While the attention fell on the departures of cornerback Tavon Young and offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva, the Ravens also tendered seven exclusive-rights free agents on Wednesday, a list headlined by backup quarterback Tyler Huntley.
These are individuals with fewer than three years of accrued service who were tendered contracts for league minimums based on their length of service in the NFL. They aren’t free to negotiate with other teams, but their tenders are not guaranteed, meaning a player can be cut at any point without consequence to the salary cap. In other words, there’s nothing promised beyond the opportunity to compete for a 53-man roster spot with only a couple players from this list regarded as roster locks at this point.
Below is a look at what to expect in 2022 from Baltimore’s seven exclusive-rights free agents tendered contracts:
QB Tyler Huntley
2021 snaps: 373 offensive
Skinny: There will be little to remember about the six-game losing streak to close the 2021 season, but Huntley, 24, did solidify his place as the backup to Lamar Jackson, playing well enough to give the injury-depleted Ravens a chance to win in each of the five games in which he saw extensive snaps. Though he needs to continue his development when it comes to pushing the ball down the field more effectively, Huntley will once again give the Ravens exactly what they need as a very affordable backup to a starter whose compensation level will continue to increase dramatically.
S Geno Stone
2021 snaps: 218 defensive/282 special teams
Skinny: The 2020 seventh-round pick out of Iowa made the most of his return to the Ravens in 2021, appearing in 15 games and seeing more and more action at safety after DeShon Elliott suffered a season-ending injury in November. The 5-foot-11, 207-pound defensive back still profiles best as a core special-teams contributor and a backup seeing limited snaps in sub packages, but what the Ravens do in free agency and the draft will go a long way in determining Stone’s chances of earning additional playing time at safety.
RB Ty’Son Williams
2021 snaps: 158 offensive/40 special teams
Skinny: Though it’s no secret the Week 1 starter quickly found his way to the proverbial doghouse after starting the first three games of 2021, the Ravens kept the 25-year-old on the 53-man roster for the entire season, a sign they still liked his long-term potential. Williams has work to do to improve his field vision and understanding of his on-field responsibilities amongst other things, but the No. 3 running back job behind J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards — assuming both are healthy — is wide open, making this spring and summer critical for the BYU product’s development and future.
C Trystan Colon
2021 snaps: 147 offensive/6 special teams
Skinny: The 2020 undrafted free agent out of Missouri started three games over his first two seasons, but the potential departure of Bradley Bozeman would leave Colon atop the early offseason depth chart at center. That’s not to say the Ravens won’t sign a veteran or draft a starting-caliber replacement in April, but the organization hasn’t pumped major resources into the position in a long time, instead leaning on late-round draft picks and former rookie free agents in recent years. In other words, the 6-foot-3, 313-pound Colon will remain in the starting conversation until the Ravens prove otherwise.
8
ILB Kristian Welch
2021 snaps: 32 offensive/382 special teams
Skinny: The Iowa product began seeing limited defensive snaps in late November, but nothing notable came from it while he tied fellow inside linebacker Chris Board for the second-most special-teams snaps on the team. With longtime captain Anthony Levine having retired and Board set to become an unrestricted free agent, the Ravens may need Welch to step into more of a leadership role on special teams. Given Baltimore’s history, you never dismiss the possibility of an undrafted inside linebacker stepping into a larger defensive role by his third season, but that didn’t appear imminent by the end of 2021.
LS Nick Moore
2021 snaps: 142 special teams
Skinny: The more casual fan may not have even noticed the transition from longtime long snapper and Super Bowl XLVII champion Morgan Cox to Moore last season, which is exactly what you prefer at a position that only stands out when there are problems. That the Ravens saw no drop-off in performance while preparing to pay Moore less than $1 million for a second straight season is quite valuable when considering their many other roster needs and the limited availability of cap dollars.
DT Aaron Crawford
2021 snaps: Spent the entire season on injured reserve
Skinny: A 2020 undrafted free agent out of North Carolina, Crawford played 21 snaps in the infamous Wednesday afternoon pandemic game at Pittsburgh two years ago and spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad. The 6-foot-1, 315-pound defensive lineman was expected to compete for a 53-man roster spot last summer before a shoulder injury cost him all of 2021. With the amount of turnover anticipated along the defensive line, Crawford is one of several young names who will have the opportunity to compete for a job.
