Pending Free Agent Bradley Bozeman Says He's 'in Limbo'
With the regular season ending Sunday, many players on the Ravens' roster are possibly playing their final game in the purple and black.
One of those players is center Bradley Bozeman, who becomes a pending unrestricted free agent at the season's conclusion. Bozeman discussed how this could be the final game for him as a Raven with 105.7 The Fan.
"That is definitely a possibility," Bozeman said. "On the flip side of that, I've enjoyed every single snap, every single second in this city, with this organization, with the people around me. … I'm so grateful and so thankful for everyone that's been involved – from the reporters, to the coaches, to the organization. I'm just so thankful and so blessed to be able to be part of something so special. Whatever happens, happens. Unfortunately, it's still a business at the end of the day. We'll kind of find out here in the next couple months.
"We'll see what happens. It's kind of – we're in limbo right now, like you said. I'm going to take it all in for sure because I don't know for sure if it will be my last one [or] if we get the opportunity to make it into the playoffs. I'm going to love every second of that also. … We'll definitely be relishing the moment."
The "in limbo" comment may be related to his current contract negotiation with the Ravens, where there is "a bit of separation," according to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec.
There is still plenty of time for more negotiations between the Ravens and Bozeman's camp, but the Ravens got a head start on shaping their 2022 offensive line when they re-signed versatile offensive lineman Patrick Mekari last week.
Mekari could play center if Bozeman and the Ravens can't come to an agreement. Even though he's been playing all season at right tackle, Mekari's previously been the Ravens' starting center, with five starts at the position both in 2019 and 2020.
After Mekari's re-signing, the Ravens said much of his value is in his versatility and didn’t commit to making him their long-term right tackle of the future. However, Mekari has undoubtedly excelled there, and keeping both Bozeman and Mekari would help the offensive line maintain stability.
Future Hall of Fame Von Miller called Mekari "one of the best right tackles in the NFL."
By the way, Bozeman said it was a case of food poisoning from pizza the night before the game that kept him out of Sunday's loss to the Rams. It was Bozeman's first missed start in three years.
"It was a tough morning and day for me," Bozeman said. "It was killing me to be on the sideline, but sometimes just don't happen like you want them to."
Steelers Mike Tomlin Thinks Patrick Queen "Might be the Best AFC North Linebacker"
Second-year linebacker Patrick Queen has had a lot of attention on him this season.
During the early part of the season, he struggled with tackling and consistency, and spoke openly to the media about his performance and desire to improve.
Shortly after, Queen's game started to elevate and praise of his performances began to pour in. That praise has possibly hit a new peak of his young NFL career after Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin said yesterday, "he might be the best linebacker in the AFC North."
It's high praise coming from Tomlin, who first-round linebacker Devin Bush Jr. and veteran Joe Schobert, on his own team. There's also Browns rookie sensation Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and Bengals' young and talented Logan Wilson.
Unthinkable Season Ender Could See Ravens Miss or Make the Playoffs
To make the postseason, the Ravens need the Jacksonville Jaguars' help by upsetting the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday. However, if that were to occur, the Ravens could still miss the playoffs in the most unique way: the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders not trying.
If the Jags beat the Colts, the Chargers and Raiders both get into the playoffs by finishing in a tie.
It's a longshot for the first qualifier to come true as the Colts are favored by a whopping 15.5 points, with the second part being even less likely. But there is some Lloyd Christmas hope being thrown around for the first qualifier, as the Jaguars haven't lost to the Colts at home in eight years.
Now, if that scenario were to occur with quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Derek Carr taking the field only to kneel over and over again, there is the even wilder chance we could see NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wield the power of his position and bend the NFL's will toward the Ravens-Steelers winner, or the Dolphins if they beat the Patriots.
Goodell could enact Rule 17, Section 2 Article 1 and/or Article 3.
Rule 17, Section 2, Article 1: "The Commissioner has the sole authority to investigate and take appropriate disciplinary and/or corrective measures if any club action, non-participant interference, or calamity occurs in an NFL game which he deems so extraordinarily unfair or outside the accepted tactics encountered in professional football that such action has a major effect on the result of the game."
Rule 17, Section 2, Article 3: "The Commissioner's powers under this Section 2 include the imposition of monetary fines and draft-choice forfeitures, suspension of persons involved in unfair acts, and, if appropriate, the reversal of a game's result or the rescheduling of a game, either from the beginning or from the point at which the extraordinary act occurred."
Essentially, Commissioner Goodell could change the Raiders-Chargers outcome into both teams forfeiting the contest, which would give either the Dolphins, Ravens or Steelers a postseason berth.
It's incredibly unlikely and bizarre, but it's safe to say if all this were to occur, it'd be the most intriguing playoff entrance in sports history.
ESPN Ranks 32 Walk-Off Wins, Ravens Boast Three
It's been a one-of-a-kind season in the NFL where teams have never had more games decided on the final play than ever before. With such a list, ESPN ranked the top 32 walk-off winners and the Ravens were featured on the winning side three times.
Here's Jamison Hensley's write-up for each game:
17. Ravens 19, Lions 17 (Week 3)
Ravens' win probability before the final drive: 82.9%
Ravens' win probability before the walk-off play: 88.2%
"Justin Tucker saved the day by winning the game with the longest field goal in NFL history. His 66-yard kick as time expired avoided a loss to the then-winless Lions and showed once again why he's the most clutch kicker in the game. Tucker improved to 16-for-16 in his NFL career on field goals in the final minute of regulation. 'He's the best kicker in history,' Ravens coach John Harbaugh said."
18. Ravens 31, Colts 25 in OT (Week 5)
Ravens' win probability before the final drive: 52.5%
Ravens' win probability before the walk-off play: 90.1%
"Critics said Lamar Jackson couldn't lead a major comeback because of his inconsistent passing. But down 19 points in the second half, Jackson rallied the Ravens by throwing for 442 yards and four touchdowns. He won the game in overtime with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Marquise Brown. Jackson became the first quarterback in the league to complete 85% of his passes in a 400-yard game. 'It's one of the greatest performances I've ever seen,' Ravens coach John Harbaugh said."
24. Ravens 34, Vikings 31 in OT (Week 9)
Ravens' win probability before the final drive: 46.1%
Ravens' win probability before the walk-off play: 94.5%
"This marked the third time this season that Lamar Jackson led Baltimore to a comeback after being down by double digits in the second half. Trailing 14 points in the third quarter, Jackson threw for 266 yards and ran for 120 before setting up Justin Tucker's winning 36-yard field goal with 16 seconds left in overtime. This was Tucker's 53rd straight field goal made in the fourth quarter and overtime."
It's most certainly a wild season when a 66-yard game-winning field goal doesn't even crack the top 10 list for final-play victories.
Quick Hits
- Former Ravens tight end Ben Coates, who played on the Super Bowl 2000 team, will go into the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
