Ravens give Leftwich a look -- baltimoresun.com
Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome told The Sun today that the team has had "a couple of small conversations" with Byron Leftwich's agent.
The Ravens are believed to be one of seven teams to have preliminary talks with Leftwich, a four-year starting quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars who was cut Saturday after the team decided to go with David Garrard.
Like the other teams that have had conversations with Leftwich, the Ravens aren't expected to make a hard push for him, and they have to decide whether adding Leftwich would be a distraction for a team that has enjoyed a smooth preseason.
Even if the Ravens picked up Leftwich, he likely would come in as the No. 3 quarterback this season. He could have better opportunities of playing this season elsewhere.
It was only four years ago when the Ravens thought they had Leftwich. The Ravens completed a last-minute trade with the Minnesota Vikings to jump three spots up to No. 7, but they got a busy signal when trying to inform league headquarters as time expired and couldn't complete the deal in time to draft Leftwich.
Instead, the Jaguars took Leftwich with the seventh pick and the Ravens selected linebacker Terrell Suggs with the 10th. The Ravens later traded back into the first round to draft quarterback Kyle Boller.
In the past, the Ravens have resisted showing interest in other available quarterbacks because they seemed set with Steve McNair as the starter and Boller as the backup.
But the Ravens could be thinking about whether Leftwich is a fit for the future. McNair will turn 35 after the season, and Boller is in the final year of his contract (although the Ravens haven't ruled out re-signing him). The other quarterback on the roster is Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith.
Leftwich, 27, is looking for a fresh start after four rocky and injury-filled seasons with the Jaguars.
Because of ankle and knee problems, he hasn't played a full season in the NFL and missed 15 games the past two years.
He publicly clashed with Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio, questioning his decisions to the media. Del Rio said Leftwich lied to him several times about his health.