Baltimore Ravens to sign QB Ryan Mallett

The Baltimore Ravens will reportedly sign former Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett to a contract.

A day after watching Jimmy Clausen struggle against the Seattle Seahawks for the worst loss of the season, the Baltimore Ravens are adding another quarterback to the mix.

The Ravens will reportedly sign Ryan Mallett to a contract as they continue to shuffle through quarterbacks since the injury to Joe Flacco earlier in the season.

Clausen got the start in place of Matt Schaub, who was held out of the contest on Sunday due to injury. Clausen threw for a career-high 247 yards, but struggled throughout the game and looked timid throwing the football. The offense struggled mightily against the Seahawks defense, and the Ravens coaching staff could be looking for another signal caller down the stretch.

The addition of Mallett comes a week after the club worked him out, but chose not to sign him until this week. Mallett became a free agent after being cut by the Houston Texans. He missed a team flight and the Texans staff decided to part ways following the incident.

It will be interesting to see who is the man at quarterback the rest of the way. Schaub was brought in during the offseason as an insurance policy to Flacco, but has struggled in his two starts, throwing a pick-six in each game. Clausen did not play any better this week so it is possible that Mallett is given an opportunity to play at some point in these final three games.

Baltimore needs a reliable backup in the event that Flacco is not ready for the start of the 2016 season. Schaub and Clausen have no guarantee to still be wearing a Ravens uniform next season, and honestly, neither should. The offense has been inept since Flacco went down and is in need of someone who can make the plays needed to win a game.

Is that Mallett? That remains to be seen. He was given an opportunity to start for the Texans, but failed to seize the moment. He is still highly regarded by some league personnel because of his arm strength and the Ravens are hopeful that they can unleash the potential that has surrounded him since coming into the NFL.

Some have said the addition of Mallett will likely mean the departure of either Clausen or Schaub, but that is not necessarily the case. There will be an opening on the roster for Mallet after John Harbaugh announced today that defensive end Chris Canty will be placed on injured reserve. He is now the 18th player to be placed on IR for the Ravens.

The club has not confirmed the signing of Mallett, and Harbaugh said that nothing was finalized at his press conference today. In fact, Harbaugh said that Schaub will play if he’s close to 100 percent, but said he has two good options with Schaub and Clausen.

That makes you wonder where Mallett fits into the equation if he feels good about Schaub and Clausen. Many feel Mallett can start in the NFL if put into the proper situation, and maybe Baltimore is that.

Next: Seahawks Hand Ravens Their Worst Loss of the Season

Whoever is the quarterback for Baltimore the remainder of the way has their work cut out for them with three teams fighting for playoff positioning. The Ravens got embarrassed by the Seahawks, and must play better the rest of the way.

It’s already hard enough to watch this team, and no one wants to see them finish the season with five straight losses. That’s not what we are used to from the Ravens.