tsylvester

I think the reason they didn't trade him for anything was his contract. Teams wanted the Cards to cover a portion of it, and they would rather just be done with the money this year. He is 30 going on time to lose a step or two. Not sure he is worth a long term, big money deal.

The Baltimore Ravens were one of several teams rumored to be interested in trading for DeAndre Hopkins, but they opted not to pursue a deal before he was released by the Arizona Cardinals on Friday. Per The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec, the Ravens "did their homework" on a potential Hopkins trade but "backed off" of a deal. Among the things Baltimore looked into were the 30-year-old's "personality fit" with the club and "what it would take in terms of draft capital and salary-cap space to make a deal work." There was an April 26 report from Reet Manfred of 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore (h/t Kevin Eck of BaltimoreRavens.com) claiming the Ravens were "close" to trading for Hopkins. According to Zrebiec, it didn't appear a potential trade with Arizona ever really got close to happening. It seems as if Hopkins' contract, which had two years remaining, was a major stumbling block for clubs that wanted to acquire him. He was set to count $30.75 million against the cap in 2023, the highest amount for a wide receiver. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on the May 19 episode of SportsCenter that Hopkins was also hesitant to take a pay cut after the Ravens gave Odell Beckham Jr. a one-year deal with $15 million guaranteed. While the Ravens could pursue Hopkins as a free agent, they've already invested a lot of resources into upgrading their receiving corps. In addition to signing Beckham, they used their first-round draft pick (No. 22 overall) to select Boston College wideout Zay Flowers. https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10077656-deandre-hopkins-rumors-ravens-did-their-homework-on-wr-and-backed-off-on-trade.amp.html

Both Kc and Buf have to get real creative with their caps. The Browns are now a front runner?

Yeah people see things like, run less and think that means 35-40 passes per game. That would be wrong. It means less called quarterback runs, same amount of passes, 27 -30, but more importantly, better route combinations, which means, if Lamar is as accurate as say 2019, = more first downs, clock running, more scoring. Sure, there will still be some called qb runs, he will also have to scramble from the pocket, but this offense should run smoother he should be healthier, key word, should.

A snippet of good news from the latest Ravens website

Kc, Buffalo, Jets, Ravens, are the teams he named in a pod cast the other day. Dallas, a dark horse I heard mentioned today, since they are the only ones with both a chance to win and the cap space

A little more coverage Very excited about Monk,” inside linebacker Roquan Smith, a former Bulldogs star, said after practice. He tuned in for plenty of their wins during last year’s national championship season. “Obviously, watching the Dawgs — even though they made it look easy a lot of the times — just how he utilizes everyone in their position, a lot of eye candy and things like that, I’m like, ‘Man, if some of this stuff was brought to the league, it’s going to create some problems.’ Because I know it made me think a little bit.” Monken’s building blocks already look different from Roman’s. He has not waited long to port over elements of his Georgia offenses to Baltimore. The hallmarks of those powerhouse Bulldogs attacks — a mix of shotgun and under-center formations, a diverse screen game, a quicker tempo between plays, run-pass-option plays, presnap motion that can change the offense’s entire look or probe the defense for one particular clue — have been evident through three weeks of workouts in Owings Mills. Notes It was a good day for new faces. Cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, signed this month, had a pass defense on a throw to wide receiver Tarik Black. Flowers, the team’s first-round pick, was active as a runner and receiver. Wide receiver Nelson Agholor, signed in March, also had a handful of catches. https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2023/5/26/23737310/ravens-news-5-26-otas-report-roquan-smith-patrick-queen-morgan-moses-ronnie-stanley-lamar-jackson

He's gonna cost....

A nice move, while he had lost a few steps and couldn't stay healthy here, he was a very good team leader, a true Raven type person. Nice to see him move into scouting, maybe even into coaching one day https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2023/5/25/23737635/tony-jefferson-retiring-from-nfl-play-will-join-baltimore-ravens-as-a-scout

Yeah, it is nice to hear that Lamar is staying late, diving into this new playback. I also love how Todd is teaching proper routes, spacing, and the why, it is important. He has always been a great teacher

And another QB Lamar jackson Talking about Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken's system, Lamar Jackson sounds like someone who loves a new car after taking a test drive. After arriving at the Under Armour Performance Center Tuesday to begin working with coaches, Jackson took the field at Ravens OTAs Wednesday for his first practice in Monken's offense. "The new offense is smooth," Jackson said. "I'm loving it so far. Coach is basically just giving us the keys to the offense." Jackson said there's more verbiage in Monken's offense. There's also more verbiage coming from his coordinator's mouth. Monken is very energetic on the field, and Jackson said that's also the case in the classroom. "Coach is very active," Jackson said. "He's talkative and you're enjoying it – the learning process of what he's saying [when he's] teaching us the new offense. It's fun." Playing in a different system with new weapons Odell Beckham Jr., Zay Flowers and Nelson Agholor, Jackson clearly believes Baltimore's offense will be more versatile and explosive. The Ravens have run the ball more often than any NFL team since Jackson became the starting quarterback in 2018, and much of that running has been done by Jackson. However, the NFL's 2019 Most Valuable Player is clearly looking forward to having more opportunities to move Baltimore's offense through the air. "Running can only take you so far," Jackson said. "I feel like, with this new era of teams and offenses in the league, I feel like we need that. And Coach Todd Monken, what I'm seeing in his offense so far is looking tremendous." Jackson also believes he'll have more freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage, and that the offense will have a faster pace between plays. Getting to the line of scrimmage faster would also give Jackson more time to audible. "You can change whenever you want to," Jackson said. "You see the defense and it's not looking right to you, you see a guy blitzing, [or] you might want your receiver to do something different. Coach is giving you the freedom to do whatever you want to." Jackson said the new offense is one reason he decided to arrive at voluntary OTAs this week rather than waiting longer. Being at the Under Armour Performance Center gives Jackson a chance to spend extra time face-to-face with Monken and Quarterbacks Coach Tee Martin. "I'm studying, being in the meeting rooms, staying after," Jackson said. "When everybody is leaving the building, I'm still here with Coach Tee and Coach 'Monk' and going over things. Mental preparation is a large part of what Jackson is doing at this point. Jackson threw during the early portion of practice, but Josh Johnson, Anthony Brown and Tyler Huntley handled the 11-on-11 reps on Wednesday while Jackson watched and took mental notes. Head Coach John Harbaugh said they'll "ramp up" Jackson with his conditioning and learning the offense. Jackson said he planned to participate throughout the remainder of OTAs, which will give him even more reps to familiarize himself with Monken's system. While he has quipped about "throwing for 6,000 yards" in the new offense, Jackson emphasized that winning will always be his primary concern, and he is embracing the challenge of doing that in a new system. "I'm not really worried about the (throwing) yards," Jackson said. "It's about us winning." https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/lamar-jackson-todd-monken-offense-loves-keys-audibles-less-running

A nice read, Lamar Jackson's first impression of the Baltimore Ravens' new offense: more freedom and less reliance on his legs. After his first practice with new Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Jackson said he was extremely pleased with the direction of the new scheme and believes a philosophy change was needed to be successful going forward. "Less running and more throwing," Jackson said when asked what this offense will allow him to showcase. Jackson is the most prolific running quarterback in NFL history. His 4,437 career rushing yards are the most by any quarterback in their first five seasons -- 1,230 yards more than Cam Newton, who ranks second. Baltimore is 16-1 when Jackson runs for 90 or more yards, but the quarterback has also taken an NFL-high 877 hits over the past five seasons. Jackson flashed a big smile when asked if his rushing attempts will be scaled back this year. "Absolutely, absolutely," Jackson said. "Especially with the receivers we have." The Ravens revamped a group that ranked last in the NFL last season in receiving yards. Baltimore signed Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor in free agency and then drafted Zay Flowers in the first round. Jackson indicated the improved supporting cast will change the focus of the offense. In four seasons under former offensive coordinator Greg Roman, the Ravens ranked first in rushing attempts (2,194) and second to last in passing attempts (1,945). "Running can only take you so far," Jackson said. "And I feel like with this new era of teams and offenses in the league, I feel like we need that. Coach Todd Monken, what I'm seeing in his offense so far, is looking tremendous." Wednesday's practice was Jackson's first since he became the NFL's highest-paid player at $52 million per season. He missed the last two weeks of voluntary on-field workouts and skipped the first organized team activity on Monday before reporting Tuesday. The Ravens held out Jackson from team drills, but coach John Harbaugh said the team will "ramp him up" moving forward. "I'm excited that he's here, of course," Harbaugh said. "He was into the meetings. He was locked in the last two days, been completely locked in. So it's a good thing." In addition to a five-year, $260 million contract, the Ravens are giving Jackson more leeway at the line of scrimmage. He pointed out that Monken is "basically just giving us the keys to the offense, really." "You can change things when you want to," Jackson said. "You see the defense, and it's not looking right to you. You see some guy blitzing, you might want your receiver to do something different. Coach is giving you the free will to do whatever you want to." https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/37722923/ravens-lamar-jackson-expects-less-running-more-throwing

First injury of the year, wide out hopeful Mike Thomas, torn labrum, surgery needed...

Ack, he likely had too much gluten and was on the potty all day yesterday

Heeeees back, reported today..yippie

I agree on Oweh, this is a make or break year for him. I have my doubts about him, if he doesn't produce, healthy or not, boot him. Lamar no show today, but there is always tomorrow, we love ya tomorrow, tomorrow makes a dream come true....

While this is voluntary, it should be interesting to see who doesn't show up, given a new offensive system is being put in place. Not too mention a few new faces.

https://apnews.com/article/nfl-jim-brown-03d88c7da08840a0921ae8d8dd0a6aaa He was far more than a football player, far more than a Hall of Famer, sure, he didn't make it as an actor, he left the NFL early, but he used his fame to try and help others step out from under the boot of this world.

So Rex should have for Ray? Sure, Smith was a missing piece, but there is no argument for McDonald and all of the excellent in game adjustments with coverages, with the types of pass rush he called, different stunts, blitzes etc.

I was a bit skeptical of McDonald at first, but he has shown the ability to adjust game to game, and especially in game. Give him a healthy hungry defense, man, this could be real fun, Rex Ryan like fun like back in the day

Yeah, Pierce has shown flashes each year but keeps getting bit by the injury bug it seems. If he can stay healthy, he can be a real beast, take this run stuffing and pocket collapse to a new level

In the early stages of what’s being deemed “football school,” a mixture of young talent and a sprinkling of veterans participate in the earliest stages of offseason workouts. Among the veterans is defensive tackle Michael Pierce. Pierce, 30, signed with the Ravens last season to a three-year, $16.5 million deal as the Ravens attempted to bolster their pass rush after a deal with outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith fell apart. But four weeks into the season, Pierce suffered a torn biceps injury against the New England Patriots and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. Now, fully healthy, he’s returned and involved in the early stages of team workouts, and Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald is appreciating the veterans attendance. “You saw the start that [Pierce] was off to last year so it was disappointing to lose him,” Macdonald said. “Having Mike back in the middle of the defense will definitely be a big point of contention for us moving forward. I’m excited to see what he does.” The start Macdonald’s referring to was significant, as Pierce was the No. 7 ranked defensive lineman by PFF, directly behind Los Angeles Rams defensive star Aaron Donald through the four games he played. His overall grade sat at 86.9, and he graded above a 70 in run defense, tackling, pass rush and coverage. Now, with defensive end Calais Campbell joining the Atlanta Falcons, Macdonald sees Pierce as a person to help subside the loss of one of the NFL’s most unique defensive players. “Just having another vet guy that’s done it at a a high level, of course that’s going to help us,” Macdonald said. “[He has a] different skillset, but I think Michael Pierce is an underrated interior rusher, too. When the time comes, I think you’ll see what he can do in pass downs as well.” https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2023/5/18/23727011/ravens-dc-mike-macdonald-on-michael-pierces-return-i-think-youll-see-what-he-can-do

https://www.nfl.com/news/ravens-dc-mike-macdonald-says-olb-david-ojabo-achilles-is-gaining-confidence-ent Baltimore is counting on linebacker David Ojabo hitting the ground running in Year 2. The outside linebacker is making strides this offseason after missing the bulk of his rookie campaign, according to Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. "The first thing is he has a full year of the program to physically get himself to a spot…" Macdonald said Wednesday. "He looks great. I feel like he's put on some good weight, looks stronger, looks fast right now. I think, more than anything, mentally, I think he's in a great spot as well. I think you're gonna see a lot of confidence from him throughout the process. That's great to see him in good spirits." Ojabo, a projected first-round pick last season, fell to the Ravens in the second round after suffering an Achilles tear at Michigan's Pro Day. Ojabo appeared in just two regular-season games, playing 21 total snaps on defense -- 20 coming in the season finale. He played two defensive snaps in Baltimore's wild-card loss to the Bengals. The Michigan product generated 11 sacks in his final collegiate season. The Ravens are banking on the 23-year-old getting that burst back and adding to Baltimore's pass rush in 2023 alongside Odafe Oweh. "It's a blessing and I just can't wait," Ojabo said Wednesday. "I've never been injured before and I never had to just sit down and it tested my patience, but it was definitely for the better."

I'm glad that he came down from his demand, but, just gonna leave this here