Stallworth signs with Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens, desperate for receivers for young star quarterback Joe Flacco, have signed free-agent wideout Donte' Stallworth, who sat out the 2009 season after being convicted of vehicular homicide in Miami.

Stallworth, 30, will immediately compete for playing time on a team with an uncertain future at receiver. Incumbent Derrick Mason's future is uncertain; he almost retired last year and the team isn't sure if he'll return for the 2010 season. And number two wideout Mark Clayton, the club's top draft choice in 2005, caught just 34 balls last year.

Stallworth has been working out intensively in Miami since the accident and his controversial 24-day jail sentence (he also reported made an out-of-court settlement exceeding $3 million with the family of the man who was killed in the accident). Recently, he said he ran three 40-yard dashes clocked in the 4.3-second range. A 2002 first-round pick of the Saints, he hasn't had a top season since he caught 70 passes with seven touchdowns in 2005 for New Orleans.

After Stallworth was convicted of manslaughter while intoxicated last spring, commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him for the season, and reinstated him Feb. 8. Stallworth was free to sign with any team, and he picked the one with the most opportunity of any NFL contender.