Elvis Dumervil to Ravens; Osi joins Atlanta
Clik here to view.
Elvis Dumervil has signed a 5-year deal with the Ravens, worth up to $35 million. (Jeffrey Beall)
With the mass defensive exodus out of Baltimore, the Ravens found a silver lining in free agency this week. (Okay, he may be a bit better than a silver lining.)
Elvis Dumervil, fresh off his contract fiasco with the Denver Broncos, officially signed with the Baltimore Ravens on March 26th. Dumervil’s contract is for five years and may net the pass rusher up to $35 million, according to multiple sources. The move will allow Elvis to move back to outside linebacker, forming a potentially lethal outside pass rush combination with longtime Raven Terrell Suggs.
In six active seasons with Denver (he missed 2010), Dumervil recorded 63.5 sacks and 14 forced fumbles. His best season came in 2009, when he recorded a monstrous 17 sacks, along with 49 tackles and 4 forced fumbles. That season came under linebackers coach Don “Wink” Martindale, who Elvis will reunite with in Baltimore this season.
Ravens fans certainly hope Dumervil can repeat his 2009 campaign this year for the defending Super Bowl champions. That will greatly depend on not only Dumervil’s ability to transition back to a 3-4 defense, but the health of his linebacking counterpart Suggs. Still, in an offseason when the Ravens lost many recognizable defensive players, the addition of Elvis Dumervil has brought a positive buzz back to Baltimore.
Clik here to view.
Will Osi Umenyiora be reborn in Atlanta?(Credit Mike Morbeck)
Osi Umenyiora comes to Atlanta
“This team is the most talented team that I’ve probably seen in my life,” Osi Umenyiora said of his new squad. Hyperbole not withstanding, Umenyiora brings a pass rushing presence that the “Dirty Birds” sorely needed after the release of John Abraham.
Osi signed a two-year agreement with the Atlanta Falcons on March 27th. The move ends his long and often bitter contract negotiations with the New York Giants, with which he won 2 Super Bowl rings. At his best with New York, Umenyiora was a disruptive force along the line. In 2010, he recorded 11.5 sacks and added a ridiculous 10 forced fumbles. In 2005, Osi tallied a career-high 14.5 sacks.
The knock on Umenyiora recently has been his health. Osi has started just 14 games over the last two seasons, and became expendable over that period of time with the emergence of Jason Pierre-Paul for the Giants. In 2011-2012, Osi was better known for his war of words with Eagles RB LeSean McCoy than his play.
Depending which version of #72 shows up at the Georgia Dome, the Falcons either got a steal in free agency or an oft-injured headache. Only time will tell which is true.
Raiders cut DE Tommy Kelly
Clik here to view.
Tommy Kelly is the latest veteran to be cut from the Oakland Raiders. (Credit Kalel2007)
Further separating themselves with the last decade of their franchise, the Oakland Raiders cut veteran DE Tommy Kelly on March 27th. Until that moment, Kelly was the longest-tenured Raider on the team’s roster.
In a move to save money and clear cap space, Oakland cut ties with Kelly, who was in the midst of a $50.1 million contract. He was owed $6.5 million in 2013. Coming off an impressive 2011 when he led the team with 7.5 sacks, Kelly only recorded 1 sack in a disappointing 2012 campaign.
It has been an offseason of real change for Oakland. A slew of recognizable Raiders have either found new homes or have yet to be re-signed, including Pro Bowl punter Shane Lechler, Michael Huff, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Richard Seymour, and Matt Shaughnessy. Whether the franchise is clearing cap room for future moves or simply eliminating all traces of the recent past has yet to be seen. Either way, 2013 promises to be a season of new faces for the Silver & Black by the Bay.
So MOBsters – how will Elvis & Osi perform in their new homes? And what’s up with Oakland?
Related articles
- Elvis Dumervil Signs With Baltimore (thenfldraftreport.wordpress.com)
- Report: Osi Umenyiora Bolts Giants, Signs with Atlanta Falcons on 2-Year Deal (bleacherreport.com)
- Elvis Dumervil signs with Baltimore Ravens (bucsnation.com)
Filed under: NFL Tagged: atlanta falcons, baltimore ravens, denver broncos, Elvis Dumervil, free agency, new york giants, NFL, oakland raiders, Osi Umenyiora, Terrell Suggs, Tommy Kelly Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
