- The Washington Times - Friday, March 27, 2020

The Baltimore Ravens thought they were bolstering their defensive line by signing Michael Brockers of the Los Angeles Rams.

Instead, Brockers won’t make it to the East Coast and the defensive tackle inked a new deal with the Rams after Baltimore couldn’t check out an issue with Brockers’ ankle.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NFL has disallowed teams from letting their scouts or coaches travel, and free agents and draft prospects aren’t able to visit teams’ facilities. Further, Dr. Anthony Casolaro, president of the NFL Physicians Society and the Washington Redskins’ co-head physician, said Monday that free agents and draft prospects would not be allowed to take physicals for the time being, arguing it wasn’t the right use of medical resources during the pandemic.

Previously, players and teams were trying to arrange physicals with mutually agreed-upon doctors that weren’t located far from the free agents. Tom Brady, for example, passed a physical last week with a doctor in New York.

Brockers and the Ravens had agreed to a three-year, $30 million deal. But instead, he returned to the Rams — armed with their previous knowledge of his medical history — for a three-year deal with a maximum value of $31.5 million, NFL Network reported.

The confusion resulted in an opportunity for Brockers to be paid a bit more, so maybe this worked out well for him in the end. The Ravens, meanwhile, would have made Brockers a starter on the D-line and have a new hole to fill.

• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.

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