vonta leach

Forner Midshipmen was treated to nice ovation in first appearance since 2015 at old stomping grounds.

The Ravens have made offers to several of their top free agents, a group that includes right tackle Rick Wagner, nose tackle Brandon Williams and fullback Kyle

Ravens mailbag:

Sept. 9

From his seat at the Super Bowl on Sunday, Vonta Leach will summon the past — the Ravens' ascent to the top in the 2012 season and that glorious scoreboard, at game's end, which he'll not forget: Ravens 34, San Francisco 49ers 31.

Following a season in which he primarily served as a lead blocker for running back Justin Forsett, who rushed for a career-high 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns, fullback Kyle Juszczyk will report to training camp on Wednesday with designs on catching more passes this season.

There seems to be a consensus among football pundits leaguewide: The Ravens, who annually lose veteran talent and replace it with young and unproven players, will again enter the season as one of the better teams in the AFC, and in good position to make the playoffs for the seventh time in head coach John Harbaugh's eight seasons.

In the past three years, the Ravens have gone from having one of the older rosters in the NFL to being in the middle of the pack.

The departure of Torrey Smith means that all of Joe Flacco's weapons from the Super Bowl XLVII-winning team are now gone.

Andre Johnson fits the profile of the type of wide receiver the Ravens have added in the past, but would adding him really make sense?

Should the Packers advance to the Super Bowl, then Juszczyk would make it to the Pro Bowl as a first alternate with Packers fullback John Kuhn unable to play in the Pro Bowl because of preparations for the big game.

Kiero Small has three NFL starts under his belt as he joins the Baltimore Ravens as a practice squad fullback.

Every team in the AFC North is two games above .500, leading some pundits to suggest that it's the best division in football. But the NFC West is still better.

When the Ravens installed Kyle Juszczyk as their new starting fullback this season, it represented a dramatic change from their previous lead blocker.

Former Ravens Pro Bowl fullback Le'Ron Mcclain was arrested on a felony charge of synthetic marijuana trafficking in his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Wednesday night, according to Tuscaloosa police.

Before Steve Smith's arrival this offseason, Torrey Smith was the Ravens' unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver. That has changed somewhat this season.

Ravens star wide receiver Torrey Smith smiled Friday afternoon as he opened up a shoe box Friday afternoon in the locker room, breaking out a shiny new pair of football cleats.

When the Ravens installed former Harvard standout Kyle Juszczyk as their new starting fullback as the replacement for Vonta Leach, they immediately hoped that he would emerge as a hybrid pass-catching option with his capabilities to line up at H-back or tight end.

Baltimpre Sun columnist Mike Preston shares his observations from Ravens training camp

The Ravens felt comfortable enough with Juszczyk, a fourth-round draft pick last year from Harvard, to release Vonta Leach in February.

The 32-year-old doesn't intend to retire at this time and has been engaging in what he calls "Organized Vonta Activities" as he continues to run and lift weights each day to remain ready in case a team calls him.

The Ravens 2012 draft class made an immediate impact but struggled in year two. The Ravens need their 2013 draftees to flourish to get back to playoffs.

There was no big youth movement this offseason like there was last year, but when the Baltimore Ravens open up the 2014 campaign, they could again boast of having a relatively young team.

Ravens fullback Kyle Juszczyk will likely be a beneficiary of Gary Kubiak's arrival as offensive coordinator.

There is no such thing as an ideal schedule, but there is a favorable one and the Ravens appear to have gotten just that with an early-season Thursday game, a late bye week and a soft finish.

Shortly after Terrance West finished working out for the Ravens on Monday at their training complex, the Towson star junior running back got a text message from coach John Harbaugh saying he intends to stay in touch.

During an hour-plus talk at the NFL owners meetings, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh revealed that Kelechi Osemele will likely play left guard and labeled Rick Wagner the favorite at right tackle.

After struggling to establish himself in three seasons with the Ravens, wide receiver Tandon Doss has taken his act to Jacksonville.

Since signing with the Ravens, Steve Smith has told anyone who will listen that he's not the final piece of the team's championship puzzle.

The release of Vonta Leach and Jameel McClain was the right business decision, but that doesn't mean it was an easy one to jettison two of the team's most popular and beloved players.

The Ravens have carved out more salary-cap breathing room by terminating the contracts of veteran fullback Vonta Leach and inside linebacker Jameel McClain on Thursday, creating $4.95 million in salary-cap space.

Looking to create more room under the salary cap, the Ravens have released Vonta Leach and Jameel McClain, two veterans with diminished roles.

As the Ravens continue to haggle with their unrestricted free agents, their financial situation has been upgraded.

The fact that the Ravens' decision makers hadn't spoken to Ray Rice nearly 60 hours after his arrest spurred even more questions about the status of the running back.

The Browns have hired former Ravens running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery, who parted ways with the organization after the season.

Ravens fullback Vonta Leach reached out to Ravens coach John Harbaugh and encouraged him to interview Gary Kubiak, his former coach in Houston, for the team's vacant offensive coordinator position.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco better start loosening his arm in case the team hires Scott Linehan as offensive coordinator.

"The Ravens aren't cheap," said Joel Corry, a former NFL agent who writes about the business of football for National Football Post. Now the team must face several complicated personnel and financial decisions.

Wilbert Montgomery, the Ravens' running backs coach for the previous six seasons, will not return next year after the team had its worst rushing season in franchise history.

While all the talk has been on Terrell Suggs' future, there are several other long-term Ravens who may have played their last games in purple.

Playing time dwindled for Pro Bowl fullback Vonta Leach when the Ravens' offense scrapped the I-formation in favor of three-wide receiver sets.

Besides defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, another candidate to possibly have his contract restructured this offseason is cornerback Lardarius Webb.

Baltimore Sun reporter Aaron Wilson looks at the film from the Ravens' season-ending loss to the Bengals.

Each week, Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston will answer questions from readers about the Ravens.