Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun believes signing veteran TE Gary Barnidge would make some sense for the Ravens now that they’ve lost Dennis Pitta to another hip injury and Darren Waller has been suspended for at least one year.
As of now, the Ravens have Ben Watson, Maxx Williams, and Crockett Gillmore at tight end, but all of them are either coming off of injury or are still dealing with injury issues.
The market for Barnidge has been slow moving up to this point, but he told Don Banks of Patriots.com a few weeks ago that he still has good years left in him.
“My first seven years in the league, I didn’t play that much, so my legs are good to go,” Barnidge said. “I’ve still got good years left.”
While Barnidge visited with the Bills and has found some interest from the Broncos, Jaguars, and Panthers, he plans to wait for another opportunity to surface.
“I’ve got to just sit and wait,” Barnidge said. “Wherever I can get an opportunity and contribute, that’s been the motto of my career. I didn’t expect to, but I’m waiting again to show what I can do.”
Barnidge, 31, is a former fifth-round pick of the Panthers back in 2008. He spent five years in Carolina before signing a three-year contract with the Browns.
The Browns surprisingly cut Barnidge loose last week a day after they traded up in round one to get Miami TE David Njoku.
In 2016, Barnidge appeared in all 16 games and caught 55 passes for 612 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 25 tight end out of 63 qualifying players.
We have him featured in our Top 50 Available Free Agents list.
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