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Ravens should sign Jimmy Clausen to back up Matt Schaub

By Joe Serpico

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The Baltimore Ravens should sign Jimmy Clausen, who was released by the Chicago Bears, to back up Matt Schaub.

The injury to Joe Flacco is a heart-breaking loss for the Baltimore Ravens. Joe Cool was the one constant in John Harbaugh’s lineup since the duo came to Baltimore eight and a half years ago. After 137 consecutive starts, Flacco will finally miss a game following a torn ACL and MCL suffered in the 16-13 win over the St. Louis Rams.

The team already has its backup on the roster in Matt Schaub. What everyone wants to know is who is going to be the guy to back him up?

My initial thought was that training camp sensation Bryn Renner would be the logical choice to take over the backup duties. He played admirably in his limited action in the preseason. Harbaugh said in his press conference yesterday that it’s possible that Renner will come back.. on the practice squad.

If we are to believe what Harbaugh said, the Ravens don’t plan to have Renner as the immediate backup to Schaub either. So who is out there that makes sense for the Ravens? There is one interesting name coming out of Chicago that former Baltimore Sun reporter Aaron Wilson tweeted is now available.

Jimmy Clausen was a name I mentioned in the offseason as a possible backup option prior to the Ravens signing Schaub. Here is why I felt the Clausen move would make sense for the Ravens:

"“Clausen was given the opportunity to start under Trestman in Week 16 of the 2014 season after the Bears decided to bench Jay Cutler. Clausen was enjoying a decent game until being forced to leave with a concussion following a Ziggy Ansah helmet-to-helmet hit.Clausen is still fairly young (28) and has some starting experience under his belt. If the Ravens want to go with an experienced backup that knows Trestman’s system, Clausen would be a logical choice.”"

Obviously, the Ravens went with Schaub over Clausen, but that was when Flacco was still healthy. However, at this point in the season, why not bring in a player that can join the team and already has a solid grasp of the offense?

Clausen has never lived up to the hype as a second-round pick. He played in 13 games with the Carolina Panthers in 2010, but they found their franchise quarterback with the first overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft when they selected Cam Newton. Newton has become one of the NFL’s best and is in consideration of winning the MVP award this season. 

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Clausen joined Trestman in Chicago and convinced his coach that he might be the better option over Cutler at the time. Chicago brought him back this season despite the coaching change, and Clausen did start their Week 3 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks due to an injury to Cutler. He didn’t fare too well, but then again, not many quarterbacks have played great against the Seahawks vaunted defense.

Bringing in Clausen makes sense for all parties involved. Trestman might be the only coach remaining that is willing to give Clausen a shot to stay in the NFL. The Ravens need a quarterback that is ready to go if something were to go bad with Schaub. They need someone behind Schaub and it’s only for six games anyways.

Sign Clausen for the rest of this season and see what happens. If the preseason was any barometer, there shouldn’t be high hopes for Schaub. The job could be someone else’s in a few weeks. There is nothing to lose but more games in a lost season.

Next: Buck Allen and Terannce West Next Men Up At Running Back

To me, this makes the most sense for the Ravens. Then again, I’m just a writer so what do I know about personnel decisions.

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