The Ravens' kicker for Thursday night is now the Atlanta Falcons' kicker.
Atlanta is signing Jake Moody off Baltimore's practice squad and adding him to its 53-man roster, according to Jordan Schultz, who first reported the move. The Falcons are also releasing veteran Nick Folk, who had made 13 of 18 field-goal attempts this season. Moody is expected to take over as the Falcons' starter right away.
That leaves the Ravens in a bind. Tyler Loop is on injured reserve with a groin injury, and Moody was the only healthy kicker Baltimore had. With the Los Angeles Chargers coming to M&T Bank Stadium for "Monday Night Football" on Nov. 16, the Ravens now have less than a week to find someone to handle field goals, extra points and kickoffs.
It is another hit for a team that has lost four straight, is turning to its fourth quarterback of the season and spent Monday talking about a full-scale reset.
Why Moody Wasn't on the Ravens' 53-Man Roster
Moody kicked in Thursday's 33-10 loss to Jacksonville, making his only field-goal try — a 53-yarder in the first quarter — and his lone extra point. So how could another team simply take him four days later?
The answer is that Moody never actually joined Baltimore's 53-man roster. He played Thursday as a practice squad elevation, not as a signed member of the active roster.
Here's how that works under the NFL's practice squad rules:
- Elevations are temporary. Teams can promote a practice squad player for a single game without signing him to the 53. After the game, the player automatically reverts to the practice squad — no waivers required. Moody reverted to Baltimore's practice squad on Friday, according to the league's transaction log. Each player can be elevated only three times in a season, and Thursday was Moody's first.
- Practice squad players are free agents in waiting. Any other team can sign a player off a practice squad, as long as it puts him on its own 53-man roster. The original team has no chance to match the offer.
- Protection is limited. Teams can shield a handful of practice squad players from being poached each week, but those protections are short-term and must be renewed weekly. They don't stop a player from leaving permanently once the window lapses.
In other words, this wasn't a waiver claim. The Falcons didn't need Baltimore's permission or a spot in the waiver order. They offered Moody a 53-man roster job — with the salary and job security that come with it — and he took it.
The Ravens could have prevented it by signing Moody to their own active roster after Loop went on injured reserve. Instead, they kept the elevation route open, likely to preserve roster flexibility during a chaotic stretch at quarterback that included adding Jacoby Brissett by trade and waiving Austin Reed. That decision cost them their kicker.
Tyler Loop Can't Return Until After the Bye
Baltimore placed Loop on injured reserve on Nov. 3 after he injured his right groin in the 36-10 loss at Buffalo. He must miss at least four games, which makes Week 14 — after the Ravens' Week 13 bye — the earliest he can return.
Loop's second season had been uneven before the injury. He made 13 of 17 field goals and all 18 extra points through eight games, a stretch that included a walk-off 56-yarder to beat Dallas in overtime in Week 3. But his misses were costly enough that head coach Jesse Minter publicly called out his second-half misses after a Week 6 loss at Cleveland, comparing them to turnovers.
Moody's Revolving Door in Baltimore
The Falcons' move ends Moody's third stint with the Ravens in less than three months.
The former Michigan kicker — who overlapped with Minter in Ann Arbor during the 2022 season, Minter's first as the Wolverines' defensive coordinator — first joined Baltimore's practice squad in August, after Loop missed three of his eight field-goal attempts in the preseason. The Ravens released him on Sept. 15 after Loop hit field goals of 57 and 45 yards in the season-opening win at Indianapolis.
Baltimore brought Moody back to the practice squad on Oct. 20, after Loop's third miss of the season in the Cleveland loss, as direct competition. When Loop got hurt two weeks later, Moody finally got the call, then lost his Ravens future just as quickly.
For Moody, a 2023 third-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta is a chance at a starting job after a winding couple of seasons with the 49ers, Bears and Commanders. He entered this season 64-of-82 on career field-goal attempts.
What Comes Next for the Ravens
Baltimore will need to sign a kicker, either from another team's practice squad or from the free-agent pool, in time to get him reps with long snapper Nick Moore and holder Ryan Eckley before Monday night. A new snap-hold-kick operation in a primetime game is not ideal for a team trying to stop a four-game slide, but the Ravens have one extra practice day this week because of the Monday kickoff.
Whoever Baltimore signs will likely hold the job for at least the next three games before Loop is eligible to return.
Kickoff Information
Matchup: Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore Ravens
When: Monday, Nov. 16, 8:15 p.m. ET
Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
TV: ESPN