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Shane Ray

Colts Work Out Shane Ray, Andre Branch

October 14th, 2019 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

After placing Kemoko Turay on IR, the Colts are looking for defensive line help. They worked out veterans Shane Ray, Andre Branch and Eddie Vanderdoes, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter).

Ray has worked out for the Cardinals, Jets and Bears since the Ravens released him after their preseason slate. The former Broncos first-rounder has not caught on with any team since that Baltimore departure.

Branch landed briefly with the Cardinals this offseason but was cut. The Raiders, who worked out Branch this season, recently waived Vanderdoes. A 2017 third-round pick, Vanderdoes has not played since the 2017 season.

Ray spent four seasons with the Broncos, while Branch has played seven seasons — four with the Jaguars, three with the Dolphins. The latter’s commitment to a 2019 rebuild resulted in the veteran’s release.

Behind starters Justin Houston and Jabaal Sheard, the Colts have rookie Ben Banogu and Al-Quadin Muhammad. The latter is a third-year player who landed in Indianapolis last year via waiver claim. Turay suffered an injury during the Colts’ most recent game, an upset win over the Chiefs.

NFL Workout Notes: 10/8/19

October 8th, 2019 at 9:50pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are today’s workout updates. There are a number of notable names on this list, so pay attention!

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

Oakland Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Jets Work Out Shane Ray, Nate Orchard

September 25th, 2019 at 4:45pm CST by Rory Parks

In their quest to bolster their pass rush, the Jets worked out a pair of recognizable edge defenders today. Per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, Gang Green brought in Shane Ray and Nate Orchard for visits (Twitter link).

Interestingly, both players worked out for the Bears last Tuesday, but obviously neither signed with Chicago. Ray, a former first-round pick of the Broncos, was among the Ravens’ final cuts before the regular season got underway. After posting 12 sacks in his first two seasons, Ray missed large portions of the next two years due to injury and is looking to show that he can still be an effective QB hunter.

Orchard, meanwhile, looked as if he would make the Dolphins’ roster after a strong preseason, but Miami surprisingly cut him prior to the first game of the 2019 campaign. He also worked out for the Lions after the Dolphins sent him packing.

In addition to Ray and Orchard, the Jets took a look at defensive ends Jamal Davis, Kasim Edebali, and Markus Jones, as well as OLB Chuck Harris.

Bears Work Out Shane Ray, Noah Spence

September 17th, 2019 at 7:22pm CST by PFR Staff

The Bears worked out edge defenders Shane Ray, Noah Spence, Nate Orchard and Dekoda Watson on Tuesday, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

A former first-round pick of the Broncos back in 2015, Ray was among the Ravens’ final cuts this past summer after signing a $1.2MM deal with $200K guaranteed shortly after this past May’s compensatory deadline. After having 12 sacks in his first two seasons, Ray missed large portions of the next two seasons due to injury and was looking forward to having a bounce back campaign in 2019.

Spence, a former second-round pick of the Buccaneers back in 2016, most recently worked out with the Redskins after not making the Buccaneers’ 53-man roster. Orchard, who was recently released by the Dolphins, and Watson, who was among the Broncos’ final cuts, are both looking to continue their careers after bouncing around to a number of teams over the past couple of years.

Behind starters Khalil Mack and Leonard Floyd, the Bears feature Aaron Lynch and former UDFA Isaiah Irving. Tuesday’s workout contingent each boasts at least three years of NFL experience.

Ravens Release Shane Ray

August 30th, 2019 at 1:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have released linebacker Shane Ray, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Ravens added Ray shortly after May’s compensatory deadline and gave him a $1.2MM deal with $200K guaranteed, but he won’t fly with them in September.

The Ravens had a glut of edge rushers, even after losing Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith in the offseason. The numbers crunch, ultimately, pushed Ray out.

Ray posted 12 sacks in his first two NFL seasons, but injuries have held him back ever since. In the last two years, he’s had just two sacks across 29 games.

Shane Ray On Ravens’ Roster Bubble?

August 8th, 2019 at 7:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Brought in along with Pernell McPhee after the draft, Shane Ray does not have a comfortable path to the Ravens’ 53-man roster. The former first-round pick is squarely on Baltimore’s bubble.

Ray is behind five other Raven edge defenders at present, with Jeff Zreibec of The Athletic noting (subscription required) the four-year Broncos cog will need a strong preseason to make the team.

The fifth-year pass rusher has flashed in practice, but Zreibec notes McPhee is ahead of him among the veteran contingent. So are 2017 second- and third-round picks Tyus Bowser and Tim Williams With the Ravens unlikely to keep six edge defenders, Ray has his work cut out for him entering the team’s preseason slate.

The Ravens added Ray shortly after May’s compensatory deadline and gave him a $1.2MM deal with $200K guaranteed. But vying with McPhee and recent Ravens Day 2 picks, with Matt Judon and rookie Jaylon Ferguson locks to make the team, made this an uncertain proposition from the start.

While he was a rotational presence on Denver’s Super Bowl champion team and registered eight sacks in 2016, Ray has not lived up to his first-round billing yet. He finished his Broncos tenure on a shaky note, being a healthy scratch at the conclusion of last season.

Ravens To Sign Shane Ray

May 17th, 2019 at 10:12am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have agreed to sign Shane Ray, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The edge rusher’s deal is pending a physical, which may be more than a formality given his history. 

Ray has missed 13 games over the last two seasons with the Broncos due to various injuries. The LB/DE, who turns 26 on Saturday, hasn’t exactly lived up to his draft pedigree, but he has shown flashes of promise. The former first-round pick amassed four sacks as a reserve in his rookie season and tallied a career-high eight sacks in 2016.

Despite the setbacks, Ray drew interest from a handful of other teams this offseason, including the Seahawks, Colts, and Raiders. The Ravens arguably needed him more than any of those clubs after losing 2018 sack leader Za’Darius Smith to the Packers and all-time franchise sack leader Terrell Suggs to the Cardinals.

Compensatory Pick Formula Ends Today

May 7th, 2019 at 8:51am CST by Zachary Links

Starting at 4pm ET/3pm CT, any unrestricted free agent that signs with a new team will not count towards the 2020 compensatory draft pick formula, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This should quickly accelerate the market for several free agents of note, including:

Compensatory picks are given to teams that lose a greater number of compensatory free agents (or, a greater quality of free agents) than they acquire. The complicated formula that dictates how the picks are dispersed is not disclosed to the public, but teams are wary of signing even lower impact UFAs while it is in effect.

But, when the formula is turned off, veteran free agents should start flying off of the board.

Shane Ray To Visit Seahawks

May 2nd, 2019 at 5:34pm CST by Rory Parks

Now that the draft is over, the Shane Ray free agency tour can resume. The free agent edge rusher will meet with the Seahawks tomorrow, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (via Twitter).

Seattle is clearly on the lookout for pass rushing help after trading Frank Clark prior to the draft. The Seahawks hosted Ziggy Ansah earlier this week, and although they added TCU defensive end L.J. Collier in the first round, they are still a bit undermanned on the edge.

Ray, whom Denver selected in the first round of the 2015 draft, hasn’t exactly lived up to his draft pedigree, but he has shown flashes of promise. The 25-year-old (26 in May) amassed four sacks as a reserve in his rookie season and tallied a career-high eight sacks in 2016. Injuries have derailed him somewhat, however, as he has just two sacks in the last two years combined.

But he would have a good chance to get his career back on track in Seattle. He has also met with the Colts and Raiders, so teams are obviously interested in seeing what he can do.

Raiders Host Shane Ray

April 9th, 2019 at 4:39pm CST by Rory Parks

The Raiders hosted free agent edge rusher Shane Ray, as ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. The club recently signed another former Broncos defender, Brandon Marshall, and Ray could follow suit.

Ray, whom Denver selected in the first round of the 2015 draft, hasn’t exactly lived up to his draft pedigree, but he has shown flashes of promise. The 25-year-old (26 in May) amassed four sacks as a reserve in his rookie season and tallied a career-high eight sacks in 2016. Injuries have derailed him somewhat, however, as he has just two sacks in the last two years combined.

But the Raiders are in dire need of pass rush help, and Ray makes plenty of sense as an upside play. Ray would likely serve as a defensive end in the club’s 4-3 scheme, and the top two DEs on the roster at the moment are Josh Mauro and 2018 third-rounder Arden Key, so if the two sides reach an agreement, Ray may have plenty of opportunity to rebuild his value.

Ray visited the Colts last month but left Indy without a deal.

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