Joe Flacco will have a new man backing him up for the first time in five years.
Tyrod Taylor has been Flacco's only backup since the Ravens drafted him in 2011, but he recently signed with the Buffalo Bills in free agency where he has a better chance to compete for playing time.
Now the Ravens have unproven options in Keith Wenning and Brynn Renner currently on the roster, and they may consider bringing in a veteran to compete for the No. 2 spot.
"I want the best guy," Head Coach John Harbaugh said this week at the NFL Owner's Meetings. "I want the best players we can get."
Wenning, 24, was a sixth-round pick last year out of Ball State. He was one of the final players released at the end of the preseason, but then he signed onto the practice squad and spent the whole season there learning from Flacco and Taylor.
In the three preseason games he played last year, Wenning went 10-of-17 passing for 140 yards with no touchdowns, no interceptions and two sacks. He also had one fumble in those contests.
"Keith Wenning has a good future and I like Keith," Harbaugh said. "But we're looking to upgrade everywhere, at all times."
Renner was added to the roster this offseason when the Ravens signed nine players to reserve/future contracts. He was initially signed by the Broncos last year after going undrafted out of North Carolina, but they cut him before the start of the season. Renner was not on an NFL roster last year.
Having an inexperienced option behind Flacco in Wenning or Renner wouldn't be new for the Ravens. Baltimore went with Taylor as Flacco's sole backup in 2011 even though he was a sixth-round pick.
Adding a veteran going into training camp, however, would also mesh with the Ravens' approach in recent seasons. They had Caleb Hanie and Curtis Painter compete for the backup job during training camps in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
