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The Baltimore Ravens made a handful of anticipated transactions regarding their 53-man roster that included a pair of first-year players and a pair of vested veterans. First came the placement of rookies David Ojabo and Charlie Kolar on injured reserve.
Both players are currently recovering from injuries but since they remained on the final 53-man roster for a day after the final cuts were made, they won’t have to miss the entire season. The earliest either could return will be after the first four games of the season when the Ravens play their first divisional game in Week 5 against the reigning AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals on October 9, 2022.
Ojabo fell to the Ravens in the second round of this year’s draft at No. 45 overall out of Michigan after being projected to be a top 10 pick because of a torn Achilles suffered at his pro day on March 18, 2022. Given the timing of his injury, he will likely miss a sizeable chunk of his rookie season but could give the Ravens’ pass rush a boost down the stretch of the regular season and into the postseason.
Kolar was the first of two tight ends that the Ravens selected in the fourth round of this year’s draft at No. 128 overall out of Iowa State. He underwent sports hernia surgery in July, which knocked him out of the vast majority of training camp and caused him to miss the entire preseason. His timetable to return is much shorter than Ojabo’s given that his injury is far less severe and one that he has sustained previously in college, overcame and was still highly productive for the Cyclones following his return.
Kenyan Drake Signing Officially Announced
In a corresponding move with placing the rookies on injured reserve, the Ravens filled one of the vacated roster spots with the seven-year veteran running back by announcing that he officially signed on the dotted line. They hosted him for a visit after he was released by the Las Vegas Raiders on August 23, 2022 and the signing was expected according to multiple reports pending a passed physical.
With Gus Edwards slated to miss at least the first four games of the regular season after being placed on the reserve/PUP list as he continues to recover from a torn ACL, the Ravens were expected to carry four running backs to start the year. They surprisingly cut rookie running back Tyler Badie during their final round of cuts but were fortunate enough that he cleared waivers and sign him to the practice squad.
The addition of Drake allows them to manage the workload of starter J.K. Dobbins to start the season as he works his way back to full strength coming off a torn ACL and is progressing well.
“He looks better every day; he looks good,” head coach John Harbaugh said in a press conference on August 31, 2022. “His quickness is kind of back. So, I’m excited about where he’s at.”
Drake is a dynamic weapon both as a runner and pass catcher out of the backfield that has recorded nearly 5,000 yards and scored 36 total touchdowns from scrimmage in his career. The team is thrilled to have him at their disposal and is excited about the impact he can have on the offense.
“When good players are available – and we’ve been known to run the ball a little bit – so you get a running back out there that we feel like fits what we do, a talented guy that wants to be here, we felt like it was a good move for us,” Harbaugh said.
Brent Urban Brought Back
The other roster spot that was opened up when the two rookies were placed on short-term injured reserve will be filled by the nine-year veteran defensive lineman who is back for his second stint with the team after being away for the last three seasons. Urban spent the first five years of his career with the Ravens after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Virginia.
Since he is a vested veteran, he wasn’t subjected to waivers when he was released in the final round of cuts. Urban provides quality and experienced depth to the defensive line and will allow six-time Pro Bowl defensive end Calais Campbell to stay fresh for pass rushing downs by taking some of the run defending responsibilities on early downs.
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