad each week. Though some of the names have persisted over all three weeks, this week sees a new player getting protected.

According to the transactions list, the Ravens have protected the following four players for Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs:

  • C Trystan Colon-Castillo
  • G Will Holden
  • LS Nick Moore
  • S Nigel Warrior

Colon-Castillo and Moore have been regulars on the protected list this season, which makes sense. With center Matt Skura returning from a gruesome knee injury and Patrick Mekari being his only backup, it’s a little extra insurance at the position. The same could be said for Moore at long snapper, though Baltimore has never really had a long snapper stick around in previous years.

The new addition is Warrior. With cornerback Tavon Young suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 against the Houston Texans, the Ravens are likely to bump someone up from the practice squad. The top candidate is safety Jordan Richards, who has already been elevated for gameday in both games so far. That would make Warrior an important depth option on the practice squad, in need of some protection.

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Ravens protect QB Tyler Huntley, 3 other practice squad players for Week 2

The Baltimore Ravens protected 4 practice squad players once again, including training camp standouts QB Tyler Huntley, RB Ty’Son Williams

As we saw last week, the Baltimore Ravens are going to use their practice squad protections in some unique ways. They got a little more traditional in Week 2, protecting more than just offensive linemen.

According to the transaction report, the Ravens protected two of the same players from last week as well as two new ones. Here’s who is protected this week:

  • QB Tyler Huntley
  • RB Ty’Son Williams
  • C Trystan Colon-Castillo
  • LS Nick Moore

As we noted last week, there’s a new practice squad rule allowing teams to protect up to four reserve players every week. This means other teams can’t poach a player from the practice squad, allowing teams to continue developing their most important young reserve players

This is far more what everyone expected to see from Baltimore’s protections list last week.

Huntley was a shocking cut at the roster deadline with the Ravens choosing second-year quarterback Trace McSorley despite Huntley playing better in training camp. Williams was a surprising standout in his limited time at Baltimore’s training camp, popping off a few big runs in practice after being a late addition to the 80-man roster. Colon-Castillo once again makes this list after being protected last year.

It’s still a little head-scratching why they’re using such a valuable spot on a long snapper. But with how many kickers missed chip-shot field goals and extra points in Week 1, maybe Baltimore has the right idea there after all.

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Ravens protect 3 OL, 1 LB on practice squad in Week 1

The Baltimore Ravens protected two offensive linemen, a linebacker and long snapper Nick Moore for Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season.

An extra wrinkle has been added to the 2020 NFL season in the form of a new practice squad rule. Teams can now protect up to four practice squad players from getting poached by other teams. The Baltimore Ravens took advantage of the new rule to ensure they keep a few key players.

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Ravens protected the following four players:

  1. LB Aaron Adeoye
  2. C Trystan Colon-Castillo
  3. G Will Holden
  4. LS Nick Moore

The decision to protect both Holden and Colon-Castillo isn’t much of a shocker.

While listed as a guard, Holden would actually be a tackle for Baltimore. Considering their lack of depth — rookie Tyre Phillips is the only listed backup for both Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown Jr. — keeping him with the team for another week is a wise move. Colon-Castillo is similarly fitting with starting center Matt Skura returning from a gruesome knee injury that sent him to injured reserve last season. With limited depth behind him, protecting Colon-Castillo is just a little added insurance in case Skura isn’ actually ready to go yet.

The real interesting decision is at long snapper with Baltimore protecting Moore. There are few teams in the league that value special teams as much as the Ravens but protecting a long snapper when they have a proven guy in Morgan Cox is a head-scratcher. It could be that Baltimore really loves what they’ve seen out of Moore and have long-term plans for him, or it could be that Cox has been quietly battling some type of injury and they want a little depth at the position without spending a roster spot.

It’ll be interesting to see how this list changes from week to week this season to pick up on any potential patterns the Ravens have that might hint at their strategy.

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