Nate Menkin

Ravens Place Rick Wagner On IR

The Ravens announced that they have placed tackle Rick Wagner on injured reserve, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets. To fill his spot, Baltimore moved defensive end Steven Means up to the 53-man roster to fill the open space. In related moves, the Ravens also waived defensive end Zach Thompson from the practice squad and signed a pair of offensive linemen in tackle Nate Menkin and guard J.J. Unga.

Wagner, 25, is in his second season and his first as a starter. He has been stellar this season, grading out as the best pass-blocking right tackle in the league according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Overall, he ranks as the second-best right tackle in the NFL behind Sebastian Vollmer of the Patriots. In his absence, the Ravens will either start reserve undrafted rookie James Hurst or shuffle the offensive line against the Browns, according to Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com. Baltimore could also move right guard Marshal Yanda to right tackle and insert rookie John Urschel in Yanda’s spot. Wagner is the 18th player the Ravens have placed on IR this season.

Thompson, 23, joined Baltimore’s taxi squad just last week. Unga was with the Ravens during training camp.

Minor Moves: Colts, Jaguars, Menkin, Raiders

We’ll round up Thursday’s minor transactions right here, which today includes a former NFLer signing with a CFL club and an exclusive rights free agent signing his ERFA tender. Any additional minor moves will be added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • The Colts signed free agent fullbacks Stephen Campbell and Cameron White, according to Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star (on Twitter).
  • The Jaguars have re-signed exclusive rights free agent Jordan Todman, according to Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange (via Twitter). The running back received a $645K ERFA tender from the team last month.

Earlier updates:

  • Offensive lineman Nate Menkin, who played his college ball at Mary Hardin-Baylor and joined the Eagles and Texans after going undrafted, has signed with the CFL’s Ottawa RedBlacks, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). 2014 will be the first season for the RedBlacks, an expansion franchise.
  • Raiders linebacker Kaelin Burnett has signed his ERFA tender for the 2014 season, the team announced today (Twitter link). Burnett played primarily on special teams for the club in 2013, recording 11 tackles in kick and punt coverage. The 24-year-old will be in line to earn a $570K salary this year.