An oft repeated cliche in NFL circles is, “One man’s trash is another’s treasure.” The cliche clearly has applicability to the Ravens when they courted and eventually signed Oakland Raiders outcast LB Rolando McClain.
Now, according to reports, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome & Co. may be sifting through more of that Bay Area “trash”.
After losing almost 40 pounds from his 300-pound frame (at the time of his release from the Raiders), JaMarcus Russell will receive an invite to workout with the Chicago Bears according to ESPNChicago.com. The news may be surprising given that Russell hasn’t been on an NFL field since 2009, but it may get even more surprising for fans in Baltimore.
Here’s an excerpt from a report by Mike Garafolo of USA TODAY sports:
“The person, who spoke on a condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t confirmed the workout, said the Baltimore Ravens have also shown a significant amount of interest and could soon work out Russell if he doesn’t sign with the Bears as Jay Cutler’s backup.”
The phrase “quarterback controversy” was eliminated from the Ravens dictionary for a few years, given the $120 million investment made into quarterback Joe Flacco, but is there anything to gain by even having Russell compete for a backup spot with two-year backup Tyrod Taylor or newly signed Caleb Hanie?
Even if Russell is able to show something on the field, the Ravens were already embarrassed once this offseason and it’s hard to imagine that they’d take the risk of doing it again. Prior to his most recent effort to lose weight, Russell hasn’t exactly been the practitioner of a model work ethic. And then of course there’s the controversy surrounding his alleged former beverage of choice “purple drank.”
So what do you think Ravens Nation? Is Russell even a possibility in your eyes?
UPDATE: ProFootballTalk.com has now published a story refuting the previous reports from a trusted source close to the Ravens.
