Bernard Pierce underwent offseason shoulder surgery. (USATSI)
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While the Ravens are ready to welcome back running back Ray Rice, who pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated assault earlier this month and who likely won't face a trial or any jail time, it's unclear if the NFL will try to suspend him for his off-field actions.
If the NFL does find the need to punish Rice for his alleged physical encounter with his then-fiancee and now-wife, Baltimore will have to count on Bernard Pierce, the team's backup who has combined for 968 rushing yards and three touchdowns in his first two seasons in the league.
Except Pierce had rotator cuff surgery in the offseason, and he won't be available for OTAs and minicamp. Instead, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Saturday that Pierce should be ready to go by training camp.
“He's been allowed to move around a little bit, but we just can't risk him falling on it right now and having a setback,” Harbaugh said, via the team's official website. “So, you're probably looking at training camp for him, which shouldn't be an issue as long as you don't get a setback.”
If Pierce's recovery hits a snag and Rice is unavailable, the Ravens would have Lorenzo Taliaferro, who Baltimore drafted in the fourth round last weekend, along with Justin Forsett and Cierre Wood. Perhaps it's not time for Ravens fans to worry about their running back corps, but this kind of news isn't all that optimistic either.
NFL Hot News
Jets rookie TE Jace Amaro wants to be the next Tony Gonzalez
Now that Tony Gonzalez has retired, who can lay claim to the title of "The next Tony Gonzalez"? Well, that question might disappear in a handful of years when we'll all be asking "Who will be the next Jimmy Graham?" Plus, we have Vernon Davis, Julius Thomas, Jordan Cameron ... a tall, athletic, pass-catching tight end isn't as novel as it was 15 years ago.One of the league's newest tight ends to fit that mold is Jets second-round rookie Jace Amaro. The Texas Tech product set a Football Bowl Subdivision record among tight ends last year with 1,352 receiving yards. He is 6-foot-5, 265 pounds and has decent 4.72-40 speed. He is strong and, yes, athletic as he lined up in the slot often in college. So of course he wants to be the next Tony Gonzalez."I'd definitely like to (model) his game," Amaro said of Gonzalez to ESPN New York. "... That's someone who I'd ultimately love to be. He's supposedly the greatest tight end to ever play. That's somewhere where I want to be, too."Amaro caught 106 passes last year in the Red Raiders' up-tempo offense. He said catching 100 passes consistently in the NFL is one of his goals even if it takes him five or 10 years to fulfill it. Gonzalez topped 100 receptions just once in his long career, but he reached 90 or more five times.
A tight end has caught 100 passes in a season only three times in league history, so Amaro should probably modify his goal just a bit.My expectations for Amaro as a rookie aren't nearly as high. He'll need to spend a lot of time working on his blocking skills as the Jets should deploy a run-first offense. Amaro will definitely have an opportunity to carve out a role as an offensive producer since the Jets don't have an abundant amount of great receivers, and that's even more true at tight end where the lumbering Jeff Cumberland is their top veteran.But look at what those aforementioned current tight ends did as rookies. They are stars now, but their rookie seasons were learning experiences more than anything else. That's one of the reasons why Gonzalez was really special; he caught 76 passes for 849 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie in 1999. Amaro probably won't come close to those stats in 2014, but since the Jets can use all of the help they can get in the passing game, he'll probably have a couple of big games this year. His dynasty stock, however, should rise quickly.
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