Mere days after being released by the Oakland Raiders, veteran offensive tackle Austin Howard didn’t last long on the free agent market.
The injury-ravaged Baltimore Ravens reportedly signed the seven-year veteran on Friday and will likely have him compete with James Hurst for the starting right tackle spot.
Ravens close to finalizing deal with former Raiders' OT Austin Howard, who's in Baltimore today to take physical with team, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 4, 2017
Howard, 30, was a surprise cut by the Raiders due to finances late last month. He had started 39 of the 40 games he appeared in with the team over the past three seasons. Prior to that, Howard started all 32 games in his final two seasons with the New York Jets.
This signing comes on the heels of the Ravens losing offensive linemen John Urschel (retirement) and Nico Siragusa (knee) for the 2017 season.
Baltimore has seen a disturbingly high amount of injuries thus far this summer. That includes the likes quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Kenneth Dixon. At the very least, the team was able to add a lineman with starting experience to team up with an otherwise inexperienced unit.