Ravens sign Donte’ Stallworth to one-year deal
February 17th, 2010 | by Kevin Hanson |It’s not a well-kept secret that the Ravens need help at wide receiver. Help is now on the way in the form of Donte’ Stallworth, who was recently reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell following a year-long suspension and subsequently released by the Cleveland Browns.
Stallworth, who served 24 days in jail for a DUI vehicular manslaughter charge, signed a one-year contract with the Ravens for $900,000 and can earn an additional $300,000, according to ESPN.
“We’ve given a lot of thought to this and we’ve done extensive research into Donte’ beyond football,” Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. “He made a huge mistake. There’s no doubt about that. He has paid a significant price for that and, as he has said, he carries a heavy weight. As [Ravens owner] Steve [Bisciotti] has said, we believe in second chances, and Donte’ does deserve that.
“But, we’ve signed him because we want to get better, and we think he has a chance to help us. We worked him out and it’s obvious he is working hard to be effective. We thought it was important to sign him now, because other teams were pursuing him and we want him in our offseason program, which starts next month.”
The size of the contract limits the on-the-field risk with Stallworth, who has reportedly run some 4.3 40’s recently.
Based on last year’s roster, it’s conceivable — perhaps likely — that Stallworth will be the team’s second-best receiver after Derrick Mason, who may or may not return for another season. That is less of a compliment to Stallworth than it is an indictment on receiver Mark Clayton, who caught 34 passes for 480 yards.
In his last full season (with New England in 2007), Stallworth finished with 46 receptions for 697 yards.
With the current state of the receiving corps, the Ravens will hopefully add additional receiver talent and depth via trade and/or the draft in April.
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