The Ravens have restructured All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith's contract, creating $4.875 million in cap space, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network
General Manager Eric DeCosta said last week that the Ravens were considering mechanisms to give themselves cap flexibility to make moves during the regular season prior to the trade deadline. Baltimore signed Smith to a five-year contract in 2023 worth a reported $100 million.
"We will have to make some moves in the coming days and weeks, and we've been planning for all of that," DeCosta said Friday. "There's a lot of things that we will be able to do. We will be cap compliant, and we will have at least some money to spend if a player is available that we think will help us be the best team that we can be."
David Ojabo Feels 'Like a Little Kid' Getting Back Into Game Action
The last time David Ojabo played in a regular-season game was Sept. 24 of last year. He's only suited up for five so far in his NFL career.
Entering Year 3, Ojabo is healthy and has been building momentum towards Thursday night's opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
"[I feel] like a little kid, man," Ojabo said. "I'm excited to be out there with my boys, my brothers, going to war every Sunday."
Ojabo sat out most of his rookie season due to an Achilles injury. He suffered a knee injury and eventually opted for season-ending surgery last season. Now he'll be a critical part of Baltimore's pass rush.
"That's what life's about. It's the journey that matters," Ojabo said. "My journey has been very, very unique. I'm excited – very excited."
Marlon Humphrey Will Have Mixed Emotions Watching Chiefs Celebrate Super Bowl
The Chiefs are planning a short pre-game celebration of their Super Bowl LVIII victory on Thursday night and will unveil their championship banner in front of their home crowd.
That's standard operating procedure for the defending champs at their home opener. Marlon Humphrey said watching that ceremony will remind him of how badly he wants to win a Lombardi Trophy.
"I just think it's kind of cool," Humphrey said. "Obviously, it's not cool for us, but it just shows who you're playing. You're playing the defending Super Bowl champs, and that's a ceremony that you want to be a part of, but you want to be on the other side. So, for me, I just think it's wanting that so bad, I think it will be bittersweet to go out there when they're celebrating their Super Bowl thing and hoping – fast forward a year later – you could be doing the same."
Andrew Vorhees Shows Off His Punt Return Skills
The Ravens are all about versatility and they may have found their backup, backup, backup, backup punt returner on Monday.
Baltimore had a fun end to Monday's Labor Day practice as offensive and defensive linemen took turns trying to catch punts off the JUGS machine. Only two made the fair catch – Andrew Vorhees and Patrick Mekari. Vorhees, however, was the only one to catch both of his opportunities.
Back at Kingsburg High School in California, Vorhees did that same exact drill during his senior year. One of his coaches, Hunter Teafatiller, who played tight end at Nebraska, gave him a 30-second crash course on how to catch punts.
"Shoutout to Hunter Teafatiller. That's the only reason I know how to catch," Vorhees said. "Just keep your arms tight, make sure you're running to the ball, not running backwards."
