Baltimore Ravens sign former Giants tight end Larry Donnell
By Ben Palmer
The Baltimore Ravens have signed tight end Larry Donnell, as the team looks to recover from the injuries that have struck the tight end position.
The Baltimore Ravens have signed former New York Giants tight end Larry Donnell, as the team looks to recover from the injuries that have plagued them at the tight end position so far this year.
The preseason has barely even started and already the Baltimore Ravens are dealing with a litany of injuries, especially at the tight end position. Back in June, the team lost Dennis Pitta to a hip injury once again, prompting the team to release him.
On top of that, Darren Waller was suspended for a full season after violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and Crockett Gillmore is reportedly now dealing with a potentially serious knee injury.
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The other tight ends on the Ravens’ roster, Benjamin Watson and Maxx Williams, are both coming off of injuries themselves, making their health relatively uncertain as well.
Donnell was signed by the Giants in 2012 as an undrafted free agent and has played his entire career so far for the Giants. In 2014, he was given the chance to start for the team, starting 12 games of the season, and was fairly productive, ending the year with 63 catches for 623 yards and six touchdowns.
Donnell has had injury issues himself throughout his career, dealing with concussions in the past and a neck injury that kept him out of all but eight games of the 2015 season. While relatively healthy last season, he only started in six games.
Donnell is an interesting addition to the team, and one that the Ravens could really use. He’s proven himself to be a more-than-capable pass catcher, something the Ravens really like in a tight end, as Joe Flacco has shown he’s enjoyed throwing to Pitta and Gillmore in the past.
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The key for Donnell will be to stay healthy, and if he can do that, I think he can be a pretty productive tight end for the Ravens. Even if he doesn’t, Watson and Williams are fairly capable backups, and Gary Barnidge is still out there in free agency.