Tag: Xavier Kelly

Former Tiger waived by NFL team

A former Clemson defensive lineman was waived by an NFL team this week. The Baltimore Ravens have waived defensive tackle Xavier Kelly, according to Wednesday’s league transactions report. Kelly tore his Achilles during OTAs last May, had surgery …

A former Clemson defensive lineman was waived by an NFL team this week.

The Baltimore Ravens have waived defensive tackle Xavier Kelly, according to Wednesday’s league transactions report.

Kelly tore his Achilles during OTAs last May, had surgery the following month and then spent last season on IR after clearing waivers.

The Ravens signed Kelly in 2021 as an undrafted free agent from Arkansas, where he transferred to and concluded his collegiate career following four years at Clemson from 2016-19.

After redshirting in 2016, Kelly finished his career as a Tiger credited with 26 tackles (2.5 for loss), 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 256 career snaps over 28 games. The Wichita, Kan., native transitioned from defensive end to defensive tackle prior to the 2018 season.

Congratulations! You did it! You graduated! Now is the time to preserve your diploma in a custom frame. Here at Clemson Variety & Frame, we build all our frames in-house – from the frame to the mats and etchings to the installation – to guarantee the quality. You worked hard for your degree. Trust us to show your diploma in the best light possible.

Ravens waive DT Xavier Kelly

The Ravens waived defensive tackle Xavier Kelly

The Baltimore Ravens have reshaped their defensive line during the 2022 offseason by adding and subtracting multiple players. They’ve added veteran Michael Pierce as well as rookie Travis Jones while saying goodbye to Justin Ellis and presumably Brandon Williams, although the latter hasn’t been signed by another team yet so a return can’t be completely ruled out.

One of the players that Baltimore seemed excited about in the 2021 offseason at the position was then-undrafted rookie Xavier Kelly out of the University of Arkansas. However, he tore his achilles during the offseason and wasn’t able to suit up for the team in 2021. On Wednesday the Ravens waived Kelly, who initially played his college ball at Clemson University before transferring to Arkansas.

In four collegiate seasons, Kelly totaled 30 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Ravens reportedly work out former University of Maryland standout

The Baltimore Ravens are searching for defensive tackle depth. They brought in a former University of Maryland standout for a visit

The Baltimore Ravens are always looking to add talent to their roster. Whether it be injuries, poor performance, or another reason, it can never hurt to have insurance policies just in case something doesn’t go as expected.

For Baltimore, one of the positions that is already being a bit reworked is the defensive line. Undrafted rookie free agent defensive tackle Xavier Kelly tore his achilles during OTAs last week, and after not taking a defensive lineman in the 2021 draft the Ravens needed some more depth at the position.

The team reportedly signed undrafted rookie defensive tackle Jovan Swann, but also reportedly worked out a former University of Maryland standout.

Kilgo, 29, was drafted in the sixth round of the 2015 draft. He’s appeared in 29 regular season games at the NFL level, and has spent time with the Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, and Detroit Lions.

The former Terp played four years at the University of Maryland, where he accumulated 125 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, and five fumble recoveries.

‘Early indication’ points to DT Xavier Kelly tearing achilles during OTAs

The Baltimore Ravens signed defensive tackle Xavier Kelly after the draft. An early indication says Kelly tore his achilles during OTAs

The Baltimore Ravens feel confident in their 2021 draft class, but they also like the undrafted group that they were able to sign and bring in after the draft. One of the promising players that was looking to compete for a roster spot was defensive tackle Xavier Kelly. However, it appears that an injury will sideline him for the foreseeable future.

It was reported earlier in the day on Wednesday that Kelly had to be carted off of the field with a left leg injury during the second day of voluntary organized team activities. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic provided some clarity on the situation, saying that the “early indication” is that Kelly has a torn achilles.

Kelly played for three years at the University of Clemson before moving to the University of Arkansas for his senior year. He had 30 total tackles and 3.5 sacks in his four years at college, but only played in a total of 21 games.

If Kelly’s injury is confirmed as a torn achilles, Baltimore could potentially look to add another interior defensive lineman. Whether it’s someone who’s just a camp body or a player who could fight for a spot on the 53-man roster, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Ravens sign someone who can take some of the load off of players like Calais Campbell, Derek Wolfe, and Brandon Williams during training camp and the preseason.

Rashod Bateman leaves second day of voluntary OTAs with muscle soreness

The Baltimore Ravens selected receiver Rashod Bateman in the first round of the 2021 draft. He left the second day of OTAs with soreness

The Baltimore Ravens dealt with a plethora of injuries during the 2020 season. The team saw Tavon Young, Ronnie Stanley, Nick Boyle and others go down with ailments, and hope to not have that kind of injury luck in 2021. However, through two days of voluntary organized team activities, Baltimore has already seen a few players have to leave practice.

The biggest name that was pulled from practice on Wednesday was wide receiver Rashod Bateman. While head coach John Harbaugh made it clear that there was no actual injury, he said that the team wanted to be cautious with their first round selection, especially after he participated in rookie minicamp a few weeks ago.

Harbaugh also mentioned Patrick Ricard, who was off to the side and not practicing, but says he expects him back soon. The worst injury of the day was suffered by undrafted rookie free agent Xavier Kelly. The defensive tackle was carted off of the field with an injury which Daniel Oyefusi of The Baltimore Sun described as one where he couldn’t put any weight on his left leg.

It seems like the Ravens have gotten out of the first two days of OTAs relatively unscathed, but the injury to Kelly and the scare with Bateman won’t do much in easing worries about whether injuries will run rampant in Baltimore during the 2021 season. The important thing to remember is that Bateman doesn’t have an actual injury. The team is just taking precautionary measures, which is extremely smart to do, especially with a rookie who hasn’t had a lot of time off to recover his body.

Injuries are a part of football. Each team has to go through losing talented players every single year. Hopefully the 2021 season will be nicer to the Ravens from an injury perspective, but it’s good to see the team taking precautionary measures with one of their top picks from the 2021 draft in hopes of avoiding a more serious issue.

Ravens officially sign nine undrafted rookie free agents

The Baltimore Ravens have been great at finding undrafted free agents who can make an impact. The team signed nine to their team on Thursday

The Baltimore Ravens drafted eight players over the course of the three days of the 2021 draft. However, even after the last pick was made, Baltimore wasn’t done adding players.

Every year after the festivities of the draft are complete, the Ravens work hard to sign a great undrafted free agent class. They’ve done a phenominal job of finding gems who were passed up on in the draft, and have turned plenty of overlooked players into stars.

After the 2021 draft, Baltimore secured a smaller class of undrafted players due to the depth that they have on their roster this offseason, but they still managed to come away with a solid list of players.

The 2021 undrafted class for Baltimore is headlined by former TCU safety Ar’Darius Washington, who was very highly rated by many experts but fell out of the draft mainly due to concerns about his height and a poor pro day showing. Despite being 5-foot-8, Washington is a ballhawk who is extremely physical and plays with intensity. There have been multiple successful safeties who weren’t extremely tall. For example, former Ravens safety Earl Thomas III was never the biggest man on the field, but still made an impact each and every week.

Other names to watch in Baltimore’s undrafted rookie pool include offensive tackle Adrian Ealy, tight end Tony Poljan, and defensive tackle Xavier Kelly. Wide receiver Donte Sylencieux played with quarterback Lamar Jackson in high school when the two were in South Florida, so there could already be chemistry between the two.

For the Ravens, they will hope that at least one of their undrafted free agents can make an impact during training camp and the preseason. It will be an uphill climb for any of Baltimore’s nine undrafted players to make the final 53-man roster, but all of them are talented football players who certainly have the capability to stick with the Ravens for years to come.