Tyler Huntley Signs Reserve/Future Deal With Baltimore Ravens
Less than 72 hours after being eliminated from the playoffs and the Baltimore Ravens are already making roster moves.
In a somewhat shocking decision, they're electing to move on from star running back Mark Ingram and have released a true locker room leader in backup quarterback Robert Griffin. Griffin finished the season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and was NOT under contract for next year.
While Griffin may not be in plans for next season, it appears that former Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley is. The Ravens announced on Monday that they have signed 11 players to reserve/future contracts, including Huntley.
A reserve/future contract means that a player who signs cannot be picked up by another team. It's the same as a regular active-roster contract, with the regular rules for minimum veteran salaries, cap charges, signing bonuses, etc — but it will not count against the salary cap or 53-man limit on active roster. However, it will count against the salary cap and 90-man camp limit for the following season
Teams typically sign players to these sort of contracts when they are unsure how the player fits into their future plans but knows they are good to enough to play in the league. Teams just want a little more time with the player and to make other roster decisions before deciding what to do.
Jan 16, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley (2) runs with the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second half of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game at Bills Stadium. The Buffalo Bills won 17-3. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
For Huntley, this is a good sign as it means the Ravens are planning on giving him a full training camp to prove his worth. He missed out on that and preseason games this past season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ravens will also decide what to do with Trace McSorley, who began the season as the third-string QB, suffered a season-ending knee injury on December — but has been used very little over the previous two years.
Huntley's ability to move the pocket, make throws on the run and extend drives with his legs make him the ideal backup to Lamar Jackson, something the former MVP took note of throughout training camp and the season.
"I don't want to tell y'all anything about him," Jackson said about Huntley earlier in the season. "I don't need you'll hyping him up. I know what he's capable of doing. We want to keep him under the radar as much as possible."
Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Huntley entered Saturday's AFC Divisional game against Buffalo with just three career passes in the NFL.
So when Huntley found himself on the field late in the third quarter with Baltimore trailing 17-3, normally that would be a lot of pressure for anybody. But for Huntley, the former all-Pac-12 quarterback from Utah, is was just another game.
He finished the game 6-for-13 for just 60 yards while adding three carries for 32 yards, but ultimately his comeback attempt fell just short as the Ravens were eliminated following their 17-3 loss to the Bills.
"I was just trying to get warmed up as quickly as I could," Huntley said. "I just tried to help this team and do what I could to get closer and give us a chance. We were just trying to get points on the board, just fighting until the very end. It's an NFL game, so it can go down to the wire, and you have to fight until the end. We've just got to find a way to get that ball in the end zone."
Jan 16, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley (2) throws the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second half of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game at Bills Stadium. The Buffalo Bills won 17-3. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Following the concussion to Jackson, Huntley came in on third down and nearly picked up the first down with his legs, forcing a Baltimore punt.
The next drive is when Huntley began to look more comfortable, completing two passes on fourth down that moved the chains. But the play he'll regret most is when he overthrew Hollywood Brown on what would've been a for sure touchdown.
Huntley did recover on the next series when he hit Brown on third-and-16 to move the chains. He led the Ravens into Buffalo's redzone but two drops by Baltimore ended the drive and ultimately, the season.
"Obviously, you want your best players out there when the game is on the line, but we had confidence in 'Snoop,'" defensive end Calais Campbell said. "I see him in practice, and I see he has potential to be a great player and to see an opportunity, he seized it. He went out there and made some plays and gave us an opportunity. It's inches. ... It's a game of inches, and we just didn't get it done. But we fought hard."
Huntley broke out his senior year at Utah, throwing for 19 touchdowns to 4 interceptions with school records of a 73% completion percentage and a 177.5 passer rating. He was named the first-team all-Pac-12 over former Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert (taken by the LA Chargers in the first round) and a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Manning Award.
Making a profile is free and it only takes ~1 minute to set up. Also, be sure to like us on social media for future coverage:
Twitter — @UtahUtes_SI and Ryan Kostecka at @Ryan_Kostecka