Rasheen Ali

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/12/24

Today’s minor transactions, including practice squad callups for Week 6:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/3/24

Thursday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Phillips’ spot on the 53-man roster was filled today when Miami signed outside linebacker Tyus Bowser from Seattle’s practice squad.

The young running back in Baltimore will have his 21-day practice window opened as he attempts to come back from injury after being placed on injured reserve the day of the season opener.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/5/24

As the 2024 season kicks off, here are the day’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Cam Gill

Chicago Bears

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: OL Ryan Hayes

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed off Cardinals’ practice squad: DL Ben Stille
  • Placed on IR: DL Earnest Brown
  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Shaun Peterson, DL Lwal Uguak

Tennessee Titans

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB JoJo Domann

Washington Commanders

The Ravens drafted Ali in this year’s fifth round. He entered the week joining Derrick Henry and Justice Hill as running backs on Baltimore’s 53-man roster. Kelly has since replaced him as Baltimore’s RB3. He will now join Keaton Mitchell as being on an injured list; the latter remains on the Ravens’ reserve/PUP list, sidelining him for at least four games. This designation shelves Ali for that period as well. The Ravens could use one of their injury activations to bring Ali back to the roster at that point.

Ravens Rumors: RBs, Samac, Safety

So much of the Ravens’ roster is set at the top of the depth chart; even the starting guard spots are starting to come into focus. Still, with the regular season fast approaching, Baltimore is going to need to make some decisions down the stretch.

At running back, the team has an obvious 1-2 punch in Derrick Henry and Justice Hill while they wait for Keaton Mitchell to return from injury. While Mitchell remains on the injured list, though, that leaves the opportunity to fill one more spot on the roster with a running back, though ESPN’s Jamison Hensley acknowledges that they could run with just two until Mitchell returns.

Owen Wright has seemingly been the name to watch for that spot. An undrafted free agent addition out of Monmouth last year, Wright was pushing for a roster spot in the team’s final preseason game today before suffering a hairline fracture in his foot in the contest, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, complicating his roster status. While not season-ending, the injury will likely require a stay on an injured list if the Ravens want to keep him on the roster.

This opens the door for fifth-round rookie Rasheen Ali out of Marshall. The Ravens don’t like to get in the habit of waiving rookie draft picks, but after Stanford cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly was failed to make the 53-man roster last year, it seems nobody is safe. Ali hasn’t gotten much use this preseason and failed to appear in today’s preseason game, so it was not looking great for him to make the roster, but Wright’s injury may allow him to do just that.

Here are some breakdowns of other roster battles in Baltimore:

  • Another player who suffered an injury in today’s contest was backup center Nick Samac. The seventh-round rookie out of Michigan State was making a push for the 53-man roster, culminating in a start at center this preseason. While fans saw him carted off the field today, both Hensley and Zrebiec see him making the final cut.
  • At safety, the Ravens have an interesting decision ahead of them. The Ravens have boasted an outstanding record over the years of seeing an undrafted rookie make the 53-man roster, and this year, there doesn’t seem to be an obvious choice. Beau Brade, an undrafted signee out of Maryland, has been a popular option, but there is no guarantee. The team already rosters Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams, and Eddie Jackson, as well as rookie seventh-round pick Sanoussi Kane out of Purdue. They also roster Ar’Darius Washington, who may split his time between nickelback and safety. Additionally, the team re-signed veteran Daryl Worley who has played quite a bit on the Ravens defense in the past three years. If Baltimore decides to hold on to five safeties (not including Washington), the decision may come down to the potential of Brade versus the experience of Worley.

Ravens Wrap Up Draft Class Signings

The Ravens have officially signed their entire draft class. According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, the team has signed third-round linebacker Adisa Isaac, fourth-round wide receiver Devontez Walker, fifth-round running back Rasheen Ali, and sixth-round quarterback Devin Leary to their rookie contracts.

Isaac followed up a breakout 2022 campaign with an even better performance in 2023. The Penn State product finished this past season with 16 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, earning him a first-team All-Big Ten nod. The rookie could be in line for a significant role in Baltimore, as the team currently has Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy penciled atop the depth chart at outside linebacker.

Leary was the second-to-last QB selected in the draft (ahead of Packers seventh-round pick Michael Pratt), and with Josh Johnson back for another stint as Lamar Jackson‘s backup, the rookie can spend some much-needed time as Baltimore’s QB3. Leary tossed 35 touchdowns for North Carolina State in 2021 before being limited to only six appearances in 2022. He transferred to Kentucky for the 2023 campaign and put himself back on the NFL radar, tossing 25 touchdowns vs. 12 interceptions.

The Ravens finished the draft having added nine rookies to their roster. The draft class includes:

Ravens Notes: Rosengarten, Leary, Wiggins

Offensive line was seen as an area of need for the Ravens entering the draft. Baltimore lost starting guards Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson in free agency, and the team traded away right tackle Morgan Moses.

The team elected against adding an O-lineman in the first round, selecting cornerback Nate Wiggins instead. In the second round, however, the Ravens added Washington tackle Roger Rosengarten. He was one of several highly-regarded blockers in the 2024 class, though it did not come as a surprise he was still on the board following Day 1. Rosengarten could nevertheless see immediate playing time as a rookie.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said after the draft Rosengarten – who did not allow a sack over the past two seasons – will be “in the mix” for the starting right tackle spot this offseason. The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec writes he could be the favorite for the position (subscription required). Baltimore has incumbents Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele as well as free agent signing Josh Jones in place as competition. After protecting southpaw Michael Penix Jr.‘s blindside in college, Rosengarten could also be a candidate to succeed Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley down the road.

Here are some other notes out of Baltimore:

  • The Ravens were among the teams which drafted a depth quarterback on Day 3, selecting Devin Leary in the sixth round. The NC State transfer did not help his stock during his single season at Kentucky, and nine other passers were drafted ahead of him. Leary will compete for the third-string spot in Baltimore; after losing Tyler Huntley in free agency, Harbaugh said (via Zrebiec) that journeyman Josh Johnson is the team’s Lamar Jackson backup. Leary’s primary competitor will be Malik Cunningham, who faces the possibility of transitioning to receiver with the Ravens. Baltimore signed Emory Jones as a UDFA yesterday, giving the team five QBs at the moment.
  • Offensive lineman (and starting guard candidate) Andrew Vorhees missed his rookie season as he recovered from an ACL tear. The 2023 seventh-rounder returned to the practice field this weekend, though, with Harbaugh noting he is in a good spot regarding his recovery (h/t ESPN’s Jamison Hensley). Fifth-round rookie running back Rasheen Ali, meanwhile, will participate in the team’s rookie minicamp on a limited basis. Harbaugh said (via Zrebiec) Ali is expected to be healthy by training camp as he rehabs a torn bicep suffered at the Senior Bowl.
  • Wiggins is among the Ravens rookies who have already signed their initial NFL contracts. That $12.82MM deal includes a signing bonus of $6.14MM, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes. Baltimore turned down eight trade offers for the No. 30 pick, electing to retain it and select Wiggins. The Clemson product will no doubt be counted on heavily in his rookie season and beyond.