Reports surfaced late last week, and were mentioned in this blog, that the Derrick Mason so-called retirement announcement was really a ploy to restructure his contract, but the Baltimore Ravens are proceeding as if the 12-year veteran with 790 receptions really isn't coming back. On Friday the Ravens are scheduled to work out veteran wide receivers Drew Bennett and D.J. Hackett, among others. Workouts in July aren't as rare as one might think, but in the Ravens' case, it appears they could use wide receiving help.
Currently the Ravens don't appear to have very much depth at the position, with Mark Clayton, Demetrius Williams, Marcus Smith and Kelley Washington the best they can offer. Bennett and Hackett haven't been fantasy fixtures for years -- really, if ever -- but it is interesting the team is looking to fortify the position. As it stands, second-year quarterback Joe Flacco isn't exactly coveted by fantasy owners, and the Mason retirement doesn't help, but it would be nice to see more weapons for him.
A future Hall of Fame name still on the market is former Indianapolis Colt Marvin Harrison. It might look strange to see Harrison receiving passes from someone other than Peyton Manning, but look for speculation all summer about Harrison looking for work in the wake of the Colts moving on without him.
• Browns fans rejoice! Derek Anderson claims he's fully recovered from his calf injury, and ready to make the quarterback competition with Brady Quinn and, in theory, newcomer Brett Ratliff a sight to behold. Sure, most fantasy owners are skeptical the Anderson we saw throw 29 touchdown passes in 2007 will resurface again, but he's certainly achieved more at the NFL level than Quinn. It's probably not a wise idea to assume the sour performance of Cleveland quarterbacks in 2008 will continue again, and fantasy owners in deep leagues should remain somewhat open-minded.
• The St. Petersburg Times projects Luke McCown as the Buccaneers' starting quarterback and Earnest Graham as the lead running back heading into training camp. Then again, new Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris does not work for that, or as far as I know any, newspaper. Fantasy owners are probably not paying much attention to the quarterback competition between McCown and Byron Leftwich, but Derrick Ward versus Graham is a pretty significant one.
• Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry claims he's a new man, one who hasn't gotten into trouble in more than a calendar year and is ready to take off and become a productive player. Staying out of trouble for more than a year might qualify him for the Hall of Fame. "I just got tired of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," Henry said. "I had to do it for me and my family. I love to play football and I didn't want to blow it." While Henry has frustrated the Bengals and fantasy owners in the past, there is a void in the wide receiver rotation where T.J. Houshmandzadeh used to be, and the opportunity is there for Henry. It's rarely a surprise to see troubled players wax poetic over the summer about new beginnings, but don't overlook Henry in deep leagues; he did score nine touchdowns as recently as 2006 and Carson Palmer is a fan of his.
• According to The Miami Herald the Dolphins have approached running back Ronnie Brown about a contract extension. Brown can be a free agent after the 2010 season. Other than the Week 3 game at New England in which Brown accounted for five touchdowns, he was mainly a fantasy nonfactor, ceding carries to Ricky Williams. Maybe a contract extension would give Brown a larger role in the offense. In other Dolphins news, singer Marc Anthony has become a minority owner in the franchise, following in the footsteps of Gloria Estefan. The Dolphins might not move the ball much this season, but they'll certainly have rhythm.
• Former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is officially a free man after serving 23 months for a dogfighting conviction. Vick isn't yet eligible to play in the NFL, pending a meeting with league commissioner Roger Goodell, and already a few teams have made it clear they have no interest in adding Vick to their team. Expect this story to remain in the news for a while -- yes, even longer than the Brett Favre saga! -- but from a fantasy football aspect, there's no value at this point.
• By the way, rumor has it Favre will make a decision on whether he will play in the NFL this season by the end of the week. In other news, my mother said if I had nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.
