Ravens Sign L.J. Smith

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has to be happy about this. Today, the Ravens signed former Philadelphia Eagles tight end L.J. Smith to a one-year contract, giving Joe yet another weapon in his continually evolving offensive arsenal. Along with Todd Heap, this gives Baltimore two top-level, pass-catching tight ends. As improved as I think Joe will be this season (and I think he will be vastly improved over his impressive 2008 rookie season), adding L.J. is only going to make him that much better. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was in a pretty good mood about it as well:

“We are very pleased to add such a talented and experienced tight end. Obviously I had the opportunity to be around L.J. for a number of years in Philadelphia, and there is a comfort level that we have with each other. I know that he is a good fit as a Raven and will be a great addition to our team.”

No kidding. The Steelers are still the team to beat in the AFC North (and in the entire AFC for that matter), but the Ravens will certainly be hot on their heels. L.J. has been banged up a bit over the past couple seasons (sports hernia, shoulder injuries), but when he’s been on the field, he’s been very productive. That’s why he was considered by many to be one of the top free agent tight ends this offseason. As an example, during the 2005-2006 seasons, he had 111 catches for 1,293 yards and eight touchdowns. Now that’s production. The Ravens just hope they can keep him healthy.

Source: BaltimoreRavens.com, Photo: Newscom