Unless you’re a diehard Baltimore Ravens fan, you’d probably never heard of Brynden Trawick prior to Sept. 5. The undrafted rookie free agent made his NFL debut for the Ravens against the Broncos last week on national TV. What should have been one of the best days of Trawick’s life took an ugly turn when he ran into teammate and punt returner Jacoby Jones. In a moment Trawick went from unknown rookie to goat. The news got worse the next day when it was revealed that Jones would miss four-six weeks with a sprained knee.
Trawick’s gaffe set off a series of unintended consequences, and angry tweets, over the past week. The biggest surprise of all may be that Trawick is still on the Ravens’ roster.
The injury to Jones hurts the Ravens’ passing and return game. Jones made national headlines when he hauled in Joe Flacco’s last minute heave to tie the Broncos in the Divisional Playoff round in January but before that day his most impactful plays in a Ravens’ uniform were kickoff and punt returns for touchdowns. The offseason trade of Anquan Boldin to San Francisco thrust Jones into the #2 wide receiver role. Jones started the game with three catches for 24 yards before Trawick plowed him over. The loss of Jones sent the Ravens offense into disarray, opened up an opportunity for a rookie wide receiver, resulted in a player being cut, and provided a second chance for a recent castoff.
Ravens fans rejoiced when disappointing former fourth round draft pick Tandon Doss was cut prior to the start of the season. Doss arrived in Baltimore from the University of Indiana with a reputation for running solid routes and having great hands. Doss never had trouble getting open but apparently left his hands in Bloomington. After watching Doss struggle to make plays last season and again during the preseason Baltimore cut him loose and kept a pair of rookie wide receivers instead. Down a receiver and a kick returner the Ravens brought Doss back into the fold earlier this week. He should send a fruit basket to Trawick.
In order to add Doss to the roster the Ravens chose to release linebacker Robert James. Trawick’s poor judgment set off this game of dominoes but he kept his job while James was kicked to the curb.
The Ravens signed veteran running back and kick returner Shaun Draughn on Wednesday to give them additional depth in the return game. Rookie WR Aaron Mellette was placed on season-ending Injured Reserve to make room for Draughn. The move reeks of redshirting as Mellette, who didn’t have a reported injury, will remain under team control and attend meetings for the rest of the season. Mellette’s rookie season ended before it even started and he has Trawick to thank.
While Trawick’s boner created opportunity for Doss and Draughn it’s another rookie WR who may be forever in his debt. Baltimore signed Marlon Brown as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Georgia last spring. Brown was a highly regarded recruit who generally disappointed during his time with the Bulldogs. The 6’5” pass catcher suffered a torn ACL in November and tumbled down draft lists. Brown impressed the Ravens brass in an extended preseason look and was on the active roster for last week’s opener in Denver. The injury to Jacoby Jones thrust Brown into the lineup and after a few wide-eyed moments he made some impressive plays. Brown quickly emerged as the darling of fantasy league waiver wires. With Jones sidelined for another month Brown will have ample opportunity to gain the trust of QB Joe Flacco and offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell.
—Follow Dan Soderberg on Twitter @dadstimeout