The arrival of Bryant McKinnie might bring with it significant changes to the Ravens' offensive line.
McKinnie played left tackle during the entirety of his nine-year run with the Minnesota Vikings, and he said in a radio interview Wednesday that Baltimore told him he would remain in that role with his new club.
"I'm pretty much ready to go," McKinnie said on ESPN Radio via CSNbaltimore.com.
If McKinnie stays in the role he's accustomed to, incumbent left tackle Michael Oher will likely be shifting to right tackle.
Oher won't be unfamiliar with the position, having played right tackle during his rookie season in 2009. The former first-round pick was moved to the left side last year, but many observers felt he was stronger on the right side.
The Ravens reached a two-year agreement McKinnie on Tuesday, with the deal becoming official when McKinnie passed his physical Wednesday. The Carroll County Timesreported Wednesday that the deal is worth $7.5 million with a $1 million signing bonus.
McKinnie is in line to begin practicing with the Ravens on Saturday.
McKinnie was released by the Vikings at the start of training camp after reporting overweight. McKinnie -- who reportedly entered Minnesota camp at nearly 400 pounds -- insists his release was more a financial decision.
"It was honestly more of a numbers game about having their salary cap at a certain point, which really wasn't mentioned too much," he said. "That's what it was really about: restructuring my contract and stuff like that and my agent really didn't agree with it so we chose for me to be released."
McKinnie believes his weight is not an issue, and said Minnesota never had him take a conditioning test. The Ravens have him listed at 345 pounds.
"I feel like I've been in shape the whole time," he said.
McKinnie has a reputation for having character issues, and has been in hot water with both the law and the league over past behavior. But given Baltimore's depth concerns on their offensive line, the decision to bring the former Pro Bowler aboard was made.
Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement the team has been fortunate in landing productive players late in training camp in their recent past, and McKinnie is no exception.
"Bryant falls in this category. He's been a productive player at one of the hardest positions to play, and he has been in sync with Matt Birk when Matt was a Viking," Newsome said. "Plus, he has a relationship with Michael Oher and our (University of) Miami players. Ray (Lewis) and Ed (Reed) vouch for him as a person and as a player who can help us. I know these veteran players are happy we're adding Bryant."
