News

Ravens Sign Arena League QB David Olson After Joe Flacco Gets Injured

The Baltimore Ravens announced on Friday their signing of arena league quarterback David Olson.

Ravens QB David Olson Arena League

The team is in desperate need of a passer after starter Joe Flacco injured his back on the first day of training camp on Thursday. Flacco is expected to miss a week.

Olson, 25, most recently played a 12-game season with the Kansas City Phantoms of the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league, an arena football league based in the Midwest. He also had stints with the CIF’s Wichita Force and the Indoor Football League’s Iowa Barnstormers — the same arena team Kurt Warner played for.

Before that, Olson played as a backup at Stanford under Ravens head coach John Harbaugh’s brother Jim. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck beat Olson for the starting position at Stanford. In his final season, Olson transferred to Clemson. Olson never tossed a pass at Stanford and only completed one of three passes at Clemson for a loss of one yard.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.

Olson now joins two other Ravens quarterbacks: Ryan Mallett, who is expected to start in place of Flacco, and Dustin Vaughan, who is on his fourth team in four seasons.

Baltimore’s signing of Olson comes after speculation that the Ravens could add free agent Colin Kaepernick to their roster. Harbaugh praised Kaepernick earlier this week.

“He’s a really good football player,” Harbaugh said of Kaepernick after practice Thursday. “I believe he’s a really good person. It all depends on a lot of things. It depends on Colin first of all and what’s his passion, what’s his priority, what’s he want to do, what kind of shape he’s in. So we’ll just see where it goes. I don’t think it’s different for us than any other team.”

Flacco is due to count $24.55 million against the salary cap in 2017 but finished last season with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. His 83.5 passer rating was 24th among starting quarterbacks. On Friday, Flaccco provided an update on his injury:


The Ravens finished the 2016 season 8-8 and second in the AFC North. Baltimore hosts the Washington Redskins on Aug. 1 for its first preseason game, and visits the Cincinnati Bengals for its season opener on Sept. 10.

TEMPE, AZ – DECEMBER 07: Quarterback David Olson #10 of the Stanford Cardinal during the Pac 12 Championship game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium on December 7, 2013 in Tempe, Arizona. The Carindal defeated the Sun Devils 38-14. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Pablo Mena

Writer and assistant editor for usports.org. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.

Recent Posts

Diontae Johnson Excited To Move From Panthers To Ravens, Could Help In Playoff Push

Wide receiver Diontae Johnson is reportedly settling in well with the Baltimore Ravens after the…

12 hours ago

What Happened To Aaron Judge? After Yankees Fall Short In World Series, Fans Are Asking Questions

Aaron Judge seemed to flip the script on his disastrous World Series and postseason with…

12 hours ago

As The Yankees Collapse In World Series, Free Agency Battle For Juan Soto Begins

The New York Yankees' 2024 season came to a screeching halt Wednesday night when the…

2 days ago

Dodgers Win World Series In Game 5, Yankees Blow Five-Run Lead In Disastrous Finale

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 to win…

2 days ago

Brad Pitt Makes Surprise Appearance At Mexican Grand Prix To Shoot His Movie, ‘F1’

https://youtu.be/Y69VZZt9rt4 Brad Pitt made a surprise appearance at the Mexican Grand Prix’s practice round on Oct. 26.…

2 days ago

76er’s Joel Embiid Stays In NBA News Even While Not Playing

Joel Embiid’s name came up twice in NBA news this week as he continues to…

3 days ago