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Osemele thanks Ravens after critiquing their commitment

After officially signing his five-year, $58.5 million contract to join the Oakland Raiders on Thursday, Kelechi Osemele took time to thank the Ravens and the place he called home for the last four years. But that message came after the 2012 second-round pick complimented the Raiders’ commitment to their offensive line and appeared to question his former team’s. “They have a really up-and-coming young team [in Oakland]. That was sold to me a lot,” Osemele said in a conference call with the Bay Area media. “Going through the roster, I kind of saw what everybody was saying and the emphasis on building the offensive line, coming from a place where [that’s] not really appreciated, you know? Coming to a team where offensive line play is a focus and it matters and they want to build that up, that was a big factor.” Head coach John Harbaugh said last month that the Ravens made an “aggressive” offer to Osemele, but it soon became clear that they weren’t going to come close to the record-setting contract Oakland handed to the fifth-year guard. It’s true that Baltimore hasn’t spent as much on its offensive line as the Raiders, but that doesn’t mean a

Ravens get "positive news" on Gillmore, move receiver to tight end

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — On the same day veteran Benjamin Watson was introduced to the local media, the Ravens continued making news at the tight end position. After signing the 35-year-old to a two-year, $7 million contract on the first day of free agency and surprisingly tendering the relatively-unknown restricted free agent Chase Ford $1.671 million, general manager Ozzie Newsome said the organization received “some positive news” on Crockett Gillmore last week. The third-year tight end needed surgeries for torn labrums in both shoulders this offseason. Newsome first revealed that Gillmore might not be ready for the start of training camp at last month’s NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, but he remains confident that the 2014 third-round pick will play this season. “He’s still has a recovery road that he has to go down in order to get himself ready for the beginning of the year,” said Newsome, who admitted that Gillmore’s health and Nick Boyle’s 10-game suspension turned the tight end position into an unexpected priority that needed to be addressed. “But I feel very good about it, barring any setbacks.” The Ravens also revealed that they are moving 2015 sixth-round pick Darren Waller from wide receiver to tight

Ravens place second-round tender on Aiken

(Updated: 5 p.m. Wednesday) With the deadline to tender their restricted free agents falling on Wednesday afternoon, the Ravens officially placed a second-round tender on wide receiver Kamar Aiken. The tender is worth $2.553 million and makes it unlikely that another team will pursue his services in what looks to be an underwhelming free-agent market of available receivers. Other teams are still allowed to sign the 26-year-old to an offer sheet, but the Ravens would have the opportunity to match the offer and would receive that team’s second-round pick if they chose to decline. Baltimore could have saved some money by offering Aiken the low tender worth $1.671 million, but teams could have signed him to an offer sheet with the Ravens only receiving a right to match and no draft compensation attached. Aiken broke out in 2015 filling in for the injured Steve Smith, catching a career-best 75 passes for 944 yards and five touchdowns. With Smith turning 37 and coming back from a torn Achilles tendon and 2015 first-round pick Breshad Perriman missing his entire rookie season with a knee injury, Aiken is Baltimore’s surest commodity at the position for now. Starting 14 of 16 games in 2015,

Osemele set to join Oakland when free agency opens

More than 24 hours before free agency officially opened, the Ravens have all but officially lost their best player from this year’s class. According to NFL Network, fifth-year offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele has agreed in principle to a deal with the Oakland Raiders that’s expected to pay him more than $11 million per season. The contract will reportedly make the 2012 second-round pick one of the five highest-paid offensive linemen in the league. The Ravens had hoped to keep Osemele and planned to permanently move him to left tackle, but it soon became apparent after they made an “aggressive” offer that interest from competing teams with more salary cap space were going to be too much to overcome. With Osemele having only started four games at left tackle in his NFL career and the Ravens already extending five-time Pro Bowl right guard Marshal Yanda last fall, it would have been too great a risk to pay Osemele lucrative money solely to play a position where he remains relatively unproven. Much of the angst regarding Osemele’s status has stemmed from the disappointing return on the five-year, $37.5 million contract awarded to left tackle Eugene Monroe two years ago. Since signing that

Alvarez, Orioles agree to one-year deal

After spending much of the offseason trying to add another outfielder such as Dexter Fowler or Austin Jackson, the Orioles have called an audible to add another left-handed bat to the 2016 mix. According to multiple outlets, the club agreed to a one-year, $5.75 million contract with former Pittsburgh corner infielder Pedro Alvarez. Of course, the deal is pending a physical. Given the 29-year-old’s well-documented defensive limitations at both first base and third base, the Orioles are expected to make Alvarez their designated hitter with Mark Trumbo likely serving as the primary right fielder. The move certainly adds more power to a lineup that was already strong in that department, but how much it might negatively impact the defense with Trumbo in right is a fair question. Alvarez, the second overall pick of the 2008 draft, has hit 27 or more home runs in three of the last four seasons. In 150 games for the Pirates last year, he hit .243 with 27 homers, 77 RBIs, and a .787 on-base plus slugging percentage. His best season came in 2013 when he clubbed 36 homers and drove in 100 runs to make the All-Star team, but Alvarez is also prone to

Ravens ink Pro Bowl long snapper to five-year extension

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens retained another key member of their special teams Monday by announcing a five-year agreement with long snapper Morgan Cox. The 2015 Pro Bowl selection was set to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday, but Baltimore has instead locked up the veteran snapper after placing the franchise tag on kicker Justin Tucker and re-signing special-teams standout Albert McClellan earlier this offseason. Cox has served as the Ravens long snapper since signing as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee in 2010. “People who study the game know how good Morgan is, and he was certainly deserving of a Pro Bowl honor last year,” special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg said in a team statement. “His consistency is what makes him a great player, and his role in working with both Sam [Koch] and Justin is instrumental to the reliability of the trio.” Cox has remained one of the most consistent long snappers in the NFL despite suffering torn anterior cruciate ligaments to both knees over the course of his career. The first came in 2010 when Cox tore his left ACL early in the second quarter of a game in Cleveland and managed to finish

Ravens re-sign veteran cornerback Wright to three-year deal

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — With a need at cornerback, the Ravens didn’t want to allow veteran Shareece Wright to hit the free-agent market later this week. Instead, the sides agreed to a three-year contract on Monday to keep the 28-year-old in Baltimore after he started seven games in 2015. The deal is worth up to $16 million and includes $5 million guaranteed. “This is something that we knew if we could get this much, [I’d] come back here,” said Wright, who settled for a one-year, $3 million deal with San Francisco last offseason when he became an unrestricted free agent for the first time. “It’s more than the money. You see a lot of players leave teams that they were with to chase the money and their careers don’t really go the direction that they thought it would. To come back here with a team that knows me and I got to get to know them, I knew it was important.” Wright offered a strong clue about the agreement on his official Twitter account late Sunday night. He had been scheduled to officially hit the market at 4 p.m. on Wednesday if a deal was not reached, but he noted

Ravens can't compound Monroe mistake with another

Kelechi Osemele is a heck of a football player. In a perfect world without a salary cap, the Ravens would re-sign one of the better guards in the NFL and continue their experiment from last December to see if he can be a franchise left tackle. If Osemele couldn’t, Baltimore would just move him back to his normal position and allow him and five-time Pro Bowl selection Marshal Yanda to continue serving as the best guard tandem in the NFL. But the league doesn’t work that way, and it’s for that reason that the Ravens are probably wise to let their 2012 second-round pick sign elsewhere this week, especially if other teams are willing to pay him upwards of $10 million per year as some reports have indicated. Osemele is a very good guard who has shown ability to swing outside, but we don’t yet know whether that translates to being a long-term left tackle. Other teams with more cap space and less money invested in the guard position can afford to experiment knowing that they can always move Osemele back to guard where he’s established himself as a commodity approaching Pro Bowl stature. Other teams would be happy to

Ravens kicker Tucker officially signs franchise tender

A week after becoming the sixth player in Ravens history to receive the franchise tag, kicker Justin Tucker officially signed his tender. The team announced Friday that Tucker signed his franchise tender worth $4.572 million, diminishing the possibility of the fifth-year kicker holding out like other franchise players have done in the past. Of course, the Ravens would like to sign the 2013 Pro Bowl selection to a long-term extension to lower his hefty salary cap number for the 2016 season. The sides have until July 15 to reach a long-term agreement before the 26-year-old would be forced to play out the season under the franchise tag amount. Tucker is the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history  

Ravens release veteran linebacker Daryl Smith

The man who was asked to replace future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis has been released by the Ravens. Veteran inside linebacker Daryl Smith was cut on Thursday morning, ending his three-year run in Baltimore. The longtime Jacksonville Jaguar led the Ravens with 121 tackles last season, but he will turn 34 later this month and carried a $4.375 million salary cap figure for 2016. However, general manager Ozzie Newsome left the door open for a potential return as the Ravens did in with Chris Canty and Vonta Leach in recent offseasons. “While we are releasing Daryl, we are not closing the door on the possibility of him returning to the Ravens,” Newsome said in a released statement. “He deserves an opportunity to see his market value at this time. With Buck, you’re talking about one of the NFL’s highest-quality people. We have been fortunate to have him with the Ravens, and his production has been outstanding.” His departure will create $2.625 million in cap space, but inside linebacker now becomes a greater position to address with young linebackers Zach Orr and Arthur Brown as well as veteran Albert McClellan being the only reserves on the current roster behind starter

Ravens working on adding former draft bust to roster

INDIANAPOLIS — As the Ravens evaluate the incoming rookies at the scouting combine in Indianapolis this week, they are looking into adding one of the biggest busts in recent NFL draft history. Head coach John Harbaugh confirmed Thursday that the organization has had discussions with running back Trent Richardson and could add the third overall pick of the 2012 draft to the 90-man roster. The 25-year-old has not played in the NFL since being cut by the Oakland Raiders at the end of the 2015 preseason, but general manager Ozzie Newsome has shown an affinity for fellow Alabama products over the years. Is Richardson next? “We’re talking to him right now. He seems like a good guy,” Harbaugh said. “I’ve talked to him on the phone a few times. Ozzie’s got all the ties at Alabama, so we’ll see where it goes. It’s in the works. It’s possible.” Even with a relatively successful 950-yard season as a rookie with the Cleveland Browns, Richardson has struggled mightily in the NFL, averaging 3.3 yards per carry over 46 career games. His issues with weight while playing for both Cleveland and Indianapolis were no secret as coaches also questioned his overall commitment and

Ravens have made "really aggressive" offer to Osemele

INDIANAPOLIS — While general manager Ozzie Newsome has downplayed the need to restructure Joe Flacco’s contract to clear precious salary cap space for the start of free agency, the Ravens are pushing to keep free-agent offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele. According to NFL Network, the Ravens have offered to make the fifth-year lineman their second-highest paid offensive player behind their franchise quarterback. Head coach John Harbaugh wouldn’t delve into the specifics of the offer, but he made it clear what the Ravens are trying to do with Osemele, who started the final four games of the 2015 season at left tackle. “I’m sure he’s shopping the deal. I can tell you — Ozzie said it already — it’s a really aggressive deal,” Harbaugh said. “I think it shows a lot of respect to K.O. It shows him that we really want him here, and I hope he takes it.” Of course, incumbent left tackle Eugene Monroe remains under contract as he would enter the third season of a five-year, $37.5 million contract signed two offseasons ago. However, Monroe has started only 16 games over the last two seasons, and Newsome provided a lukewarm endorsement for him when speaking to reporters at

Fowler spurns Orioles to re-sign with Cubs

Less than two days after the Orioles reportedly agreed to terms on a three-year contract with Dexter Fowler, the veteran outfielder surprisingly re-signed with the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. It was believed that the Orioles had a $35 million agreement with the 29-year-old outfielder, but multiple outlets have reported that Fowler wanted an opt-out after the first year and the Orioles balked at giving up the 28th overall pick of the June draft for potentially only one season of service. The Cubs announced a one-year deal for a reported $8 million salary for 2016 with a $9 million mutual option for 2017 that includes a $5 million buyout, giving Fowler $13 million guaranteed for his return to Chicago. Fowler told reporters in Arizona that he never agreed to a deal with Baltimore despite local and national reporters saying an agreement was in place on Tuesday night. Adam Jones was even quoted in Sarasota on Wednesday saying that he had communicated with Fowler and the switch-hitting outfielder had said he was excited to join the Orioles. Executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said in Sarasota that there was not an agreement due to Fowler insisting on an opt-out clause.

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