Gates was signed to be the starting center but was benched after just seven games last season. He’ll count $5.3 million against the Commanders cap, but the team is seemingly ok with that just to cut him loose.
As the team enters the Dan Quinn era, they seem to be moving on from some contracts and players that aren’t working. Charles Leno and Logan Thomas will also reportedly be cut as the new ownership tries to clear up roster spots and cap space heading into the offseason.
FEB 29 RUDOLPH ‘LIKELY’ TO RE-SIGN IN PITTSBURGH With rumors swirling at the NFL Combine and around the league with regard to quarterbacks and free agency, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell thinks it’s unlikely the Pittsburgh Steelers are involved in a trade to bring a big-name quarterback to town.
With names like Russell Wilson and Justin Fields being thrown out as available, and with Kirk Cousins available in free agency, it looks like the Steelers could stick with Mason Rudolph per Barnwell.
“Rudolph’s brief burst of production was out of line with his prior career performance, and he is likely to re-sign with the Steelers,” Barnwell wrote.
Rudolph was named along with former Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky – who was cut by Pittsburgh a few weeks ago – in Barnwell’s Tier 6 list of signal callers who were called “backups likely to earn a roster spot.”
FEB 26 HIP-DROP TACKLE TO BE BANNED? The NFL’s use of hip-drop tackles has been controversial for a couple of years now as the tackle becomes more popular and more used in the league.
On the heels of Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews being injured during a hip-drop tackle last season and missing seven regular season games and one playoff matchup, the league has announced the injury rate during a hip-drop tackle is “20-25 times greater than that of other tackles.”
Because of that, NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said “it’s certainly my hope” that the NFL will ban hip drops this off-season, according to Judy Battista of NFL Media.
One of the issues is that the tackle itself seems hard to define well enough to create a rule or a ban involving it. The NFL Players Association has resisted pressure for the ban, even though it continues to injure players league-wide.
FEB 24 BIENIEMY HIRED ON THE WEST COAST Former Washington Commanders offensive coordinator is heading back to college.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and reported by CommanderCountry.com, former Washington assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieneimy has been hired by the UCLA Bruins to serve in the same role.
Bieniemy coached running backs for the Bruins from 2003-05 and now returns.
Bieniemy was rumored to have been working with the Kansas City Chiefs again ahead of Super Bowl LVIII after being dismissed from new Commanders coach Dan Quinn’s new staff. But that arrangement was apparently temporary as Bieniemy has found a new home with an old employer.
FEB 23 Former NFL cornerback Shareece Wright is one of 12 plaintiffs suing Colton Joint Unified School District and it’s former athletic trainer, Tiffany Strauss-Gordon. Wright was a third-round pick out of USC by the Chargers in the 2011 NFL Draft, and played the 2015 and 2016 seasons in Baltimore.
Wright told ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” that he’s speaking out to hopefully stop this from happening to other kids. “The less it’s kept a secret, the harder it is for it to continue to happen,” Wright said, via ESPN.
The former Raven said he first met Strauss-Gordon when she was 21 and he was 15. She is the daughter of legendary high school football coach Harold Strauss and worked at the time under her father.
Wright said Strauss-Gordon touched him inappropriately during treatment sessions, and was accused of performing oral sex on him.
Wright’s attorney, Morgan Stewart, spoke to ESPN about this disturbing situation.
“You’ve got football, you’ve got the coach’s daughter, you’ve got a permissive school environment where it’s allowed to happen,” Stewart said. “I mean, you’ve got sort of a perfect storm of sexual abuse that could be covered up easily.”
FEB 20 MURDER CHARGES FILED AFTER CHIEFS SUPER BOWL PARADE SHOOTING Charges have been filed in response to the Super Bowl parade shooting that left a woman dead and multiple others – including children – injured.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced on Tuesday through the Kansas City Star that Lyndell Mays and Dominic M. Miller will both face a felony murder charge.
Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a local radio personality was killed and more than 20 others injured. According to Baker, Mays was arguing with another parade attendee and drew a gun. Others – including Miller – also drew firearms and began shooting. Police evidence indicates a bullet from Miller’s gun killed Lopez-Galvan.
FEB 8 HEYWARD WINS WALTER PAYTON NFL MoY AWARD Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward was named as the 2023 recipient of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award as the NFL Honors show wrapped up on Thursday night.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex was on hand to announce the Steelers captain as the winner of the award.
It was Heyward’s sixth time being nominated and his first win. The Steelers standout was honored for his Heyward House Foundation that honors his late father, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, that has a number of initiatives to combat childhood hunger, literacy, to support students and teachers and fight cancer.
FEB 3 FLACCO’S BROTHER FINDS UFL TEAM If Baltimore Ravens fans are looking for a football fix this spring, they might have a new rooting interest.
As revealed by the latest attempt at spring football itself, Joe Flacco’s younger brother Tom has signed with the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League, the new joint venture between the XFL and the United States Football League. Having previously starred for Towson on the collegiate level, the younger Flacco has appeared in the systems of several different CFL and XFL squads and now joins a crowded quarterback room that also includes former Aaron Rodgers backup Kurt Benkert and Notre Dame alum Jack Coan.
The debut season of the UFL project opens on March 30.
JAN 20 NOT HIS FIRST RODEO Odell Beckham Jr.’s ‘Texans Rodeo’ pregame outfit – complete with cowhide and black leader and baby-blue accents – is going viral in advance of the Ravens’ NFL Playoffs opener today in Baltimore with Houston in town.
Yes, people are talking about OBJ. Yes, that’s exactly the way OBJ likes it.
JAN 17 MELVIN GORDON CUT The Baltimore Ravens are saying goodbye to one of their running backs.
According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the Ravens are waiving running back Melvin Gordon, who played four games with the team this season.
Gordon ran the ball 26 times for 81 yards and a touchdown. Now, the Ravens head into the weekend with Gus Edwards and Justice Hill on the active roster. Dalvin Cook is on the practice squad.
JAN 13 NO FLACCO REUNION There will be no Joe Flacco-Ravens reunion in the playoffs as the Flacco-led Browns lose to the resurgent Texans at NRG Stadium on Saturday 45-14.
The loss eliminates Flacco and the Browns from the playoffs.
The Ravens will have to wait until Monday to find out who their Divisional round opponent is after the Steelers-Bills game was moved because of blizzard-like conditions in Buffalo.
Since Baltimore will play the lowest remaining seed, possible candidates are Texans (4), Dolphins (6) and Steelers (7).
JAN 9 HOUSTON SIGNS IN MIAMI Former Ravens defensive end Justin Houston has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Miami Dolphins.
After losing both Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb to season-ending injuries, the Dolphins were tapped out on the edge. Houston had an impressive two-year stop in Baltimore from 2021-2022 but was cut due to salary cap constraints.
He signed with Carlina where he was cut last month after a less-than-stellar showing.
JAN 8 RIVERA OUT THE DOOR The Ravens’ cross-town rivals are looking for a new head coach.
With new ownership in place led by managing general partner Josh Harris, changes were likely to happen. And now they have. After finishing the season 4-13, Harris and the powers-that-be fired head coach Ron Rivera after four seasons.
And it didn’t help that the Commanders just got embarrassed by their arch-rivals, the Dallas Cowboys 38-10 in the season finale.
Rivera’s time in Washington ends with a 26-40-1 overall record, one playoff appearance, one NFC East title and zero winning seasons.
DEC 27 RAVENS VS. 49ERS MAKES MNF HISTORY The Baltimore Ravens’ win on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas Day was historic.
Apart from Week 11’s Super Bowl rematch between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, it was the most-watched Monday Night Football game in the last 27 years, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Now, 27.2 million viewers had a chance to see just how dominant the Ravens can be as they push towards another Super Bowl.
DEC 25 AFC’S NO. 1 SEED IN SIGHT The Ravens don’t necessarily need to beat the 49ers on Monday to win the top seed in the AFC. Per ESPN Analytics, if the Ravens beat San Francisco, they will possess a 72 percent chance of locking down the No. 1 seed. With a loss, that goes down to 45 percent.
If Baltimore wins on Christmas Day, then it can clinch the top seed with a win over Miami on Sunday.
DEC 19 WELCOME BACK, BEN! The Ravens have signed former Ravens FB/TE Ben Mason to the practice squad the team announced on Wednesday.
Mason was a 2021 fifth-round pick out of Michigan in 2021 by Baltimore and was supposed to be the eventual replacement for Patrick Ricard. Mason was cut by the team in August ahead of the 53-man roster cuts.
DEC 18 MELVIN GORDON SET TO SUB FOR MITCHELL The Melvin Gordon transaction rollercoaster is about to hit another loop.
Per Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, Gordon is “expected” to be re-added to the Baltimore Ravens’ roster after Keaton Mitchell endured a season-ending injury in Sunday’s 23-7 win over Jacksonville. Gordon, 30, has been stationed in the Ravens’ system since training camp and previously appeared in two games earlier this regular season. He amassed 99 yards from scrimmage in those appearances and five of his 16 carries resulted in first downs.
DEC 15 TYLER HUNTLEY WELCOMES 1ST CHILD Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley made one of the best roster adjustments on Thursday, as he welcomed his first child, a boy named Tyler Jr. Weighing in at eight pounds and 12 ounces, Tyler Jr.’s arrival caused his father to miss practice on Thursday, though he was back in tow during Friday’s prep.
“It’s a life-changing moment,” Huntley said, per Ryan Mink of the Ravens’ official site. “It’s just love to see life being brought into this world.”
Huntley, 25, is in the midst of his fourth season in Baltimore, serving as a recurring backup to Lamar Jackson. The Utah alum has appeared in three games this season, throwing eight passes including one that went for a touchdown.
DEC 14 PAST AND PRESENT RAVENS PART OF ROONEY AWARD NOMINEES There’s no shortage of Baltimore Ravens representation on the list of finalists for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award: current guard Kevin Zeitler is one of the eight finalists alongside former Charm City fullback Kyle Juszczyk and linebacker C.J. Mosley, who respectively rep the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets.
The award, which was introduced in 2014, will be one of the many titles bestowed at the upcoming NFL Honors, which will held on Feb. 8 in the lead-up to Super Bowl LVIII. Other nominees include Budda Baker (Arizona), Maxx Crosby (Las Vegas), Khalil Mack (LA Chargers), Dak Prescott (Dallas), and Bobby Wagner (Seattle).
Baltimore will, ironically enough, look to take home the sportsmanship title named after the founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the second consecutive season: former defensive lineman Calais Campbell, currently of Atlanta, was last year’s winner in his third and final season in purple.
DEC 12 ‘LOUISVILLE REUNION’ The Baltimore Ravens have bolstered their quarterback depth with the signing of rookie signal-caller Malik Cunningham off the New England Patriots practice squad, per a report from Adam Schefter.
Which will reunite him with fellow former Louisville and current Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was on the same team back in 2017 as a member of the Cardinals.
DEC 11 OPENING ODDS FAVOR RAVENS IN JACKSONVILLE Oddsmakers favor the Baltimore Ravens in the early prep stages of their next game, a Sunday night showdown against their fellow division leaders, the Jacksonville Jaguars (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). Opening odds stage the Ravens (10-3) as 3.5-point favorites as they seek to further close in on the AFC’s top seed and the first-round bye that comes with it.
Jacksonville (8-5) has dropped two in a row but continues to lead the AFC South. They appeared to have avoided major disaster when it came to franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who left last Monday’s loss to Cincinnati early with an ankle sprain, but dropped a 31-27 heartbreaker to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon on the road.
This Sunday night will feature the 24th all-time meeting between the Ravens and Jaguars, the latter leading the all-time set so far at 13-10. Jacksonville won last year’s meeting in November by a 28-27 final.
DEC 10 RAVENS WR ODELL BECKHAM JR. CELEBRATES TIME WITH RAMS Current Ravens wideout OBJ has fond memories of his short stint with the LA Rams two seasons ago. After all, he won a Super Bowl ring because of it.
OBJ was seen on the field at M&T Bank Stadium during warmups before Baltimore’s matchup with the Rams, wearing a hoodie that depicted his time with the Rams.
He was also seen embracing former Rams teammates like Cooper Kupp.
DEC 7 RAVENS COORDINATORS TO HEAD COACHING JOBS? Over the past two offseasons, the Baltimore Ravens have had to separately fill the respective defensive and offensive coordinator spots. Come this winter/spring, they may have to fill both.
Anonymous NFL executives hinted to Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post that Mike Macdonald and Todd Monken, the respective heads of the Ravens’ defense and offense, could find themselves promoted to the top spot come this offseason.
“I think they’re both getting (head coaching) jobs,” one general manager told La Canfora. “(Head coach) John (Harbaugh) has to know that’s a real possibility. They’re both going to get interviews.”
Another unnamed executive said that Monken, in his first season at the helm of Baltimore’s offense, could have the inside edge thanks to prior experience: Monken spent three seasons wearing the top headset at the University of Southern Mississippi and he also two national championship rings from his time as the Georgia Bulldogs’ offense coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“Baltimore is going to lose them both. I like the OC more than the DC,” the latter executive said. “The OC is going to be somebody’s head coach, man. He’s done it (at Southern Mississippi) before. His offense was great at Georgia. He’s ready.”
DEC 6 RAMS SIGN MASON CROSBY BEFORE RAVENS GAME The Baltimore Ravens could face a new kicker when the Los Angeles Rams come to town this weekend.
The Rams announced that they have signed 16-year veteran Mason Crosby to the practice squad.
Crosby, 39, kicked in every game for the Green Bay Packers from 2007-22. Now, he could join the Rams as they fight for a playoff spot.
The Ravens host the Rams on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
DEC 5 WALTER PAYTON MAN OF THE YEAR NOMINEE The Baltimore Ravens have announced starting inside linebacker Roquan Smith was nominated as their Walter Payton Man of the Year candidate, via the team’s official Twitter account Tuesday.
The Walter Payton Man of the Year award “recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field. Smith is one of 32 nominees for the award which was last won by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. The winner will be announced on February 8 during the NFL Honors which will air live on CBS at 9 p.m. (EST).
DEC 4 REED PULLS FOR CLEVELANDER FLACCO One Baltimore Raven is delivering an olive branch to the Cleveland Browns in the wake of recent events.
Ravens great Ed Reed is among the many watching the Browns with great interest after his former AFC North divisional rival added his ex-teammate Joe Flacco under center. Flacco, the longtime franchise quarterback in Charm City and Super Bowl XLVI MVP, made his orange-helmeted debut on Sunday in the wake of injuries to starters Deshaun Watson and Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the Browns fight for an elusive playoff spot.
“It might be a Cinderella thing,” Reed declared in a conversation with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. “It might be awesome if Joe can get them to the playoffs.”
Reed outright pulling from the Browns and Flacco dressing in Cleveland colors might prove equally shocking to Ravens fans, but the former assured supporters that it could always be worse.
“It’s not like he’s going to the Steelers, man!” Reed said in regards to those worried about Flacco committing treason. “He’s somewhere that actually has a connection to Baltimore.”
Reed, of course, refers to the Ravens’ 1996 formation that spawned from the Browns’ controversial move away from Cleveland. The history of the franchise remained in Ohio while the Ravens have been regarded as a de facto expansion franchise. Baltimore has dominated the ensuing divisional rivalry to the tune of a 36-14 record since Cleveland’s return, though the two sides split the season series this time around.
Flacco, 38, put up respectable numbers in his Browns debut, going 23-of-44 for 252 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in a 36-19 interconference loss to the Los Angeles Rams. As it stands, the Browns (7-5) placed sixth in the AFC and hold one of three wild card spots between four teams with matching records. They return to action on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
DEC 4 RAVENS LOSE NO. 1 SEED IN AFC The Baltimore Ravens’ time atop the AFC has come to an end for the time being.
The Miami Dolphins’ 45-15 win over the Washington Commanders improved their record to 9-3 and moved them atop the AFC. The Ravens (9-3) are now the No. 2 seed as they’re currently on their bye week.
The Kansas City Chiefs fell behind Baltimore and Miami by a game after their 27-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3) will have a chance to have the same record as the Ravens and Dolphins with a win on Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals (5-6).
Baltimore will have its chances to reclaim the No. 1 seed later this month when they face the Jaguars in Jacksonville on Dec. 17 and on Dec. 31 when it hosts Miami.
NOV 30 MADUBUIKE DESTINED FOR FRANCHISE TAG? Adam Schefter revealed that the Baltimore Ravens attempted to lock down the future of standout pass rusher Justin Madubuike before this season began. The failure to do so … and Madubuike’s finest professional season to date … could force the Ravens to place the franchise tag on him.
“Baltimore put on a press to sign him this summer, he rolled the dice, he bet on himself,” Schefter said on his eponymous podcast. “If they can’t get him re-signed they’ll probably have to use their franchise tag on him.”
Madubuike has certainly cashed in on that bet: he’s already set a new career-high with 10 sacks, one of 10 defenders to reach double-figures in quarterback takedowns this season.
NOV 29 DESEAN JACKSON TO ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT Three-time Pro Bowl receiver DeSean Jackson is set to announce his retirement on Friday, his 37th birthday. It will end a 15-year career that finished with the Baltimore Ravens last season. Jackson is set to sign an honorary contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, his original and longest-tenured NFL employers (2008-13, 2019-20).
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