Advertisement

Ravens reinstate troubled linebacker Rolando McClain, but will he get a chance?

Ravens reinstate troubled linebacker Rolando McClain, but will he get a chance?

The Baltimore Ravens are giving Rolando McClain another shot. We think.

McClain had retired from football and yet stated his intentions to come back this season, and the Ravens gave him a workout on Tuesday. But it didn't go well, per an NFL.com report, and all indications were that his career might be over when he showed up late, couldn't finish his conditioning test and didn't do everything that was asked of him.

So why did the Ravens change his status? It could be a procedural affair, and the Ravens plan to waive him at some point. But right now, he's on their roster.

The former No. 8 pick in the 2010 draft started his career with the Oakland Raiders with promise, but things quickly derailed, which led to the team walking away from him. In a 17-month span between 2011 and 2013, he was arrested three times, including a year ago for disorderly conduct — just two weeks after he signed a contract with the Ravens, who opted to give him another shot.

Less than two weeks after that, McClain announced his retirement from the league. He was said to be addressing his issues, and the Ravens kept watch on him, as GM Ozzie Newsome — a fellow Alabama player — hoped to keep McClain in the Ravens' picture and get his life in order.

During last month's Alabama pro day, which McClain attended, he told the media that he felt he was making strides.

"I really focused on the things I need to get right, and football wasn't one of those things," he said. "I feel better as a person overall.”

So could McClain, still only 24 years old, get yet another chance? Even with this designation, it's not clear if he has a real future in the NFL, with Tuesday's workout an indication that he still has a lot of work to do. But it appears, as of this writing, that the Ravens hadn't completely closed the door on giving him that shot to do so.

- - - - - - -

Eric Edholm

is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!