Breaking down 5 last Ravens transactions: 2 signed, 1 cut, 1 called up, 1 to IR

Judging by how Sunday's season opener finished, with the Baltimore Ravens beating the lowly Houston Texans 25-9 without much trouble, you would have thought this would be a nice and calm week around The Castle. And you'd have been very wrong.

The victory came, and a win is a win. The problem, of course, was the many injuries impacting the already-banged-up roster of the Ravens entering the season.

Mark Andrews and Marlon Humphrey were ruled out for Sunday, and they were joined on the sidelines by as many as four starters (if not more) through Week 1's outing with those injuries coming at wildly diverging impact levels.

The situation got so bad that it forced Head Coach John Harbaugh to held a press conference on Monday in order to clarify everything a bit and give some timelines.

Things got so out of hand on Tuesday, that the Ravens signed two players, released one, promoted a member of the Practice Squad, and placed one damaged body on Injured Reserve, the franchise announced yesterday.

Here is the breakdown of the five moves made by the Ravens on Tuesday leading up to a delightful clash against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 come Sunday. We're following the logical order in which they were made, so every player would follow and fill the gap open by another one.

RB J.K. Dobbins - Placed on Injured Reserve

The most obvious move after Sunday's first reports emerged talking about Dobbins having torn his Achilles and the confirmation of the injury on Monday by coach Harbaugh.

Dobbins was ruled out for the season immediately so it didn't make sense to keep him using an active-roster spot with only 53 slots available.

The running back will sit on IR but he's not expected back until spring 2024 and by then his contract with the Ravens will already be over and Dobbins will be a free agent barring a contract extension.

Dobbins held a hold-in through most of training camp, the franchise listed him on the PUP list with a fake injury nobody ever believed to be the real reason for his absence.

The veteran rusher is now looking at a very ominous future in which he will 1) not get the contract he was seeking and 2) perhaps never play to the same level he once reached as injuries are more than piling up on his resume.

CB Daryl Worley - Promoted to main roster from PS

Veteran defensive back Daryl Worley was the main beneficiary of Dobbins' removal from the active roster. He was called up on Tuesday from the Practice Squad and will join the rest of the team on the field next Sunday for the Week 2 game against Cincinnati.

Worley, 28 years old, entered the NFL back in 2016 as a third-round pick by the Carolina Panthers. He was traded to the Eagles two years later, then cut, and ultimately he ended up with the Raiders where he spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Worley followed that with stints at Dallas, Buffalo, Arizona, and Detroit, before joining Baltimore last year. In 2022, Worley played in eight games with the Ravens splitting his time into the cornerback and safety positions.

The veteran brings versatility to the defense and he already has one start to his name donning purple and black threads. He is expected to at least soften the blow of losing S Marcus Williams for "a while" as Harbaugh put it.

S Daron Harmon - FA Signed to Practice Squad

With Daryl Worley leaving the Practice Squad and a slot open in the 16-man unit, the Ravens were able to sign a free agent off the street to fill that hole. They chose 10-year veteran and three-time Super Bowl champion safety Daron Harmon.

This move was prompted by defensive back Marcus Williams' injured pectoral muscle, which could lead to surgery and to a potential weeks-to-months recovery period. Worley was the first man called up as an in-house solution, but Harmon adds another much-needed warm body to the depleted secondary.

Harmon has played in the NFL for a full decade and is entering his 11th pro season. The last time he did it he did so with the Raiders last year, when he went on to play 16 games in Las Vegas racking up a solid 86 tackles, picking two passes, and forcing a couple of fumbles.

Most interestingly, Harmon comes with a vast high-stakes dose of experience as he was part of three New England Patriots Super Bowl victories through the 2010s decade.

Career-wise, Harmon spent seven seasons with the Patriots and then played for Detroit (16 games), Atlanta (17), and lastly Las Vegas (16) totaling 161 appearances and 78 starts with 401 tackles to his name along with 43 interceptions.

At the time of this writing Harmon is still in the Ravens' PS, but expect a promotion to the active roster in time for Sunday's game. Marcus Williams will most probably be put on IR while recovering from his torn pec muscle, opening another slot in the 53-man squad to be filled by someone, namely Harmon.

CB Tae Hayes - Released from Practice Squad

The Ravens signed veteran cornerback Tae Hayes through training camp but he was cut shortly after that when Baltimore trimmed its roster to the initial 53-man squad.

Hayes was claimed off waivers following his release from the Detroit Lions after the first preseason game. He played five games with the Panthers and two with the Patriots in 2022, and never caught up with the Lions through the offseason.

By cutting Hayes, the Ravens re-opened the 16th and final spot in the Practice Squad filled earlier in the day by Daron Harmon, thus enabling the possibility of signing another free agent ahead of Week 2.

That was in fact the case, as Baltimore completed a final move later on Tuesday by signing an offensive lineman to bolster the Ravens' trenches.

OL Kyle Fuller - (FA) Signed to Practice Squad

According to a report by Jeff Zrebiec from The Athletic, the Ravens recognized the need to bolster their offensive line and organized tryouts on Tuesday for four linemen in preparation for their upcoming clash with Cincinnati.

It's worth noting that both C Tyler Linderbaum and LT Ronnie Stanley got banged up last Sunday and left the game against Houston early. Harbaugh said both are "week-to-week" and most probably out for Week 2.

The linemen who participated in the tryout session were Logan Stenberg, Kyle Fuller, Colby Gossett, and John Leglue. Ultimately, Fuller inked the contract up for grabs in Baltimore.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 broke the news on social media first, confirming the acquisition of veteran lineman Fuller by the Ravens, potentially paving the way for him to transition to the active roster in the near future pending further moves and transactions completed by Baltimore ahead of Sunday's clash against the Bengals.

Kyle Fuller brings a wealth of experience to the Ravens, having had previous stints with various teams, including the Texans, Washington, Dolphins, Seahawks, and Broncos. He has participated in 51 career games, with 12 starts, making him a valuable and experienced addition to the squad.

Fuller joined the NFL in 2017 when he was drafted in the seventh round by the Houston Texans. His most productive years came during his time with the Seattle Seahawks. Fuller played in 40 games for Seattle, starting in 10 of those matchups, before signing with the Broncos earlier this year. He was cut leading up to the roster trimming in late August.

With two players nearly out of commission at least for next weekend and G Patrick Mekari and C Sam Mustipher already called up and stepping into the vacant roles with no more backups available, it's fair to expect an activation of Fuller ahead of Sunday so he can appear in the divisional game against Cincy.

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