Baltimore Ravens Tickets - Anderson Out, Washington In by Brent Warnken

The Baltimore Ravens have been making more offseason moves since the 2009 NFL Draft wrapped up, and the most recent addition is wide receiver Kelley Washington, who was an unrestricted free agent. At the same time, the Ravens moved offensive tackle Willie Anderson to the reserved/retired list. Washington follows in the footsteps of the numerous new additions through this year's NFL Draft. The Ravens picked up tackle Michael Oher in the first round with the 23rd overall pick. In the second round, the Ravens picked up Utah defensive end Paul Kruger with the 57th overall pick. Defensive back Lardarius Webb came next in the third round from Nicholls State. They didn't pick again until the fifth round where they picked up inside linebacker Jason Phillips. They rounded out their picks with tight end Davon Drew in the fifth round and running back Cedric Peerman in the sixth round. Fans can see all of the new players with Baltimore Ravens tickets online.

The terms of the deal with Washington have not yet been released, but he is expected to participate in the Ravens' passing camp. The Ravens weren't the only team vying for Washington's attention. Washington is an impressive receiver at 6-foot 3-inches and 215 pounds. Even though he eventually focused on football, Washington originally wanted to play baseball and signed a contract with the Florida Marlins in 1997. After spending four seasons with their minor league team, he decided to play football at the University of Tennessee. After his sophomore year at Tennessee, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft as the 65th overall pick. That first season, he played in every game and started three, finishing with 22 receptions, 299 yards and four touchdowns. He stayed with the Bengals through the 2006 season, but struggled with injuries during the 2005 season. He came to the New England Patriots in 2007, becoming a contributor on special teams.

Willie Anderson was also a former Bengal, being drafted by Cincinnati in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft as the 10th overall pick. He spent his college career at Auburn, being named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press his junior year. He played in every game his first year, making 10 starts. From 1997 to 2006, he started every single regular season except for two. He suffered an injury in 2007, limiting him to seven games and five starts. Last year with the Ravens, Anderson started 11 games and played in 14.

In 2008, the Ravens finished with a record of 11-5, putting them second in the AFC North behind the eventually Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers also beat them in the playoffs in the conference championship game, after the Ravens topped the Miami Dolphins and the Tennessee Titans. The Ravens finished number two in overall defense last season, but number 18th in overall offense, perhaps why they are looking to Washington to provide some top talent for the 2009 season.

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