Back during the offseason of 1997 the Ravens attempted to address some serious concerns at the position of cornerback. To help in that regard the team dipped into the free agent market and signed Rod Woodson who had just finished a subpar season with the San Francisco 49ers.
The move at the time seemed to be a bit of a reach particularly when the 49ers signed free agent corner Antonio Langham who the Ravens were all too happy to remove from their roster.
Langham struggled mightily in Baltimore so naturally the two moves combined raised serious doubts.
Why would the 49ers make no attempt to re-sign Woodson yet they were all too eager to make Langham a rich man?
Woodson had a so-so year at corner for the Ravens in 1998 and after the team drafted Chris McAlister, Marvin Lewis did the sensible thing and put the former All Pro corner’s football acumen and willingness to deliver a blow to work at safety. Woodson went on to be a Pro Bowler for the Ravens during his final three seasons with the team, 1999-2001.
Yesterday the Ravens signed another free agent corner who is a former Pro Bowler, Walt Harris. Now Harris is a bit long in the tooth and he’ll celebrate his 36th birthday during training camp in Westminster. But in short spurts maybe Harris can play. Club insiders believe that he is an upgrade over the more youthful Frank Walker but then again, some cynics might say that a folding chair is an upgrade over the former Raven.
That said, maybe like several before him Harris can play better as a Ravens defender than he did with his prior club. Besides Woodson, Sam Adams, Tony Siragusa, Tommy Polley, Trevor Pryce, Mike McCrary and Corey Harris come to mind.
Every now and then you get lucky by taking a shot with former Pro Bowlers like Harris.
Come to think of it, the Ravens have added a few other former Pro Bowlers in Ken Hamlin, Shayne Graham and Marc Bulger.
Who knows, maybe they’ll get "lucky" again.
Back to Bulger for a moment, his new deal will pay him $3.8 million in 2010. Some might say that’s a bit of a stretch for a backup QB but let’s face it folks, QB is by far the most important position on the field so why not have a capable backup who is playoff battle tested?
The Sun’s Jamison Hensley pointed out that Bulger’s $3.8 million outpaces Joe Flacco’s 2010 salary of $2.78 million. What Hensley either overlooked by mistake or intentionally to get a rise out of fans is that Flacco’s 2009 “salary” from his rookie contract was $1.535 million but with incentives Flacco’s W-2 reached $8.6 million, according to the USA Today. Heading into his third season and with an improved set of offensive weapons it’s safe to say that Flacco’s earnings will leave Bulger’s in the dust barring injury.
The Bulger acquisition certainly raises questions about Troy Smith and John Beck who apparently aren’t very highly regarded by the Ravens’ coaching staff. Both are slated to earn a tad more than $1.1 million in 2010 and undoubtedly one of them will never see those restricted free agent dollars from Steve Bisciotti.
But which one will it be?
Well the Ravens will have the luxury of using both arms during the dog days of summer and let the two duke it out and help the team answer the question, “Who wants to be a Ravens’ millionaire?”
Don’t be surprised if neither makes the team. The Ravens might want the money and the roster spot and may be confident enough that they can find a QB in an emergency situation on par with the talents of Smith or Beck. Who knows, either of the two still could be available later in the season.
And let’s be real here, if the Ravens have to us either of these inexperienced signal callers anyway, would the season still bear hope?
It’s a bit interesting that the Chicago Bears didn’t make a play for Marc Bulger. Given Bulger’s ties to Mike Martz one might safely conclude that the fit was a natural. Could Martz know something that the Ravens don’t?
This loose connection between the Ravens and the Bears could come into play again should John Harbaugh decide to part ways with Smith and/or Beck. Lovie Smith and Martz might see the pair as intriguing backup prospects in the Windy City.
The Ravens have agreed to a three-year contract with fifth-round wide receiver and kick returner David Reed. The deal includes a signing bonus of about $134,000 and the standard base salaries of $320,000 in 2010, $405,000 in 2011 and $490,000 in 2012.
Some may see the signing as a threat to underachieving WR’s Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams but the reality of the signing is that it’s merely a formality. The deal on the surface might look like a $1.34 million deal but the Ravens are only on the hook for the signing bonus should Reed fail to make the team.
Our own Aaron Wilson is reporting that Tavares Gooden has switched representation from Drew Rosenhaus to Tony Fleming from Impact Sports out of Boca Raton, FL. Fleming was Gooden’s original agent out of the University of Miami.
The inside skinny on Rosenhaus is that he is a volume agent. In other words he takes on many clients and encourages them to settle quickly. Rosenhaus has been fingered by some for prioritizing his own aspirations over those of his clients.
