Ravens to Replace Injured Specialist With Former Seahawks Pro Bowler: Report

Ravens LS Tyler Ott

Getty Ravens signed long snapper Tyler Ott to replace Nick Moore for the 2023 season.

The Baltimore Ravens held a long snapper tryout on Monday, July 24, 2023, and signed former veteran free agent Tyler Ott to a one-year deal according to a report any Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. This came in the wake of a report from The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec that revealed that starting long snapper Nick Moore suffered a torn Achilles “while training in preparation for the season”.

This unfortunate and untimely injury on the eve of training camp comes after Moore and the team agreed to a two-year contract during the offseason after they initially decided not to place a restricted free agent tender on him. His new deal is worth $2.5 million and was well earned after the former undrafted free agent out of Georgia spent the last three years in Baltimore working his way from emergency COVID contingency in 2020 to replacing former All-Pro and long-time special teams staple Morgan Cox as the starting long snapper.

The converted fullback/linebacker hybrid appeared in 17 games in each of the past two seasons and in addition to delivering accurate snaps to the Ravens’ other specialists, Moore was very active on kick coverage teams as well which led to him recording 8 total tackles including 6 solos per Pro Football Reference.

Ott is coincidentally coming off a 2022 season in which he spent the entire year on the Seattle Seahawks‘ injured reserve after he underwent surgery following a shoulder injury he suffered just before the season opener. He had been with the team since the 2017 season and was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2020.

The other free agent long snappers that worked out with Ott according to Wilson were Shane Griffin and Ryan Langan. A somewhat surprising development was that former Raven Nick Boyle, who switched positions this offseason and is hoping to extend his career as a long snapper, was not among those that received a tryout.

Given his familiarity with the team that drafted him in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft and he spent the first eight years of his career in Baltimore, he seemed like he’d be a great fit assuming he can perform the duties of the craft consistently.

In other roster news, the Ravens removed former first-round wide receiver Rashod Bateman from the reserve/did not report list and placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform list. The third-year pro is still recovering from a Lisfranc foot injury that required surgery and limited him to just six games last season. The team also activated second-year defensive lineman Rayshod Nichols from the PUP list after he successfully passed his physical.


Door Officially Closes For Ravens to Reunite With 3-Time Pro Bowler: Report

Earlier that day what seemed like the inevitable shoe finally dropped and squashed the dreams of any Ravens fans that were holding out hope that the team would find a way to bring back ball-hawking cornerback Marcus Peters after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that he reached an agreement to join the Las Vegas Raiders on a one-year deal.

The mercurial yet very passionate veteran defensive back’s time in the Charm City has come to an end after three and a half entertaining years. He had been in contact with and visited the Raiders on several occasions since becoming a free agent in March and finally came to terms after being hosted for another visit and a workout.

Peters is originally from Oakland, California where he grew up a huge fan of the storied Raiders franchise and always dreamed of playing for the team when he was a child.

Since being acquired in a midseason trade during the 2019 season and despite missing the entire 2021 season with a torn ACL, the 30-year-old recorded the most interceptions by any Ravens defender over that span with 8 which is two more than the next closest according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.

Even though he only played on the team for less than half a decade, Peters will undoubtedly be remembered as a fan favorite for his game-breaking playmaking ability and the fiery personality he brought to the table.

In his first-ever game as a Raven, he returned an interception 67 yards to the house for a touchdown, and two weeks later he did it again except the return was nearly the length of the field for a 89-yard score.

His game-sealing pick in the Wildcard round of the 2020 playoffs against the Tennessee Titans followed by revenge stomping on their midfield logo will forever be iconic in Ravens lore.

The Ravens signed young veteran Rock Ya-Sin to a one-year deal almost immediately following the 2023 NFL Draft and he is slated to be the new starter across from three-time Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey. They also have some young recently drafted cornerbacks that will be in contention for the spot if not just for primary backup spots to be first in line in the event of an injury.


Ravens to Sign Former Starter For Divison Rival: Report

Shortly after Rapoport reported the news of Peters’ official departure to the AFC West, his NFL Network colleague, Cameron Wolfe broke the news that the Ravens were “nearing an agreement” to add veteran cornerback Arthur Maulet who most recently played for the Pittsburgh Steelers to the roster.

The 30-year-old has spent the last two seasons with the Ravens’ AFC North rivals where he appeared in 33 games, made 8 starts, and primarily played in the slot while also standing out on special teams. Last season was the most productive of his career to date in which he recorded career-highs in total tackles (59), sacks (2), and pass deflections (3) to go along with an interception and a forced fumble according to Pro Football Reference.

His presence would provide the team with a more experienced and proven candidate in the competition for the starting nickel position. It would also make it so that second-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald feels like he needs to take Humphrey or 2022 first-round safety Kyle Hamilton away from their natural positions.

The other two players in the running with him are 2022 fourth-rounder Damarion ‘Pepe’ Williams who will open training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list and 2021 undrafted free agent Ar’Darius Washington who looked impressive during the offseason program. Neither has yet to play a full season or even make a single start so it will be good for them to be pushed and groomed by an established veteran such as Maulet.