Ravens Camp — Sep 3: Moody Signed, Loop Endorsed, Same Day

Baltimore signed a kicker on Monday and endorsed the one it already had, the same day. Jesse Minter said of Tyler Loop, per Ryan Mink at the team's site, "I have a lot of confidence in Tyler still. Again, he's had a great training camp. I expect him to be our kicker going into Indianapolis, but I think again, you're always trying to just have every scenario covered." The scenario covered that day was Jake Moody, signed to the practice squad, per Jonas Shaffer at the Baltimore Banner — San Francisco's third-round pick in 2023, 64 of 82 on career field goals, 78 percent, 10 of 11 in six games for Washington last season, and cut by Washington on August eighteenth after losing that camp battle to undrafted rookie Drew Stevens. Moody won the Lou Groza Award at Michigan in 2021 and overlapped there with Minter, per Mink. Minter on the signing: "Jake's just kind of been on the radar, and he's a guy that's had success in this league." Our last episode said Loop made the roster without a public endorsement and closed on whether Baltimore would bring in competition. Both happened Monday, and one does not cancel the other. Minter expects Loop to kick in Indianapolis, and the alternative is now under contract.

The wire took one Raven and Baltimore took nobody. Carolina claimed center Corey Bullock on Monday, per Darin Gantt at the Panthers' site — a practice-squad Raven last year who got into 16 games, almost all of it on special teams, and, per Jason La Canfora at Sports Illustrated, a developmental interior lineman who missed much of the summer hurt and never entered the center competition. Baltimore held the fourteenth waiver priority, high for this franchise, per Nikhil Mehta at SB Nation, and CBS Sports' league tracker lists no player claimed by the Ravens. So the interior line lost depth on the day the team still had no starter at the middle of it. Minter on the center job Monday, per Mink: "I think we're still evaluating that. We'll probably over the next week or so figure that out, but I still think that that's a real competition." That is not the lean our last episode gave Jovaughn Gwyn off the finale start; it is a coach declining to give one. Ethan Pocic did not practice Monday and rode the exercise bike instead, per Mink — La Canfora, the same day, read Pocic as the likelier starter anyway, an Achilles tear in December and 30 snaps in the finale against Gwyn's 11 career reps at center. La Canfora also reported the team intended to pursue depth at center, linebacker and running back. Through Wednesday the additions were a tackle and a tight end.

The practice squad, 15 signed Monday, per Mink. On defense: outside linebacker Adisa Isaac, the 2024 third-round pick who missed most of two seasons hurt and had six tackles and a sack in the finale; edge rusher Kaimon Rucker, who led the team in tackles in the finale; defensive lineman Rayshaun Benny, this year's 200-and-fiftieth pick; defensive tackle David Olajiga on the International Pathway designation; linebackers Carl Jones Jr. and Dominic DeLuca; safety K'Von Wallace; and cornerback Amani Oruwariye. On offense: center Nick Dawkins, tackle Gerad Lichtenhan, running back Jonathan Ward, tight end Ty Pezza, and receivers Chris Moore and Xavier Guillory. Plus kicker Jake Moody. Mehta had flagged Lichtenhan, Benny, Isaac, Rucker and Robert Longerbeam as the five cuts most at risk of a claim; four cleared and came back. Longerbeam did not — the cornerback signed to Philadelphia's practice squad Tuesday, per Justin Grasso at Heavy, and the line on him, per Jordan Schultz, carried by Grasso, was that Baltimore "was very high on Longerbeam" and "had to waive him because of a very deep CB room." Wednesday filled the last two spots, per Glenn Erby at Ravens Wire: tight end Nick Vannett, 33, released by Seattle at cutdown, a fifth tight end and short-yardage blocker behind Mark Andrews who would tie the record for most franchises played for, 10, if he plays a regular-season snap here, per Dom Skene at Seahawks Wire; and tackle A.J. Arcuri, the Rams' 2022 seventh-rounder out of Michigan State. 17. Safety Silas Walters, whose interception closed out the Minnesota game, is on neither list and has no reported destination.

Three things on the page from our last episode to fix. We said Isaac was released and Rucker waived a day later; both were back on the practice squad Monday. We said Chris Moore was waived, per Jeff Zrebiec; Erby lists him among five vested veterans released outright, with Amani Oruwariye, David Sharpe, Wallace and Ward, and 28 players waived. The mechanism differs by account, so: cut, and back. And we said the team had held no coach availability since the cuts. Minter spoke Monday, on the kicker, the center, Nnamdi Madubuike, Adam Randall, Joe Fagnano and Ethan Burke.

The reserve list holds where Sunday left it, per the team's roster page: running back Adam Randall and cornerback Bilhal Kone on injured reserve with return designations, and center Danny Pinter, quarterback Skylar Thompson and safety Jahquez Robinson on injured reserve without them — all three placed in August, Pinter with the torn patellar tendon from the Minnesota joint practice. Minter on Randall: "he's dealing with something enough that we feel like this is the best situation for him to get really healthy." Madubuike's status for the Colts stayed open through Tuesday, per Josh Alper at Pro Football Talk — no 11-on-11 rep in camp, and Minter's read on Monday, per Mink: "I don't see him obviously missing that many games," "He's just doing more and more," and "kind of leave it to the plan." Keeping him and Teddye Buchanan on the 53 rather than injured reserve is the team saying it expects both early, per Mink. Minter, to Jason La Canfora at Sports Illustrated, on Fagnano, the third quarterback: "He legitimately played his way onto the roster. You don't want to let good players like that leave your building." On Burke, the undrafted edge who made it: "He had some really, really good days rushing the passer." On Rashod Bateman, the league said in August that the matter is under review of its personal conduct policy, per spokesman Brian McCarthy via Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk; nothing has changed there since our last episode.

Back in July we previewed Baltimore as a team priced like nothing had happened — an 11-and-a-half win total, tied for the league's highest, resting on a first-time head coach, the league's youngest play-caller, a rebuilt interior line and a repaired pass rush. The thing that happened, last season: eight and nine, out of the playoffs, an offense twelfth in expected points added per play — the measure of how much each snap moved the expected score — first in the league running the ball and 20-third throwing it, with a defense 20-first and 30 sacks, tied for 20-eighth. Cut day fed the price's side. This week fed both. The kicker has the coach's word and a Lou Groza winner behind him; the interior line lost a body and still has no center, and the veteran signed to be one sat out Monday; Nnamdi Madubuike is on the roster and has not taken a team rep. The proof the price assumes is still not filed. The filing date is now 10 days out.

Next is the Colts, Sunday, September 13, at Lucas Oil Stadium. What to watch: who snaps to Lamar Jackson in game week, and whether Madubuike takes an 11-on-11 rep before Baltimore leaves for Indianapolis. The Recap follows the game.

_Data via nflverse._