Tag: Will Holden

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 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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