The Baltimore Ravens didn’t sign free-agent wide receiver Dez Bryant, but they did sign someone from that workout. Baltimore announced they’ve signed punter Johnny Townsend and wide receiver DeAndrew White to their roster, bringing it back up to 80 players.
While Bryant was the biggest name from the workouts held last week, Townsend was the only one signed. He apparently impressed enough to earn a deal with the Ravens, who have had a knack for finding and developing top special teams talent.
Last year, Baltimore was able to trade kicker/punter Kaare Vedvik to the Minnesota Vikings for a fifth-round pick. While Vedvik has bounced around the league since that time, the league is full of former Ravens kickers and punters. Townsend is likely just a camp leg with Baltimore still having Sam Koch on the roster, but it’s a great opportunity for him to parlay his time with the Ravens into something more.
White is a journeyman wide receiver, having come into the NFL in 2015 as an undrafted free agents. White has spent time with the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, and Carolina Panthers since that time. While White has a handful of receptions over his five years in the league, he’s likely being looked at more for his ability on special teams.
White was active for 10 games with the Panthers last season, returning 10 kicks for 226 yards. He also caught four passes for 51 yards and had four tackles. He’ll be competing with the likes of Chris Moore and Kenjon Barner for one of the final roster spots on the team.
