There’s no doubt that even despite a subpar season in 2013, Joe Flacco is entrenched as the quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens. After all, he’s getting paid more than $120 million through 2018.
But given the team’s backup quarterback situation, Baltimore has kept tabs on the two quarterbacks in both Case Keenum and T.J. Yates of the Houston Texans, according to the Baltimore Sun, which expects one of whom to be available if and when the team drafts a quarterback next month.
Both Yates and Keenum were draft picks under former Texans coach and current Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, who probably wants a player familiar with his system behind Flacco on the depth chart. Per the report, the Ravens may wait until after May’s draft to try and acquire or sign either Yates or Keenum, if the team elects to pass on mid-round prospects such as Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garppolo or Alabama’s A.J. McCarron.
Per beat reporter Jeff Zrebiec:
The Ravens also are keeping an eye on the Houston Texans’ quarterback situation with either T.J. Yates or Case Keenum, who both have familiarity with Gary Kubiak’s offense, possibly getting their release after the draft. The Ravens would be intrigued, especially by Yates. It appears that the most likely scenario is the Ravens waiting until later in the draft and drafting a developmental quarterback. However, they might not be able to resist a guy like Garoppolo or McCarron if they are available in the compensatory portion of the third round.
Tyrod Taylor and Nick Stephens are the only other quarterbacks on the Ravens’ roster, while the team has reportedly kept an eye on middle- and late-round prospects such as the aforementioned Garappolo and McCaron, as well as Georgia’s Aaron Murray, Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas and Ball State’s Keith Wenning.
Baltimore needs to find a long-term backup behind Flacco, as Taylor is a free agent after the 2014 season and has not fared too well in a fill-in role. He also isn’t an ideal fit in Kubiak’s scheme.
According to the Baltimore Ravens’ official team page, the team was in talks with former Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden before he signed on with the Dallas Cowboys. Per the official site, the team “might want to upgrade their backup quarterback position.”
