The Ravens have signed 35-year-old veteran offensive guard Bobbie Williams to a two-year deal. The 12-year veteran is expected to compete for the starting left guard position vacated by departing free agent Ben Grubbs. Also vying for the coveted spot is second-year offensive lineman Jah Reid and rookie Kelechi Osemele.
The move is a bit out of character for Ozzie Newsome this early in the offseason. Usually moves like this are made deep into training camp after the team has an opportunity to see how the younger players perform. Might this move for Williams be a sign that the competition between Reid and Osemele has already gone awry?
Reid hasn’t been an active participant during OTA’s and Osemele hasn’t been much more than a spectator at times either. Perhaps there are injury concerns with these players that the team’s tight-lipped head coach John Harbaugh is concealing.
The two year deal is interesting as well although the term could be the result of the Ravens needing to amortize any signing bonus over two seasons since they are tight against the cap ($1.5 M under prior to Williams’ signing).
