Ravens DT Michael Pierce Pulled From Practice After Arriving Out Of Shape
BALTIMORE (WJZ)- The Baltimore Ravens opened their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday running the full team through their first obligatory practice session of the season. While the first day back can be a difficult one after a long offseason, Tuesday was a particularly bad day for defensive tackle Michael Pierce. According to ESPN, Pierce's first day of practice ended suddenly when he was sent off the field due to a lack of conditioning.
Head coach John Harbaugh told ESPN that the 26-year-old tackle was not ready to practice yet and that is why he made the decision to pull him off the field.
"He's not ready to practice from a safety standpoint and for his own health," Harbaugh said. "We recognize that and pulled him off."
Pierce had skipped all of the team's voluntary workouts so far this offseason and showed up Tuesday looking to be over his normal playing weight of 340 pounds. After a strong 2018 season in which he was a big part of the Ravens finishing 3rd in Football Outsiders' weighted defense metric, Pierce was rated as the fifth-best interior lineman by Pro Football Focus.
Pierce signed a one-year $3 million contract this offseason as a restricted free agent and will be unrestricted following this season. His contract season has not gotten off to a good start.
