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Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Patrick Ricard, one of the NFL’s most versatile players over the past decade, is on the move again, trying his third position for the Baltimore Ravens.
Ricard, a Pro Bowl fullback the past four seasons, worked exclusively with the offensive line Monday after he was activated off the physically unable to perform list. He missed the first 10 practices of training camp after having offseason hip surgery, and he surprisingly switched positions in his return.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said there is a chance 6-foot-3, 305-pound Ricard will get reps on the offensive line.
“We just want to look at it right now and see what it looks like,” Harbaugh said. “If you feel good about it, then keep moving with it. It’s kind of late [in training camp], so he’d really, really have to look good for us to do that. With Pat, you never know. I wouldn’t count him out.”
A defensive lineman at the University of Maine, Ricard made the Ravens in 2017 as an undrafted rookie and garnered the nickname “Project Pat” when he split time at fullback. In 2019, he became the first NFL player in 10 years to play over 100 snaps on offense and defense in the same season, lining up at fullback and defensive tackle.
Ricard, 29, hasn’t played on defense the past three seasons, but he’s now looking to gain an additional role in Baltimore’s new offense. Under former offensive coordinator Greg Roman, the Ravens relied heavily on Ricard in their run-heavy game plan. With new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Baltimore might not use a fullback as regularly as in previous years.
“Pat’s quite an athlete,” Harbaugh said. “He can do a lot of different things. Maybe we expand his role for a little bit of time here and see what he does.”