Getty Luke WIllson spikes a ball after a Seattle touchdown.
The Baltimore Ravens were looking at tight ends last week, and then a horrible accident over the weekend forced their hands in terms of a move.
After losing Nick Boyle to an ugly looking injury for the season, the Ravens had no choice but to add another player at the position and that’s just what they did on Tuesday afternoon when they signed former Seattle Seahawks tight end Luke Willson to their practice squad.
We have signed TE Luke Willson to the practice squad and moved Geno Stone to the 53-man roster.
Willson was in for a workout last week, so the Ravens will know exactly what they are getting in the veteran player. This is a roster emergency at tight end for the Ravens, so it is now more than possible that Willson will come to the roster after a short stay catching up with the team on the practice squad.
Luke Willson Career Stats
Born in Windsor, Canada, Willson started his career in Seattle where he found some immediate success from 2013-2017. He then moved on as a free agent to the Lions in 2018, but spent just one unproductive season there. After being released from Detroit, Willson then moved on to the Raiders for the offseason in 2019 before landing back in Seattle during the year. He was with the Seahawks until the team released him earlier in the month on November 3. Last week, the Ravens gave him a look via workout.
As a whole, Willson has 110 receptions and 1,295 yards to his credit in the league. He hasn’t been as productive since his early years in Seattle, but there is little question a team in need of tight end depth could get something out of him down the stretch as a low-cost free agent. That’s going to have to be what the Ravens hope for now.
What Luke Willson Brings Ravens
The Ravens had one of the top offenses in the league during the 2019 season, but to say things haven’t played out nearly as well in 2020 would be an understatement. The team has struggled to look as potent at times, and it seems the league overall has a better feel of how to defend quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Ravens themselves have struggled with a lack of big plays from their wideouts, and while tight end Mark Andrews has delivered at tight end, it’s clear the team is missing something there as well. That is officially the case now that Boyle is hurt. Willson could potentially fill that void for Baltimore down the stretch.
Back near the NFL trade deadline on November 3, rumors persisted that the Ravens were big game hunting on offense, notably at tight end. Philadelphia Eagles star Zach Ertz surfaced as a possible target, but no move there was made. It’s possible a lower cost veteran option like Willson could have played a role in Baltimore filling this key void on the current roster even before injury, but after Boyle was lost, it became a necessity.
Now that Willson has joined the team, it will take him some time to get into the playbook and adjust. Even such, it would be easy to see Willson coming onto the roster quickly and playing the H-back role for the team and fitting in well as a blocker once he is completely ready.
Given this rough injury to Boyle, adding Willson always seemed like the most obvious move.