OWINGS MILLS — Before the Baltimore Ravens began their passing camp Monday, they added some reinforcements for a secondary thinned by several injuries.
The Ravens made it official, signing veteran cornerback Travis Fisher and undrafted rookie free agent safety Brad Jones after successful tryouts at their recent minicamp.
A former St. Louis Rams second-round draft pick, Fisher had indicated last week that the team had told him he would be signed after they invited him back to this set of workouts.
“I want to be on this team,” Fisher said. “I’m looking for that Super Bowl ring. The Ravens have a great defense and I want to be a part of it.”
The Ravens could use depth at cornerback due to Lardarius Webb and Fabian Washington both rehabilitating from anterior cruciate ligament surgeries.
Fisher is an experienced 5-foot-10, 189-pounder who has started 74 career games with 342 tackles, nine interceptions, two touchdowns and 32 pass deflections.
“I would like to get down even lighter so I can be even faster,” Fisher said. “My goal is to show them what I can do and help the team out as much as possible. They’ve told me there’s definitely a good opportunity here.”
Fisher played for the Seattle Seahawks last season, but was limited to four games due to a hamstring injury.
He pulled his hamstring again during a tryout for the Ravens in the playoffs.
Fisher, who has also played for the Detroit Lions, made a good impression on the coaching staff during the minicamp.
“He played well, he really looked good,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “Very solid player, good feet, good technician, works really hard, understands the game. Really picked up the defense up quickly, and we threw a lot at him. Travis did a nice job.”
And the Ravens also needed help at safety with Ed Reed and Haruki Nakamura on the mend from hip surgery and ankle surgery, respectively.
Jones is a 6-foot-1, 202-pounder from the University of Cincinnati who generated 52 tackles, 3 ½ sacks and one pass deflection as he started every game last season. He agreed to terms last week and signed his contract Monday.
As a junior, he intercepted two passes. That included picking off University of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, the Rams’ rookie who was drafted first overall last month.
Jones had previously tried out for the Cleveland Browns.
NOTE: Offensive tackle Jared Gaither was present at the Ravens’ training complex. However, it’s unclear if he took part in practice after only practicing once at minicamp before being sidelined with foot and toe injuries.
The injury prompted the Ravens to have him get a magnetic resonance imaging exam and visit a specialist. Monday’s workout was closed to the media, but today’s workout is open to reporters.
Aaron Wilson covers the Baltimore Ravens for the Carroll County Times and the Annapolis Capital.
