[News] Veteran OT Jake Announces He's Joining Ravens

[BR News]

The former No. 1-overall pick and four-time Pro Bowler is flying to Baltimore tonight to sign, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Long would provide more competition at the tackle spot.

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[fusuymada]

Until Rick Wagner starts to play like he did in 2014, I wouldn't guarantee his spot at all. If Long can come in and solidify the right side beside Yanda, it certainly would help offset the younger left side of the line with Stanley and Urschel. Where Wagner impressed in his first year, subsequently he has not done much to build confidence. His PFF rankings were far worse than his initial season and until he proves he is a legit right tackle, I wouldn't pencil him at all as a starter with Jake Long on the bench. Long may have had some injury issues, but anyone who played at a pro bowl level, if healthy, should be able to work his way back to his old pro bowl self. If he can't stay healthy you can release him and fall back on Wagner but for my money, I would put Long out there who is proven until someone unseats him for the job.

[EdTheMythicalOne]

I didn't see this news coming. Devin Hester got cut as well and I thought perhaps the Ravens would kick the tires on him a little further down the road if they discover that Reynolds, Campanaro, or Clay weren't going to be the answers. Hester is coming off of a toe surgery and he's also 34 now. He also comes with questionable talent as a receiver so in that sense he might not offer much more than Clay in that department at this stage of his career.

I hope Long is healthy. Hopefully we never really need to rely on him, but if we need to I hope we can. Not a bad idea to get some proven talent for depth. Right player, right price.

[stixfix69]

If he passes his physical he will be a great addition, because i see Stanley, and Lewis as our bookends for the future....

[harfordravenfan]

7 minutes ago, fusuymada said:

Until Rick Wagner starts to play like he did in 2014, I wouldn't guarantee his spot at all. If Long can come in and solidify the right side beside Yanda, it certainly would help offset the younger left side of the line with Stanley and Urschel. Where Wagner impressed in his first year, subsequently he has not done much to build confidence. His PFF rankings were far worse than his initial season and until he proves he is a legit right tackle, I wouldn't pencil him at all as a starter with Jake Long on the bench. Long may have had some injury issues, but anyone who played at a pro bowl level, if healthy, should be able to work his way back to his old pro bowl self. If he can't stay healthy you can release him and fall back on Wagner but for my money, I would put Long out there who is proven until someone unseats him for the job.

Wagner was playing thru an injury last year. I fully expect him to dominate the right side healthy and in the last year of his rookie contract.

[JetLife94]

Kick the tires on Jake Long and see what's he's got left in the tank. Mabye he'll teach Stanley how to play with a mean streak LT.

[steelcityraven]

wait...WHAT? That is a great signing.

1. It takes pressure off of Stanley to continue to progress at his own pace

2. It gives us a ton of options. With Stanley possibly playing inside at G or even Long playing in place of Wagner (if Wags is not healthy) or just as a legit back up to both.

3. With Vlad Ducasse and Long as back ups...we are legit two deep all over the OL

4. This is a contract year for Wags... takes pressure off of the organization and places it on Ricky

5. With young OT (Stanley and Alex Lewis)... it is great to have a veteran / pro bowler like Long to help groom them.

Great move from Ozzie and company! Love it!

[EdTheMythicalOne]

  33 minutes ago, fusuymada said:

Until Rick Wagner starts to play like he did in 2014, I wouldn't guarantee his spot at all. If Long can come in and solidify the right side beside Yanda, it certainly would help offset the younger left side of the line with Stanley and Urschel. Where Wagner impressed in his first year, subsequently he has not done much to build confidence. His PFF rankings were far worse than his initial season and until he proves he is a legit right tackle, I wouldn't pencil him at all as a starter with Jake Long on the bench. Long may have had some injury issues, but anyone who played at a pro bowl level, if healthy, should be able to work his way back to his old pro bowl self. If he can't stay healthy you can release him and fall back on Wagner but for my money, I would put Long out there who is proven until someone unseats him for the job.

Wagner was playing thru an injury last year. I fully expect him to dominate the right side healthy and in the last year of his rookie contract.

Yep, Wagner was playing with a lisfranc injury just like Jimmy Smith was. Now imagine how tough it must be for a lineman to play with something wrong with their foot. John Ogden retired sooner than he really wanted to simply because of chronic turf toe that didn't allow him to play at the same level he knew he could.

If healthy, I would expect Wagner to return to his previous form and be a very solid RT for us.

[EdTheMythicalOne]

wait...WHAT? That is a great signing.

1. It takes pressure off of Stanley to continue to progress at his own pace

2. It gives us a ton of options. With Stanley possibly playing inside at G or even Long playing in place of Wagner (if Wags is not healthy) or just as a legit back up to both.

3. With Vlad Ducasse and Long as back ups...we are legit two deep all over the OL

4. This is a contract year for Wags... takes pressure off of the organization and places it on Ricky

5. With young OT (Stanley and Alex Lewis)... it is great to have a veteran / pro bowler like Long to help groom them.

Great move from Ozzie and company! Love it!

If Vlad and Jake make the team that means two other lineman are not going to make it. How many lineman do you keep on the 53 man roster?

1) LT: Stanley
2) LG: Urschel
3) C: Zuttah
4) RG: Yanda
5) RT: Wagner
6) Swing Tackle: Long
7) Combo G/C: Ducasse
8) G: Jensen

I can't see them keeping more than 8 linemen. If Lewis proves to be the monster in pre season games as he has been in camp people will notice and it will be tough to stash him on the PS then.

[RavensBaltimore]

I didn't see this news coming. Devin Hester got cut as well and I thought perhaps the Ravens would kick the tires on him a little further down the road if they discover that Reynolds, Campanaro, or Clay weren't going to be the answers. Hester is coming off of a toe surgery and he's also 34 now. He also comes with questionable talent as a receiver so in that sense he might not offer much more than Clay in that department at this stage of his career.

I hope Long is healthy. Hopefully we never really need to rely on him, but if we need to I hope we can. Not a bad idea to get some proven talent for depth. Right player, right price.

I don't think there's any chance that we bring in Hester. We already have young, cheap players competing for the WR/KR spot, and if Camp stays healthy, we might end up having to cut a WR that we would like to keep. With all the young depth we have at the position, there's no point in bringing in an aging veteran who gives us nothing as a WR and is probably well past his prime as a returner.

[EdTheMythicalOne]

3 minutes ago, RavensBaltimore said:

I don't think there's any chance that we bring in Hester. We already have young, cheap players competing for the WR/KR spot, and if Camp stays healthy, we might end up having to cut a WR that we would like to keep. With all the young depth we have at the position, there's no point in bringing in an aging veteran who gives us nothing as a WR and is probably well past his prime as a returner.

There is a chance because Clay isn't as proven a returner as Hester and Hester has been an okay option as a receiver in the past whereas Clay offers absolutely nothing. Campanaro hasn't been able to stay healthy and even if he does I don't think he's a dynamic returner. I think he'd just be a steady guy that can do the job. Then there is the fact that Keenan Reynolds was a QB in college and never played WR or returned a kick so he's trying to learn both things on the fly at the NFL level. There's a chance he might not be capable of doing the job.

Hester could be had for the veteran minimum and for that price he'd be worth a look...as if I said previously, the Ravens see what they got in house will not get the job done. If one of those guys looks to be the real deal then there is no point to try out Hester.

[The Greek]

i like this signing. could be a bryant mckinnie type move to cover our butts for a season if anything happens to stanley. hope jake has something left in the tank

[omar586]

good addiation

[eek]

I wonder if we are not sold on Stanley?

[stixfix69]

I am pretty high on Lewis, he would have been drafted higher if he didn't get into a little trouble at Neb, a lot of the analyst thought we got a steal when we got him, and i tend to agree....but we all know, we will know so much more when the pads come on and they go at it at full speed, then to go up against other teams in pre-season...But i say he either makes the 53 man roster, or finds his way on IR to protect him for next year.....

[eek]

  1 hour ago, steelcityraven said:

wait...WHAT? That is a great signing.

1. It takes pressure off of Stanley to continue to progress at his own pace

2. It gives us a ton of options. With Stanley possibly playing inside at G or even Long playing in place of Wagner (if Wags is not healthy) or just as a legit back up to both.

3. With Vlad Ducasse and Long as back ups...we are legit two deep all over the OL

4. This is a contract year for Wags... takes pressure off of the organization and places it on Ricky

5. With young OT (Stanley and Alex Lewis)... it is great to have a veteran / pro bowler like Long to help groom them.

Great move from Ozzie and company! Love it!

If Vlad and Jake make the team that means two other lineman are not going to make it. How many lineman do you keep on the 53 man roster?

1) LT: Stanley
2) LG: Urschel
3) C: Zuttah
4) RG: Yanda
5) RT: Wagner
6) Swing Tackle: Long
7) Combo G/C: Ducasse
8) G: Jensen

I can't see them keeping more than 8 linemen. If Lewis proves to be the monster in pre season games as he has been in camp people will notice and it will be tough to stash him on the PS then.

Lewis is one of the 4th rounders, he's not going any where

[purpledown]

good pickup,competiton is always good.

[Grapple Raven]

Wagner is tough!  I think he will return to form.  http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-rick-wagner-to-use-offseason-to-heal-after-playing-through-injury-no-thought-given-to-extension-20160105-story.html

[bioLarzen]

I wonder if we are not sold on Stanley?

Just because we are about to sign depth?
You don't think anybody counts Long as a potential starter - if not out of necessity for injuries? Long was a great tackle - but that's long in the rear view mirror now. He won't be anything more than depth - if not a camp body.
And, of course, a good mentor for Stanley.

[Ravensfan23]

1 hour ago, eek said:

I wonder if we are not sold on Stanley?

More like they aren't sold on Hurst. Keeping Monroe would have been the ideal thing to do, but his cap number, mixed with his injury history and the fact that his head just didn't seem to be in the game forced his release. So adding a veteran of the same if not better quality to Monroe is a great move and has do direct effect to what Stanley has or hasn't shown in shorts. 

[JimmyBlack]

It's ironic because someone just posted earlier in the day that they don't trust a healing QB's health to an unproven rookie LT.

[harfordravenfan]

2 hours ago, Grapple Raven said:

Wagner is tough!  I think he will return to form.  http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-rick-wagner-to-use-offseason-to-heal-after-playing-through-injury-no-thought-given-to-extension-20160105-story.html

I agree with ya grapple and not just cause I picked him in the DaF league 

[bioLarzen]

1 hour ago, JimmyBlack said:

It's ironic because someone just posted earlier in the day that they don't trust a healing QB's health to an unproven rookie LT.

Flacco won't be a healing QB - he's be a totally healed QB by the time the season comes. He's basically 100% NOW, more than a month before the season.

 

And anyway, if they really doubted Stanley, they surely wouldn't have brought in a guy whose last productive season was 3 seasons ago, ha the ACL tor twice in the same knee, and was relegated to backup duty the past season, then wasn't brouhgt bck although it would have surely been on the cheap...

Long - if he gets signed and sticks around for the season - will probably be a great backup., and an even better mentor for Stanley. But, at this point of his career, I don't think anyone is seriously considering him as a starter anymore.

Edited July 27, 2016 by bioLarzen

[bioLarzen]

"VETERAN OT JAKE LONG ANNOUNCES HE'S JOINING RAVENS"

I say let's wait until the Baltimore Ravens announce it... that's one notch more official, isn't it?

Edited July 27, 2016 by bioLarzen

[thecommish]

  6 hours ago, EdTheMythicalOne said:

  6 hours ago, steelcityraven said:

wait...WHAT? That is a great signing.

1. It takes pressure off of Stanley to continue to progress at his own pace

2. It gives us a ton of options. With Stanley possibly playing inside at G or even Long playing in place of Wagner (if Wags is not healthy) or just as a legit back up to both.

3. With Vlad Ducasse and Long as back ups...we are legit two deep all over the OL

4. This is a contract year for Wags... takes pressure off of the organization and places it on Ricky

5. With young OT (Stanley and Alex Lewis)... it is great to have a veteran / pro bowler like Long to help groom them.

Great move from Ozzie and company! Love it!

If Vlad and Jake make the team that means two other lineman are not going to make it. How many lineman do you keep on the 53 man roster?

1) LT: Stanley
2) LG: Urschel
3) C: Zuttah
4) RG: Yanda
5) RT: Wagner
6) Swing Tackle: Long
7) Combo G/C: Ducasse
8) G: Jensen

I can't see them keeping more than 8 linemen. If Lewis proves to be the monster in pre season games as he has been in camp people will notice and it will be tough to stash him on the PS then.

Lewis is one of the 4th rounders, he's not going any where

1. Stanley
2. Urschel
3. Zuttah
4. Yanda
5. Jake Long
6. Wagner
7. Ducasse
8. A. Lewis
THat leaves Jensen on the outside looking in. Ducasse is bigger and stronger and looks more like our type of mauler. Plus Trestman is comfortable with him. Urschel will play both G and C if needed over Jensen and that leaves Jensen out. I think we keep Long and Ducasse (especially with this being a contract year with Wagner)!

[Purple Dawg 96]

"ANOTHER" good move by my Squad! Woooooooooooooo

[Purple Dawg 96]

I bet Howie ain't mad! Yup

[EdTheMythicalOne]

10 hours ago, eek said:

Lewis is one of the 4th rounders, he's not going any where

That's why I posted what I did. If he shows well in preseason there is no way he makes it to our Practice Squad. That means in order to keep Lewis, Long, and Ducasse three other guys are not making the team. Jensen was a very solid back up but Ducasse might be better than he is, after all he was a former starter. This also means that another promising UDFA won't make the team. That's the tough thing about the NFL, you can't keep all the guys you might want to. It is a no brainer to me that if Long is healthy he takes James Hurst's spot. Ducasse if he wins the spot will take it from Jensen. There were some good things being said about the two of the linemen the Ravens picked up as UDFA's; Matt Skura and Anthony Fabiano. Fabiano is listed as a center on our roster but I read he is expected to be more of an NFL guard. Kinda funny he is listed as a center because that is the only position on the O-line he didn't play in college. Nembot is a developmental project guy. He's got the size and strength, but he needs to get some fundamentals down. All of these guys should be able to slip to the PS though.

[EdTheMythicalOne]

7 hours ago, bioLarzen said:

Flacco won't be a healing QB - he's be a totally healed QB by the time the season comes. He's basically 100% NOW, more than a month before the season.

 

And anyway, if they really doubted Stanley, they surely wouldn't have brought in a guy whose last productive season was 3 seasons ago, ha the ACL tor twice in the same knee, and was relegated to backup duty the past season, then wasn't brouhgt bck although it would have surely been on the cheap...

Long - if he gets signed and sticks around for the season - will probably be a great backup., and an even better mentor for Stanley. But, at this point of his career, I don't think anyone is seriously considering him as a starter anymore.

If Long is healthy and makes the team I think it will mean we're in trouble if he's got to be a starter for us. That means something drastically went wrong due to talent or....*gulp* another injury.

[VermontRaven]

  15 hours ago, steelcityraven said:

wait...WHAT? That is a great signing.

1. It takes pressure off of Stanley to continue to progress at his own pace

2. It gives us a ton of options. With Stanley possibly playing inside at G or even Long playing in place of Wagner (if Wags is not healthy) or just as a legit back up to both.

3. With Vlad Ducasse and Long as back ups...we are legit two deep all over the OL

4. This is a contract year for Wags... takes pressure off of the organization and places it on Ricky

5. With young OT (Stanley and Alex Lewis)... it is great to have a veteran / pro bowler like Long to help groom them.

Great move from Ozzie and company! Love it!

If Vlad and Jake make the team that means two other lineman are not going to make it. How many lineman do you keep on the 53 man roster?

1) LT: Stanley
2) LG: Urschel
3) C: Zuttah
4) RG: Yanda
5) RT: Wagner
6) Swing Tackle: Long
7) Combo G/C: Ducasse
8) G: Jensen

I can't see them keeping more than 8 linemen. If Lewis proves to be the monster in pre season games as he has been in camp people will notice and it will be tough to stash him on the PS then.

I agree wit them keeping 8 linemen, however I see Lewis making it and Ducasse being the odd man out. Urschel could slide to C if Zuttah gets hurt, then plug in Jensen or Lewis into the G spot. Also, Lewis would have the extra benefit of being another option at T. Plus, I don't think there is any way Lewis would last on PS with his potential.