Unpacking the Zach Orr Situation: There’s a lot to think about
According to reports Zach Orr is considering a comeback into the NFL. He is now a free agent:
According to reports, Zach Orr has interest in playing professional football again. It was just months ago, that we saw the Ravens leading tackler, opt for retirement due to his neck condition. This is from Mike Garafolo’s report on NFL.com:
"“Orr has received additional opinions from doctors about his spinal condition over the past few months. Those opinions have been optimistic and countered those offered by the doctors who advised Orr to retire at age 24 when they discovered one of his vertebrae wasn’t fully formed.”"
Not being a doctor, I don’t really know what to think. Here we have conflicting medical opinions, but you have to think there’s still an incredible amount of risk. Orr is so young and his talent is off the charts. If he wants to be on the football field, I think everybody wants to see him play football. Nobody however, wants his big risk to work against him.
An unfair situation for the Ravens
As reported by Garafolo, Orr is now a free agent. It seems unfair to the Ravens, and it is, but that’s the way this is going to work. Orr becomes a high-risk, high reward kind of free agent. On one hand his spinal condition clouds his future. On the other hand, he quickly became one of the league’s best linebackers. For a team that employs the great C.J. Mosley, Orr was arguably the best linebacker on the roster.
He would have been a restricted free agent if he walked into this offseason without the injury and without the retirement announcement. The Ravens surely would have either re-signed Orr or put a tender on him. All roads would have led to Orr staying with the team or the Ravens getting compensation for him leaving. Whether or not the Ravens want to pursue him, this situation is a little frustrating.
Should the Ravens want Orr back:
On paper the addition of the team’s top tackler seems like a good idea. The problem is that the team doctors examined Orr and recommended his retirement. He would have to pass a physical to be signed, and that is far from a certainty. This tweet from Bo Smolka, the Ravens beat writer for PressBox raises a really fair point.
In January, Zach Orr said: "With the situation I am in, I will not pass a physical." Not sure what, if anything, has changed medically since
— Bo Smolka (@bsmolka) June 28, 2017
The Dennis Pitta situation just ended in heartbreaking fashion. The Ravens could be tired of making risks with players. Secondly, the Ravens went into the offseason under the impression that Orr was done. They may be able to reverse course and ink him to a deal, but they have kind of moved on. At inside linebacker the Ravens have Kamalei Correa and Tyus Bowser as options and the defense is ridiculously stocked. It would be hard to fault the Ravens if they pass on Orr.
Next: Players to root for this preseason
Final Thoughts:
No matter what happens, Ravens fans should have nothing but goodwill for Orr. He was an undrafted free agent that worked his way into an incredible player. For many Ravens fans, it would be hard to stomach Orr playing elsewhere. Ravens fans should however be Zach Orr fans too. Even if Orr signs with another team, I’ll always be a fan. It’s impossible not to love the way he ferociously attacks the football. The bottom line, and the take home point is that we just have to hope returning to football isn’t a big mistake for Orr. In a league that is certainly a business the player’s well being should be the top concern.