The biggest Ravens news coming out of Jacksonville on Sunday was the victory of Baltimore (11-3) over the Jaguars, clinching the first AFC postseason birth. On a negative note, the Ravens lost RB Keaton Mitchell for the season with a torn ACL, and thus were forced to elevate Melvin Gordon on Tuesday.
What nobody expected, however, was Baltimore going for a homecoming signing of sorts as the Ravens announced the addition of Gaithersburg, Maryland native running back Jake Funk to their practice squad. Welcome home, Jake!
We have signed RB Melvin Gordon III from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 19, 2023
We have also signed RB Jake Funk to the practice squad and placed RB Keaton Mitchell on Injured Reserve. https://t.co/a26w49E0M6
While everybody (logically) is focusing on the addition of veteran Melvin Gordon to the 53-man roster of the Ravens to take on RB3 duties behind Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, it's hella great to see the franchise rely on another homegrown talent to bolster their ranks.
Jake Funk, who is still a super young 25-year-old rusher, was a standout at Damascus High School. Back then, in his senior year before joining the University of Maryland in the NCAA, Funk set a state record with 57 touchdowns, per The Baltimore Sun.
Funk suffered two ACL injuries during his tenure at Maryland, but he still completed a five-year college run while leading the Big Ten Conference in yards per carry (8.6) during his senior season in 2020. He rushed the rock 60 times for 516 yards that year, including scoring three touchdowns rushing and one more (on 10 receptions for 68 yards) through the air.
Jake Funk. Maryland legend.
— GFilms (@GFilms2) December 24, 2020
Check out his FULL 2020 Highlights (4 games) here: https://t.co/Se0GisxRmr 🔥🐢 @jakefunk34 pic.twitter.com/jumOk9GxKJ
After racking up 1,102 yards from scrimmage in Maryland, Funk was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round of the 2021 draft. He signed a four-year contract worth slightly north of $3.5 million. Funk helped the Rams win the Super Bowl in his rookie year by teaming up with Odell Beckham Jr., now also of the Baltimore Ravens.
The Rams waived Funk in Oct. 2022. Since then, he's spent time with the New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, and Miami Dolphins organizations. In 2023, he appeared in four games for the Colts, recording four rushes for 15 yards and one reception for 12 yards.
Funk was released by the Colts on Oct. 7, signed by the Dolphins on Oct. 10, and finally released by the Dolphins on Nov. 18 before signing with the Ravens on Tuesday.
Reflecting on his career and his new opportunity with the Ravens, Funk told The Baltimore Sun about his excitement to play in Baltimore last year while still with the Rams. "Just to be in a place where you dreamed about being there on Sundays as a high school kid and just being able to come back home, hopefully put on a good performance in front of a lot of people who supported me throughout my high school and college career."
In 2022, Funk sounded floored to simply be an NFL player before appearing in the Super Bowl along with OBJ, stating "Every game in this league is special, no matter what. Just being in this league is special within itself."
If there's been a full-circle moment for Funk throughout his career to date, then this must be the one. Truth be told, he's already won it all including a Super Bowl. One thing he had not done, however, was putting on the Purple and Bluck threads. He can add that achievement to his long list of accolades now. Congrats, Jake!
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