As if the Ravens 2015 season couldn’t have gotten anymore complicated, the NFL handed out a four-game suspension to rookie tight end Nick Boyle, the team announced on Monday afternoon.
Boyle, the Ravens’ 2015 fifth-round draft pick, was having solid first season in purple and black – not only in the receiving game; he was making leaps in the blocking game as well.
Head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged the tough spot the team is now in with Boyle not eligible to play the remainder of the season.
“I don’t really want to comment on it. You can ask Nick,” said Harbaugh when asked what substance Boyle was popped for. “He can share whatever it was. I can tell you this: It wasn’t like steroids or anything like that. When I first heard about it, that was my first thought: ‘Man, I hope it’s not something like that.’ It’s nothing like that. He can confirm what it was. It’s pretty common. It’s what you read about all the time with guys.”
Harbaugh did go on to mention just how foolish it was of Boyle to put his season in jeopardy.
“I don’t think he realized that it was something he shouldn’t be doing. Or if he did, he didn’t think it through. I’ve talked to him, and he was telling me how stupid it was, and I agreed. It was pretty dumb. Hopefully, he’ll grow and learn from that.
“The shame of it is here’s a guy that’s playing so well. This guy is playing really well. He’s one of the gems of the draft class in terms of a fifth-round pick playing the way he does.”
Boyle has hauled in 18 receptions (19 targets) for 153 receivng yards and ten first downs.
“He plays hard. He has been good in the pass game, good in the run game – smart, tough. He has a tremendous future. I told him that today, ‘It’s just a shame you’re going to miss four games here. You’re playing like a veteran out there.’ He’ll learn from it – he’s smart – and we’ll move forward.”
Moving forward at the tight end position won’t be particularly easy for the offense as Crockett Gillmore left Sunday’s game early with a back injury, and the other rookie tight end Maxx Williams is still undergoing league mandated concussion protocol. However, Harbaugh did say both Gillmore and Williams could possibly return to action on Sunday against the Seahawks.
It’s likely the Ravens will sign another tight end shortly as an insurance policy if Gillmore, Williams are not able to play. Tight end Konrad Reuland is the only other tight end on the roster and could receive a promotion from the practice squad.
The team did bring in tight end Harold Spears for a workout on Monday.
Strike one Nick. Hopefully there won’t be a two or a three…….
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