HEADLINES

Arthur Maulet

NFL Injury Updates: Evans, Mosley, Ravens

November 20th, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Ely Allen

The Buccaneers have lost four games in a row, the last three without veteran wide receiver Mike Evans as he has dealt with a hamstring injury. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, Evans has returned to practice this week and plans to play this weekend against the Giants.

Without Evans, the team’s offense has struggled. Baker Mayfield failed to surpass 200 passing yards in each of the teams last two contests. Though fellow veteran wideout Chris Godwin remains on injured reserve likely until the postseason, Evans’ return should provide a boost to the passing game.

Though Evans was able to rack up six touchdowns in seven games, he’s been averaging the fewest yards per game of his career. Combined with the three-game absence, Evans is in danger of falling short of 1,000 receiving yards in a season for the first time in his 11-year career. He’ll 665 yards in Tampa Bay’s seven remaining games (an average of 95 yards per game) in order to keep his record streak alive.

Here are a couple other injury updates from around the NFL:

  • Veteran Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley has now missed seven games this season. His first couple absences were due to a toe issue, but he has missed New York’s last four games with a herniated disc in his neck. Per Brian Costello of the New York Post, Mosley hopes to return after the team’s bye this week.
  • The Ravens defense has been without veteran nose tackle Michael Pierce for the past three weeks as he sits on IR with a calf injury. According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, while the plan is for Pierce to return sometime this season, the team hasn’t set a timeline to bring him back. Additionally, Zrebiec gave an update on veteran cornerback Arthur Maulet, who didn’t make his 2024 season debut until Week 8 because of a knee injury that landed him IR-designated to return at the 53-man roster cut deadline. He missed last Sunday’s game against his former team in Pittsburgh with a calf injury, but Zrebiec claims that Maulet likely won’t need to join Pierce on IR.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/22/24

October 22nd, 2024 at 8:26pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are today’s minor moves from around the NFL:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Commanders

The Ravens finally activated Maulet to the 53-man roster at the very end of his 21-day return window. The veteran slot cornerback underwent arthroscopic knee surgery during the preseason, but dealt with a minor hamstring injury upon his return to practice. To make room, Baltimore waived Ross, a special teams starter, likely hoping to add him back to the practice squad if he clears waivers. Maulet’s return could not be coming at a better time for a Ravens pass defense that was already struggling before starting cornerback Marlon Humphrey left Monday night’s victory over the Buccaneers with an injury.

 

The Panthers signed Gill off the Lions’ practice squad and Harris off the Dolphins’ practice squad to fortify their defense on Tuesday. They also released Haynes and waived Wooten and Smith as part of an overhaul of their weak front seven.

 

The Giants signed Watts from their practice squad to strengthen the interior of their defensive line while waiving Basham, a former Bills second-round pick who arrived in New York via trade in August 2023. Giants general manager Joe Schoen was the assistant GM in Buffalo when Basham was drafted, while Giants head coach Brian Daboll was the Bills’ offensive coordinator. Schoen traded a sixth-round pick in exchange for Basham and a seventh-rounder from the Bills just before the 2023 regular season, but Basham did not record a single sack in 13 games as a Giant.

Ravens’ Arthur Maulet Returns To Practice

October 2nd, 2024 at 6:26pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens’ secondary could have a veteran contributor back in the fold soon. Cornerback Arthur Maulet returned to practice Wednesday on a limited basis.

Maulet was placed on injured reserve/designated for return before the roster cut deadline. As a result, he was eligible to be activated by Week 5 at the earliest. The fact he is back at practice is an encouraging sign the 31-year-old could suit up on Sunday. At a minimum, Maulet should be back in action relatively soon.

“It’s a little bit of a process,” head coach John Harbaugh said (via the team’s website). “You’ve been down for four or five weeks. He’s going to have to ramp his way back up. We’ll see here day to day how he does with that, but it’s great to have him out there.”

Maulet signed with Baltimore on a veteran minimum deal last offseason, and that pact proved to be worthwhile from the team’s perspective. The former UDFA logged a rotational role with a 43% snap share, and he recorded a pair of sacks and one interception. Maulet was effective in the slot, allowing a passer rating of 65.8 – the lowest figure of his career – in coverage. While a number of high-profile defenders departed the Ravens in free agency, Maulet was among the players who were retained this offseason. He inked a two-year, $4MM pact to remain in Baltimore.

The Ravens recently placed fellow corner Jalyn Armour-Davis on IR; an open roster spot thus exists for Maulet to be activated. Once the latter is brought back (something which has already seen one of the team’s IR activations used), he will see considerable time on the inside. Baltimore has Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens and first-round rookie Nate Wiggins as options on the perimeter, while Ar’Darius Washington and versatile safety Kyle Hamilton have seen time in the slot. Maulet will give Baltimore another contributor in that respect once he is ready to return.

Ravens Let Go Of WRs Malik Cunningham, Anthony Miller On Way To 53

August 27th, 2024 at 9:39pm CST by Ely Allen

The Ravens have gotten down to the required 53-man roster. Here’s how they did it:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on IR:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Baltimore will be without the veteran Maulet or electric Mitchell for at least four games to start the season. The other injured reserve placements, which includes two undrafted free agent signings, will miss the entire 2024 season.

For the second year in a row, the Ravens showed questionable draft decision-making as a draft pick from the current year failed to make the 53-man roster. Last year saw fifth-round cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly get waived, while this year sees sixth-round Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary get the early axe. Such occurrences were not common under former general manager Ozzie Newsome, and Ravens fans will hope that Eric DeCosta doesn’t make a habit out of wasting draft picks.

On the other hand, DeCosta continued a usual trend of analytical excellence as the Ravens continued what has become a tradition of seeing at least one undrafted rookie make the initial 53-man roster. This year, the honor goes to Maryland safety Beau Brade. Baltimore chose to enlist the young prospective talent of Brade over retaining the veteran experience of Worley, who has seen some decent time on the Ravens defense in recent years.

CB Rumors: Bennett, Steelers, Ravens, Jags

August 9th, 2024 at 5:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a part-time role as a rookie, Jakorian Bennett appears close to securing a starting job. The Raiders have pitted the second-year player against veteran Brandon Facyson, but a gap appears between the two as preseason play begins. While more evaluation time remains, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur classifies Bennett as well ahead of Facyson to start on the outside opposite Jack Jones (subscription required). The Raiders have made some changes to their CB group from last year, giving up on Marcus Peters before the 2023 season ended and letting four-year contributor Amik Robertson join the Lions in free agency.

Although Las Vegas drafted CBs in the fourth and seventh rounds, Bennett and Facyson are the primary players competing for the perimeter job to join Jones and slot man Nate Hobbs. Bennett logged 360 defensive snaps, starting four games, as a rookie but impressed during training camp. Not viewed as likely to pursue a veteran addition here, the Raiders appear set to count on the 2023 fourth-rounder.

Here is the latest from the cornerback ranks:

  • The Steelers brought back Cameron Sutton but saw him hit with an eight-game suspension for an offseason domestic violence arrest, leaving Donte Jackson as the obvious Joey Porter Jr. sidekick for at least the season’s first half. The team could soon be in the corner market, per ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano, who notes the lack of a solidified slot presence as another reason for such an effort. Releasing Patrick Peterson this offseason, the Steelers did not re-sign veteran slot Chandon Sullivan. Rookie UDFA Beanie Bishop has, however, shown promise with first-team slot reps, according to The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo. The 5-foot-9 product, who attended three colleges (Western Kentucky, Minnesota, West Virginia), led Division I-FBS in pass breakups (20) last season. Barring an addition, Bishop looks to have a decent chance to line up alongside Porter and Jackson. He has worked with the first-string defense extensively during camp.
  • Former Steelers CB regular Arthur Maulet is set to miss regular-season time due to a knee injury. While John Harbaugh does not expect this issue to threaten too much of the veteran’s season, the Ravens will need another answer. As of now, fourth-year UDFA Ar’Darius Washington appears to be the pack leader. After a chest injury cost Washington most of last season, he returned late in the campaign via IR activation. Despite playing all of eight regular-season games in three seasons, Washington has earned the confidence of Ravens coaches and looks to be the answer at nickel while Maulet recovers, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec notes.
  • No cornerback who signed an extension this offseason received a higher AAV than Tyson Campbell, whose base-value number checks in at $19.13MM, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. That comes in ahead of Jaylon Johnson and L’Jarius Sneed, though the did better on guarantees at signing than the Jaguars CB, who scored $31.4MM up front. Though, an $11.5MM Campbell 2026 option bonus will become fully guaranteed in 2025, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes. Campbell’s 2026 base salary ($16.16MM) also shifts from an injury guarantee at signing to a full guarantee in 2025. The fourth-year defender also will see $8.84MM of his $15MM 2027 base salary shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee in 2026. The increasingly popular rolling guarantee structure represents a player-friendly arrangement for Campbell, making his 11th-place ranking in terms of full guarantees deceiving. If on Jacksonville’s roster in March 2026, Campbell will see $53.4MM guaranteed.

Ravens CB Arthur Maulet To Miss Start Of Season

August 7th, 2024 at 9:19pm CST by Ely Allen

The Ravens were thrown for a loop last year when starting cornerback Marlon Humphrey missed the opening four games of the season; this after watching their other starter, Marcus Peters, depart as a free agent. This forced the team to rely on some unexpected contributors like free agent addition Arthur Maulet. This year, it’s Maulet’s turn as a knee injury has the veteran set to miss the start of the regular season, per Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network.

Head coach John Harbaugh reports that the injury is not a long-term one and doesn’t expect it to end Maulet’s 2024 campaign. Per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, Maulet is due to undergo a knee scope procedure to take care of the situation. They intend to revisit his status closer to the beginning of the regular season.

Maulet was part of a group of veteran cornerbacks the Ravens brought in as free agents to improve their depth at the position last year. They had already planned on replacing Peters with the versatile Brandon Stephens, who was a nice surprise, starting 16 games and grading out as the 50th-best cornerback out of 121 graded players at the position, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

To replace Humphrey, though, Baltimore utilized a combination of Maulet, Ronald Darby, and Rock Ya-Sin. Ya-Sin was expected to be a huge contributor as one of the team’s bigger free agent signings over the 2023 offseason but ended up being a relatively minor character in their campaign. Darby took over as the starter across from Stephens.

Maulet found himself playing early and often off the bench as the team’s primary nickelback when the expected slot starter, Ar’Darius Washington, suffered a near-season-ending chest injury. Maulet composed himself well as an injury replacement, with PFF ranking him as the 44th-best cornerback in the league and the team’s second-best.

In 2024, Maulet was likely to open the season as the team’s top slot corner. Washington, a formerly undrafted player that has seen time at both safety and corner, had seen his role expand back to safety a bit with the departure of Geno Stone in free agency. Stone helped Baltimore field three safeties often with Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams. The recent signing of veteran Eddie Jackson likely means the can return to exploring Washington’s use in the slot.

Behind them, the Ravens are still waiting on young cornerbacks Jalyn Armour-Davis and Damarion Williams to make their impact on the defense. The arrivals of talented rookie draft picks Nate Wiggins and T.J. Tampa will push Armour-Davis and Williams even more this season. The Ravens will take all the help they can get from their young cornerbacks as they are forced to deal with Maulet’s injury to start the season.

Ravens To Re-Sign CB Arthur Maulet

March 19th, 2024 at 5:55pm CST by Ben Levine

After catching on with the Ravens late last summer, Arthur Maulet will be sticking with the organization for the next few years. NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reports that the veteran cornerback is re-signing with Baltimore on a two-year deal.

The former UDFA bounced around the NFL to begin his career, never spending more than two seasons with any single team. After playing out the 2021 and 2022 seasons in Pittsburgh, it took Maulet until last July to catch on with another AFC North squad.

The 30-year-old proceeded to start three of his 14 games for the Ravens, tying or setting new career highs in sacks (two), QB hits (three), and passes defended (five). For his efforts, Pro Football Focus ranked him 45th among 127 qualifying cornerbacks, including a top-10 positional grade for his pass-rushing ability.

Maulet always had a built-in role as a nickelback, but he could see an even larger role in 2024. Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens will still be atop the cornerbacks depth chart, but Maulet will no longer have to compete with Ronald Darby for the CB3 role.

As ESPN’s Jamison Hensley notes, the Ravens have done some work in retaining free agent defenders. Maulet is the fourth defender to re-sign in Baltimore, joining defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, linebacker Malik Harrison, and defensive end Brent Urban.

Marlon Humphrey To Undergo Surgery, Miss Regular-Season Time

August 16th, 2023 at 9:33am CST by Sam Robinson

While the Ravens added Rock Ya-Sin to their cornerback group this offseason, they might need more help soon. Their No. 1 cornerback is unlikely to be available for the season opener.

Marlon Humphrey has encountered an injury issue that will threaten his Week 1 availability, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report (via Twitter). After taking part in a joint workout with the Commanders on Tuesday, Humphrey is not at practice today.

A foot injury will sideline the seventh-year corner, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who indicates (via Twitter) he will undergo surgery Wednesday. This procedure is expected to shut down Humphrey for an extended period, with Rapoport adding the Ravens are hopeful he can return in a little more than a month. That optimistic timetable, however, will still likely involve missed regular-season games.

This is a lingering issue, per John Harbaugh (via ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley), rather than an injury sustained during the joint practice. The 16th-year HC does not expect this to sideline Humphrey for a long-term period.

The former first-round pick suffered a torn pectoral muscle late in the 2021 season but rebounded to start 17 games last year. Prior to the five-game absence stemming from the chest injury, Humphrey had missed only three games in his first four seasons. An absence to start this year would deal a blow to the Ravens, who let Marcus Peters walk in free agency.

Baltimore made a substantial commitment to Humphrey in 2020, extending him on a five-year, $97.5MM deal. That contract runs through 2026. As Peters struggled to regain his form following an ACL tear that knocked him out for all of the 2021 season, Humphrey received Pro Bowl acclaim in 2022. Pro Football Focus viewed the Alabama alum as a top-15 corner last year, and at 27, the versatile cover man is squarely in his prime.

The Ravens did not make any major draft investments at corner, though they did add Kyu Blu Kelly in Round 5. The team came into today already dealing with injury issues at the position. Second-year cover man Damarion Williams, a former fourth-round pick who played 226 defensive snaps as a backup last season, underwent ankle surgery this week and will not be ready in time for the season, Harbaugh said (via The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec). Baltimore hopes to have Williams back in October, Zrebiec tweets, pointing to an IR stay to start the season. In addition to Williams, Jalyn Armour-Davis and recent pickup Arthur Maulet were down with injuries.

Williams, who began Ravens camp on the active/PUP list, would seemingly be in play to become one of Baltimore’s IR activations. At this point, it is premature to suggest Humphrey would join him. An IR move — after the team sets its 53-man roster — would cost Humphrey four games. Given his value to the team, it seems likelier it will go week to week with its top corner.

The Ravens already entered camp with a question at slot corner, an area where Humphrey has excelled at points. Williams joined the likes of Brandon Stephens and Ar’Darius Washington in vying for that gig. The team trading Chuck Clark is set to move Kyle Hamilton, a slot player last season, to a pure safety role. With Humphrey likely shelved for the start of the season, the Ravens have another big question to answer as camp continues.

Latest On Ravens’ CB Situation

August 4th, 2023 at 12:17pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens appear to have their starting boundary tandem in place at the cornerback position. A number of candidates are vying for the first-team role in the slot, however.

Marlon Humphrey is in place to once again serve as the anchor of Baltimore’s secondary, but fellow All-Pro Marcus Peters is no longer in the fold. The latter signed a long-anticipated deal with the Raiders recently, marking a formal end to his Ravens tenure. Rock Ya-Sin had already been acquired as a Peters replacement, signing a one-year contract in May. The former Colt and Raider is currently dealing with a knee injury, but it is not believed to be serious (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).

The question of who starts in the slot remains unanswered. Defensive backs coach Chris Hewitt named several contenders for the role, as detailed by The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec (subscription required). Among them is a mix of veteran and young players, as well as those with a background playing at safety as opposed to corner, and vice versa. Hewitt said the position is in an “open competition” at this point.

2022 first-rounder Kyle Hamilton played extensively in the slot as a rookie, but the trade sending Chuck Clark to the Jets paved the way for the Notre Dame product taking on full-time safety duties. The Ravens used three-safety alignments under defensive coordinator Mike McDonald, however, so keeping Hamilton at the nickel could allow the Ravens to deploy their best secondary options for extended stretches.

Other candidates for the position include Brandon Stephens and Ar’Darius Washington. The former was a third-round Ravens selection in 2021, after a college career which saw him play at both running back and corner. Stephens primarily played as a safety as a rookie, but his more common usage came at corner in 2022. Washington, meanwhile, has seen time in the slot in his limited usage since joining Baltimore as a UDFA.

2022 fourth-rounders Damarion Williams and Jalyn Armour-Davis are also contenders for a first-team role. Williams was named as a player to watch during camp, given his more natural fit as a slot corner compared to many of the team’s other options. He missed time at the start of camp due to injury, however, leaving him with ground to make up during the preseason. Hewitt added that Armour-Davis, who played on the outside at Alabama, is under consideration to be moved inside.

By far the most experienced option is Arthur Maulet. The 30-year-old signed a one-year deal last week after being released by the Steelers earlier in the offseason. Maulet has seen considerable usage in the slot over the past three seasons in particular, and it would come as little surprise if that is his primary function in Baltimore. The Ravens were linked to a veteran signing leading up to his addition, but another could be coming as well.

Zrebiec notes that the Ravens could still be in the market for a corner, though the team is focusing on its numerous internal options for the time being. The developments in the ongoing competition will be worth watching as camp practices and preseason games take place.

Ravens Sign CB Arthur Maulet

July 26th, 2023 at 8:01am CST by Adam La Rose

JULY 26: Maulet’s deal is worth up to $2MM, per Wolfe, who notes the contract will contain a $220K guarantee (Twitter link). The deal is now official.

JULY 24: Not long after the news of one of their former starting corners departing, the Ravens are set to make an addition at the position. Arthur Maulet is nearing an agreement with Baltimore, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe (Twitter link).

The Ravens showed little interest in bringing back Marcus Peters this offseason, and the veteran ballhawk has joined the Raiders. Baltimore replaced Peters on the boundary by signing Rock Ya-Sin to a one-year deal, and he is expected to start opposite All-Pro Marlon Humphrey. The team’s corner depth has faced questions beyond that pair, however.

The starting slot role and depth positions on the boundary were poised to be filled by relatively unexperienced players prior to today’s news. The Ravens used Day 3 picks on Jalyn Armour-Davis and Damarion Williams last year, doing so again in 2023 with fifth-rounder Kyu Blu Kelly. That trio will be joined in training camp by former waiver claim Trayvon Mullen, veterans Daryl Worley and Kevon Seymour, as well as versatile backs Brandon Stephens and Ar’Darius Washington.

Maulet, 30, will provide much more experience than many of the aforementioned names. He logged eight starts across the past two seasons, both spent with the Steelers. Pittsburgh elected to move on from him in May, however, making him one of several veterans on the lookout for a new opportunity deep into July. It was recently learned that he was drawing interest from a number teams on the eve of training camps starting.

It was not the Ravens, but rather the Bears and Jaguars who were named as suitors for Maulet, who has spent notable time in the slot during his career. Presuming this Baltimore agreement goes through without issue, though, he will remain in the AFC North and fill a notable gap in the team’s secondary. He will have the chance to earn signficant playing on a defense which, like the team as a whole, faces considerable expectations in 2023.

Load More Posts