Another tight end injury
It's become a snakebitten position for the Ravens. With reserve tight end Quinn Sypniewski out for the season with a knee injury and Daniel Wilcox not fully recovered from toe surgery, a bunch of free agents are filling the void as Todd Heap's backups.
One of them, Scott Kuhn, joined the list of the injured today in Owings Mills when the rookie from Louisville broke his left thumb during a punt drill. That leaves Joe Reitz, a former college basketball player from Western Michigan, and Lee Vickers, a second-year player who was brought when Heap and Wilcox went down last season. Vickers hasn't practiced the past two days because of an undisclosed hand injury.
The Ravens are also trying to convert another free agent, Xavier Lee, who never lived up to the hype that followed him to Florida State as one of the nation's top high school quarterbacks. He ironically left Tallahassee in part because the Seminoles wanted to convert him to tight end.
Mike Preston has been with The Sun since 1983. Prior to becoming a columnist in 2000, he covered the Baltimore Ravens for four years. Preston is a native of Essex and a graduate of Towson State University, where he played football.
Jamison Hensley covers the Ravens for The Sun. 
Edward Lee covers the Ravens for The Sun. 
Don Markus covers the Ravens for The Sun. 
Comments
It is one thing when your college team asks you to go from starting QB or at least backup to TE. When someone is saying you may be able to make our NFL team as a TE it has a totally different appeal. Good luck. TEs take a much worse beating than a QB though.
Note the 2 "non" contact TE injuries and you can imagine what may happen when the SS battle in camp starts to hit them for real.
Who are some veteran free agent TEs or guys likley to get cut the Ravens could target?
Posted by: JJ | May 10, 2008 3:15 PM
Don, can I call you Don? Thanks. How is the LT position coming along? As i understand it the coaching staff has been shuffling the offensive line. Now, of course, this is all under the presumption that JO doesnt return.
We continue--And I say we because, I too am at fault for name calling, "Big Ben"--to suggest that Joe "Joe" Flacco resembles our AFC North counterpart. I'd like to see some continuity on the offensive line before preseason is upon us, that's all. That Pittsburgh offensive line has usually been a good one. Adam Terry? Jared Gaither? Mike Kracalik? Did I spell that right?
Posted by: Nelson | May 10, 2008 3:25 PM
The Ravens would be wise to bring Keith Willis in at TE.
Posted by: Bacon | May 10, 2008 5:52 PM
The Ravens would be wise to invite/sign any free agent rookie TE's , plus making asking Center Chris Chester if he is interested in practicing as emergency TE , Im sure other NFL are going to hit by injury bug also .
Posted by: Allan | May 10, 2008 7:26 PM