Ravens find replacement for Fabian (updated)
According to multiple reports, the Ravens have filled Fabian Washington's spot on the 53-man roster by signing CB Cary Williams off the Titans' practice squad.
Williams was drafted by Tennessee in the seventh-round of the 2008 Draft, and has played in five NFL games. He has been up and down between the Titans' active roster and practice squad over the last two seasons.
The Ravens needed more help at cornerback when they learned that Washington tore his ACL on Sunday against the Colts. The fifth-year man out of Nebraska should be placed on Injured Reserve sometime today.
With Washington out for the remainder of the season, rookie Lardarius Webb is expected to get bumped into the starting lineup. The Ravens' third-round pick out of Nichols State has played well this season and has seen increased playing time on the defensive side of the ball over the last handful of weeks.
Williams will join Chris Carr, Frank Walker and K.J. Gerard as reserve options at corner. The 24-year-old Williams began his college career at Fordham before transferring to Washburn.
The newest Raven stands at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. In his four games played this season, Williams made 12 tackles and had one pass defended.
UPDATE: According to The Sun's Jamison Hensley, the Ravens made another roster move today, signing FB Charles Ali and placing RB Matt Lawrence on Injured Reserve.
Ali spent this year with the New York Sentinels of the UFL after playing his first two pro seasons with the Browns.
Between 2007 and 2008, the 25-year-old Ali appeared in 28 games for Cleveland with four starts. The former undrafted free agent out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (an FCS school) has made four catches in his career and does not have a carry.
Ali checks in at 6-foot-2, 255 pounds.
Lawrence has been inactive the last two games with a knee injury. The first-year man out of UMass played in eight games this year, working mostly on special teams. He did have four carries and one reception on the season.
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Categories (click for archive)Dan Kolko | Ravens News |
So do you see Webb & Foxworth as the starters this week?
Carr & Walker scare me very bad.
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Richard,
Yes, expect to see Webb in the starting lineup. Head coach John Harbaugh indicated that the team might try somewhat of a cornerback-by-committee now that Washington is out, but Webb should see most of the reps.
-Dan
Dan,
Thanks for the update on the replacement of Washington. Sir, what is the status on Terrell Suggs? Will he be active Sunday night? Thank you.
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Meeks,
Harbaugh said yesterday that if Suggs is able to play, he will, but it's not known yet how the linebacker's knee is feeling after a week of rest. Terrell really doesn't want to miss this one, but the way some people were talking about the injury, it sounded like a multiple-week recovery type of thing. Hopefully we can talk to Sizzle tomorrow and see what he says.
-Dan
Now that we have a FB might we see some more McClain?
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Richard,
Possibly, although I'd be surprised if Ali sees a lot of time on offense. He's probably more likely to fill in on special teams.
-Dan
What ever happened to the other fullback we had Cook? He looked pretty solid in the preseason
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Alex,
Cook was released in the last round of roster cuts prior to the regular season. To my knowledge, he hasn't caught on anywhere.
-Dan
why not cook? or lorenzo neal?
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Justin,
Cook doesn't have Ali's experience, and Neal would cost more and is a bit of a health risk. Ali is a nice option because he's experienced and relatively inexpensive.
-Dan
What kind of scouting report do we have on Cary Williams? He fast? Alot of potential? Or is he just one of those players that will only ever play special teams?
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Christopher,
I'll admit, I don't know a lot about the guy yet; he's only played five NFL games. But from what I understand, he's got very good speed. We'll get more of a scouting report from Harbaugh tomorrow.
-Dan
Seems like Corey Ivy would have been a better choice, given that he is already familiar with the players and the defense. The Steelers just signed him a few days ago, so he was available if the Ravens had moved quickly. Were there bad feelings over the split with him? Or did the Steelers just move more quickly? Was he even considered?
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Sam,
There were no bad feelings, it was just one of those situations where both sides decided to go seperate ways. The Steelers signed Ivy to help on special teams. I don't think many teams were viewing him as an option as a corner.
-Dan