Ravens Insider: Ravens sign offensive tackle Chad Slaughter - The inside scoop and analysis on the team from The Baltimore Sun's Ravens columnist and Ravens beat writer.

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Ravens sign offensive tackle Chad Slaughter

The Ravens added depth to their offensive line by signing six-year veteran Chad Slaughter to a one-year contract after they couldn’t reach a deal with John Welbourn, a four-year starter for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Welbourn sat in the team hotel for hours as the sides tried to agree to a contract. It is believed Welbourn walked away from a one-year deal worth the NFL minimum.

That led the Ravens to signing Slaughter, who drew interest from the Ravens in March. At 6 feet 8, 340 pounds, Slaughter can play at left or right tackle. He has played 43 games for the Oakland Raiders (2002-2006), including seven starts.

"I think they were looking to find someone with experience," said Angelo Wright, Slaughter's agent.

The Ravens are extremely thin at offensive tackle after losing starters Jared Gaither and Adam Terry to ankle injuries in a span of four days. Both are expected to be sidelined for at least this week, but neither injury is considered long term.

Posted by Jamison Hensley at 6:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Comments

I hate to say this,,,,,,,,but It may look like Billicks offense this year with 'maximum protection' sending only two guys out,,,,,,,,,,,,,not happy..........

Posted by: Jim from Dundalk | July 31, 2008 9:01 AM

Hey,
I was just wondering, is there any chance the Ravens would try to talk to Jonathan Ogden and get him to unretire? Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Posted by: Henry from College Park | July 31, 2008 11:54 AM

Why did they not try to address this problem through free agency? They had a lot of offensive linemen out there and they did not make any moves to sure up the line. They should have known they would needs some good backups considering the injury problems of the offensive line over the last several years here.

Posted by: Ernie | July 31, 2008 12:22 PM

Looks like a long season. It had to come sometime. So we win 3 games this year and get the top pick. Not such a bad deal considering who will give us max draft picks for the number one. This is called thinking ahead and realisticly.

Posted by: James Collette | July 31, 2008 12:32 PM

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About the bloggers

Mike Preston has been with The Baltimore Sun since 1983. Prior to becoming a columnist in 2000, he covered the Ravens for four years. Preston will appear every Monday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Fox Sports Radio (1370-AM) to answer any questions about the Ravens. Preston is a native of Essex and a graduate of Towson State University, where he played football.

Jamison Hensley has been The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens beat reporter since the 2000 Super Bowl season. He is a regular contributor to WBAL radio and ESPN2’s First Take. Hensley is a Baltimore City native and a graduate of the University of Maryland. Follow Jamison for additional updates on Twitter.

Ken Murray has covered Baltimore pro football teams in three leagues and two countries. He covered the Colts' departure in 1984, the Stallions' arrival in 1994 and the Ravens' Super Bowl championship in 2000. His warmup act was Roger Staubach's final season with the Dallas Cowboys in 1979.