Wink Poaches Jefferson, Another QB Signs

It’s been the most eventful week in a while for the Ravens, and as roster cuts happened Tuesday, Practice Squad signings came Wednesday.

Rest assured, the Ravens are rolling into Week 1:

rolling into week 1 pic.twitter.com/ZYQ6vXICik

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 31, 2022

Following cut day, it’s always interesting to see where players end up. Typically, many of the cuts fail to make it through waivers and quickly find new homes. That didn’t happen for Baltimore this year, and they had all members of Training Camp available for their picking.

Looks like none of the players the Ravens put on waivers were claimed. So they are all eligible to return on team’s practice squad.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) August 31, 2022

At the same time, it seems the Ravens front office didn’t return everybody that they’d hoped, as S Tony Jefferson joined former DC Don “Wink” Martindale with the NY Giants:

Ravens wanted S Tony Jefferson back but sounds like he’s joining Giants.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) August 31, 2022

Many fans will be disappointed to see Jefferson go; he’s a fan favorite.

I would put myself in their camp, though I do think it was a risk Baltimore had to take. There’s no doubt that Jefferson is a valuable member of the team, but without being decimated by injuries again, the team won’t need him on the field. His persona will be missed, but from a football perspective, he was expendable.

In a more surprising move, Baltimore released OL Tyre Phillips on Wednesday. A young player who’s flashed in the past and started games for the Ravens, Phillips was not a name I expected to see go.

The #Ravens have released OL Tyre Phillips, source said, a former third round pick from 2020. He has 13 starts over the last two seasons.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 31, 2022

Baltimore’s talent and depth along the O-Line has improved this season, but Phillips never struck me as one of the names in jeopardy. With this news, I’m especially curious to see who the Week 1 starters are.

In a more surefire smart move, the Ravens did create nearly $6.5 Million by restructuring Ronnie Stanley’s contract

A month after restructuring CB Marlon Humphrey, the Ravens do the same with OT Ronnie Stanley.

The Ravens have created a total of $13.4M by restructuring Humphrey and Stanley. https://t.co/DeYhOMsGBv

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) August 31, 2022

The makeup of the opening 53-Man Roster indicates Baltimore may bring in more EDGE players soon, and this extra salary could go in that direction. For me, the most obvious name is Steven Means, an experienced player who contributed nicely in preseason games.

Other free name worth noting are Dee Ford, Jason Pierre-Paul and Devon Kennard, though others may become available as rosters are manipulated.

If Baltimore does make a signing, it won’t be the first following cuts. On Wednesday, the team closed the loop on a few rumors, bringing back Brent Urban and bringing in Kenyan Drake:

I like both signings, getting veteran players on board at positions that could be thin to start the year.

What’s more interesting, however, may be the ongoing situation with Lamar Jackson’s contract:

Lamar Jackson & the Baltimore Ravens are in an INTERESTING situation#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/AUaAiOmTy3

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 31, 2022

I try not to put too much stock into speculation like this, but it is the first period in which Jackson has publicly responded about his contract. Regardless, the situation is heating up right as Jackson’s deadline to be extended arrives.

Some news broke this morning that may – or may not – affect things.

Breaking: Broncos and Russell Wilson just reached agreement on a five-year, $245 million contract extension that includes $165 million guaranteed, sources tell ESPN.

Deal now ties Wilson to Denver for seven total years and $296 million. Another massive QB deal in the books. pic.twitter.com/uk6yelOL3j

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 1, 2022

If the #Ravens strategy was to wait for other QB deals to get done in an effort to extricate themselves from the DeShaun Watson fully guaranteed stuff, the market is working out in spades for them.

— ᴹⁱᶜʰᵃᵉˡ ᵀᵉˡᶠᵒʳᵈ ⁽ᶜʰⁱᵇˢ⁾ (@LRChibs) September 1, 2022

We’ll see if this nudges the Ravens and Lamar to a deal.

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