Tag: Willie Snead

John Harbaugh tells classic story from Ravens’ Week 14 win over Browns

The Baltimore Ravens beat the Cleveland Browns in a classic Week 14 game. John Harbaugh detailed a classic story from the game

During the 2020 NFL season, many deemed the Baltimore Ravens’ Week 14 matchup with the Cleveland Browns the game of the year. A back-and-forth offensive showcase, the Ravens ended up winning the game 47-42, effectively saving their season as they kept their playoff hopes alive. However, the storylines in this game went far beyond the final score.

Baltimore only had two active quarterbacks available for the game in Lamar Jackson and Trace McSorley. Jackson went to the locker room with cramps in the fourth quarter, and while McSorley was trying to lead a valiant comeback, he went down awkwardly with an injury that would end up costing him the rest of the season. With no quarterbacks left and a 4th-and-5 staring him in the face, John Harbaugh had a massive decision to make. In an interview with Charles Davis, he recalled the moments before he had to give his final say:

There is plenty to unpack from this story, including the fact that Harbaugh was almost willing to let Justin Tucker trot out onto the field and attempt a 68-yard field goal. When McSorley went down, Cleveland was winning 35-34, so a successful try would have resulted in the Ravens going up by two points. Tucker also would have shattered the record for the longest made field goal in NFL history, a feat currently held by Matt Prater for kicking a 64-yard field goal in 2013.

While many people think that punter Sam Koch would be the emergency quarterback in a situation like Baltimore was facing, it was actually wide receiver Willie Snead who would have had to go into the game and try to lead Baltimore to victory. Snead played quarterback in high school, so he would have at least had a fighter’s chance at converting the fourth down.

Harbaugh detailed that Snead was confident, saying “this is my time to shine.” While we’ll never know if Harbaugh would have gone with Snead or Tucker, the whole situation makes for a great story, one that will go down in the history books.

You can watch the full interview here.

Raiders signing former Ravens WR Willie Snead to 1-year deal

Former Baltimore Ravens WR Willie Snead will have a chance to show what he can do, signing a one-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Baltimore Ravens have lost yet another one of their pending free agents. After visiting with the Las Vegas Raiders this week, former Ravens wide receiver Willie Snead will stay in the area, signing a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and agent Drew Rosenhaus.

For anyone who has been following Baltimore this offseason, Snead’s departure isn’t exactly shocking. Snead was highly critical and outspoken about his lack of opportunities in the Ravens’ offense ahead of free agency. While it could be chalked up to a player looking to boost their value entering the market, Snead was far from the only player to criticize the offense this offseason. Dez Bryant took a shot at the team while defending quarterback Lamar Jackson. Even starter Marquise Brown seemingly agreed with the various disparaging comments, liking his former teammates’ tweets.

Still, while Snead’s departure isn’t surprising, it does leave Baltimore with a hole they need to fill. Over three seasons with the Ravens, Snead caught 126 passes for 1,422 yards and nine touchdowns, though his production dropped significantly after his first year with the team.

While the Ravens could look to second-year players Devin Duvernay and James Proche to fill Snead’s spot in the slot, Baltimore hasn’t been ignoring the position this offseason either. The Ravens have offered contracts to JuJu Smith-Schuster and T.Y. Hilton, had Sammy Watkins in for a visit, and even checked out Kenny Golladay. Unfortunately, they haven’t been successful landing one of those options yet, which has drawn the ire of fans.

Baltimore could also look to the 2021 NFL draft to find wide receiver help. The Ravens have regularly been handed guys like Rashod Bateman and Terrace Marshall Jr. in mock drafts, and they’ve met with Auburn WR Anthony Schwartz ahead of the draft.

Snead will be going from the league’s last-ranked passing offense to the Raiders’ seventh-ranked. Though it’s unclear what Snead’s role and playing time will look like in Las Vegas, he should have an opportunity to make the starting lineup and showcase what he can do.

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Ravens free-agent WR Willie Snead visiting with the Raiders

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Willie Snead is making his first visit with a team since the start of free agency.

The Baltimore Ravens have been interested in adding a wide receiver this offseason. Despite the team’s pursuit of wide receivers, they may be losing one of their own top options from last year. Willie Snead is visiting with the Las Vegas Raiders according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Ravens initially acquired Snead, signing him off the New Orleans Saints’ roster as a restricted free agent. During his three years in Baltimore, Snead played in 45 regular-season games, notching 126 passes for 1,422 yards and nine touchdowns.

Snead visiting with the Raiders is not surprising after he expressed growing unhappiness in the Ravens’ offense this offseason. Snead appeared to be commenting on the number of targets he received in Baltimore, which had gone from 62 in 2018 to just 31 and 33 over the last two seasons. That topic has been a familiar theme for fellow free-agent wide receiver Dez Bryant and even starter Marquise Brown.

With the likelihood of Snead leaving this offseason, the Ravens have been looking for a better fit as well. Baltimore has pursued wide receivers like T.Y. Hilton, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Sammy Watkins, and Kenny Golladay; failing to land any of them. That has drawn the ire of fans, who have been perhaps more frenzied for a top wide receiver than ever before.

However, that also brings hope the Ravens will focus on the position early in the 2021 NFL draft. Baltimore could also look to fill the need via trade as well, something the more aggressive general manager Eric DeCosta hasn’t been afraid to do the last two seasons; snagging players like Marcus Peters, Calais Campbell, and Yannick Ngakoue.

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4 former Saints to watch out for in free agency

Former New Orleans Saints players like Dan Arnold, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Willie Snead, and Alex Okafor will test free agency in 2021.

Things didn’t work out for these players in their first stint in New Orleans. Whether the depth chart was overcrowded or they hadn’t yet begun to reach their potential, they ended up on the outs and had to start fresh with another team.

But now they’re hitting free agency, and happen to fill positions of need for the Saints. Could a reunion be in the works? Or would the Saints rather look in a different direction? With little salary cap space to work with, maybe prominent roles in a familiar system can help the Saints make better offers to some free agents than others.

Here are a couple of names to know before the action kicks off in Monday’s legal tampering period.

Tweets by Willie Snead, Dez Bryant, and Marquise Brown point to growing unhappiness in Ravens’ offense

The Baltimore Ravens seemingly have a growing problem with their current and former WRs after three players bashed lack of opportunities

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh might not be willing to beg free agent wide receivers to join the team, but he might want to beg his current and former wide receivers to stay off social media.

On the same day Dez Bryant said Baltimore wasn’t a good fit for him, fellow pending free agent Willie Snead posted a cryptic message on Twitter that was seemingly pointed at the Ravens. In that and subsequent posts, Snead seemed to be calling out Baltimore’s offense and coaching staff for a lack of opportunities.

While this was the most obvious instance, this isn’t the first time this offseason Snead has posted enigmatic tweets that seemed to diss Baltimore.

It might be easy to dismiss Snead’s comments considering his role and production have steadily diminished over his three years with the Ravens. After seeing 95 targets in 2018, Snead had just 94 targets over 2019 and 2020 combined. Snead could also be trying to improve his value with free agency looming, throwing out an excuse for his dropping production. However, what is far more alarming is the fact Snead doesn’t appear to be alone in sharing this viewpoint.

Not only have Bryant and Snead both effectively called out Baltimore over the past week, but Marquise Brown hasn’t exactly been silent on the matter either.

With Brown agreeing with Snead’s opinion, it puts into question his tweet from earlier in February, just minutes after it was announced the Ravens had hired passing game coordinator Keith Williams and wide receivers coach Tee Martin.

I’m not one for reading too much into what players post on social media but the sheer number of head-scratching tweets from current and former Ravens wide receivers aren’t a great sign.

With Baltimore acknowledging their struggles throwing the ball and their intent to continue being a run-first offense, three players are now being far more vocal about their displeasure. Considering the Ravens have finished no higher than 22nd in passing yards over the last three seasons and dead last in passing attempts in 2019 and 2020, it makes sense Snead, Bryant, and Brown would all be upset. It’s unclear whether the players are simply upset about the lack of opportunities in a run-first offense or if they’re more frustrated with offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Regardless of their individual concerns, Baltimore’s coaching staff needs to get with these players to find out what the problem is and fix it quickly.

An offense can’t function nearly as well if a chunk of the players aren’t buying into what’s happening. And for a team that desperately needs help at tight end and wide receiver this offseason, these public complaints can’t be doing the Ravens any favors with pending free agents. It’s these types of issues that can completely derail a team and with Baltimore so close to a Super Bowl, not addressing these concerns would be malfeasance by the Ravens’ top brass.

We’ll see what Baltimore does this offseason to potentially address these concerns, but by the sound of these tweets, increasing the number of pass attempts is the solution.

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Dez Bryant wants to play 2 more years but not with the Ravens

Dez Bryant posted a series of messages on Twitter that all but confirm he’s moving on from the Baltimore Ravens.

Wide receiver Dez Bryant made his return to the NFL last season, being signed by the Baltimore Ravens. After having sat out of football for two years, Bryant played in six games for the Ravens as they looked for more production from their passing attack. As Baltimore looks to bolster their wide receiver corps this offseason to help take quarterback Lamar Jackson to the next level, many wonder if Bryant is still a part of the Ravens’ plans.

Bryant has often taken time out to answer questions from fans on Twitter and when Willie Snead’s recent comments sparked some controversy, Bryant was pretty open with his thoughts. Though Bryant said he plans on playing for another two years, he admitted Baltimore isn’t the place for him.

 

Though Bryant didn’t get as much playing time as many would have hoped, he made sure to clarify there was no bad blood between him and the Ravens and that he was grateful for the opportunity to show what he could do.

With fans peppering him for a little more clarity on why things didn’t work out, Bryant made sure to note that his chemistry with Jackson wasn’t an issue. However, he insinuated Baltimore values receivers who are more familiar with the playbook.

Bryant’s tweets come a few weeks after he was seemingly critical of the lack of playing time on Instagram. He posted several videos of his play in Ravens practice, including catching touchdowns against the likes of Marlon Humphrey.

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Bryant isn’t the only Ravens player to be vocal about his time in Baltimore this offseason. Marquise Brown, Willie Snead, and others have posted and/or liked cryptic messages on social media that seemingly point the finger at Baltimore’s coaching staff for not making the passing game work with the talent. While fans will often look a little too deep for meaning in some posts, blowing them out of proportion in the process, the fact so many of the Ravens’ wide receivers are speaking up adds a little more validity to the messages.

It’s safe to say that Bryant will not be returning to the Ravens in 2021. He called Baltimore a “first-class organization” but even that fact wasn’t enough to make him want to stay in purple and black. It will be interesting to see where the Ravens go from here, as well as which receivers are interested in coming to Baltimore to play football in the coming months.

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7 pending free agents most likely to leave Ravens this offseason

The Baltimore Ravens have quite a few big names entering free agency. These are the few that are most likely to leave this offseason.

AS the 2021 NFL offseason gets underway, the Baltimore Ravens will first turn their attention to their own players. With 16 unrestricted free agents set to hit the open market currently, there is plenty of work to be done still.

Under general manager Eric DeCosta, the Ravens have had a clear priority to bring back their own top pending free agents early, allowing them to have a solid core to build off of throughout free agency and the draft. But with a tight wallet thanks to the salary cap being expected to go down for the first time in over a decade, Baltimore will have to either get guys to come back for cheap or be frugal with who they re-sign. That opens up the opportunity for quite a few familiar names to have new homes in 2021.

Let’s take a closer look at the seven Ravens’ pending free agents most likely to leave this offseason.

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.

Lamar Jackson cleared to travel to Baltimore with team after suffering concussion

After suffering a concussion against the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has been cleared to travel home with the team

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s head bounced off the turf after taking a vicious hit by a Buffalo Bills defender. Though Jackson was able to get to his feet and walk into the locker room under his own power, he was quickly ruled out with a concussion. While the injury ultimately knocked Jackson out of the divisional playoff game against the Bills, it doesn’t appear to be too serious.

According to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec and ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, Jackson has been cleared to travel. He’ll fly back to Baltimore with the rest of the team. Ravens wide receiver Willie Snead told reporters he had talked with Jackson after the game, saying Baltimore’s quarterback is “doing all right.”

It was a rough night for Jackson, who was often harassed and hit by the Bills’ defense. He finished the game completing 14-of-24 passes for 162 passing yards, no touchdowns, and a pick-six. Buffalo managed to get eight quarterback hits and three sacks on Jackson through three quarters.

Luckily, it seems as though Jackson is fine. While the night has been a disappointment, at least that silver lining is there.

WATCH: Ravens arrive to Titans’ stadium for wild-card playoff game

The Baltimore Ravens showed up for Sunday’s wild-card playoff game against the Tennessee Titans as focused as ever.

The Baltimore Ravens have had their eyes set on Super Bowl LV from before the regular season even began. And now that the Ravens are in the playoffs, set to take on the Tennessee Titans in the wild-card round, Baltimore’s players appear to be as focused as ever.

Arriving at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, there was no fun and games for most of the Ravens’ players. Take a look at quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is aiming to put the tired playoff narrative to rest today, and two of his weapons.

Calais Campbell, one of the newest Ravens, hasn’t spent a lot of time in the playoffs throughout his career. With a chance at postseason glory, Campbell looked like a man deep in thought as he arrived.

Wide receiver Willie Snead, offensive lineman Tyre Phillips, and linebacker Patrick Queen headed out to the field in their warm-up gear, flashing peace signs as they walked out the tunnel.

But not everyone was some Zen master. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey — known for his different wardrobes — donned a cowboy hat for the occasion.

The Ravens know what they have to do to advance and they seem prepared to get the job done today.

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