Defensive Line

David Sperry, a starting cornerback for the Navy football team, has left the school after violating academy rules, two sources familiar with the situation said Tuesday. Sperry, a 5-foot-11, 182-pound senior from Las Vegas, started all 12 games for the Midshipmen last season, finishing third on the team in tackles with 70. He also had two interceptions. Sperry was expected to start again for Navy in 2012. The departure of Sperry has elevated little-used Jonathan Wev, a 5-9, 196-pound junior, to first on the team's depth chart.

David Sperry, a starting cornerback for the Navy football team, has left the school after violating academy rules, two sources familiar with the situation said Tuesday. Sperry, a 5-foot-11, 182-pound senior from Las Vegas, started all 12 games for the Midshipmen last season, finishing third on the team in tackles with 70. He also had two interceptions. Sperry was expected to start again for Navy in 2012. The departure of Sperry has elevated little-used Jonathan Wev, a 5-9, 196-pound junior, to first on the team's depth chart.

Every weekday through Wednesday, the day before the first round of the NFL draft, The Sun will examine where the Ravens stand at each position, the likelihood that they will address that spot early in the draft and some of the prospects that they may consider. Today, we'll look at the defensive line: Current defensive linemen under contract : Ends - Pernell McPhee, Michael McAdoo; Tackles - Haloti Ngata, Terrence Cody, Arthur Jones, Bryan Hall Chances that the Ravens draft a defensive lineman in first three rounds : High.

The Ravens continued to get draft picks signed ahead of Friday's start to a three-day rookie mini-camp as they not only agreed to terms today on a four-year deal with fourth-round pick Gino Gradkowski , a guard/center out from the University of Delaware, they also reached an agreement with seventh-round pick DeAngelo Tyson , a defensive tackle out of Georgia.   Tyson, a 6-foot-2, 315-pound run stuffer, was selected with the Ravens' final pick of the draft at No.236 overall.

Each week, we bring you a Q&A with a Ravens player, coach or team executive to help you learn a little more about the team. Today's guest is defensive line coach Clarence Brooks. What is the measure of success for the defensive line? I think as a position coach for the defensive line, [it is] to have guys that come to work every day and put it all on the line because there is a lot that goes on defensively and a lot of it starts up front. To be a solid, fundamentally sound unit that can play well against the run is always key. To be the best pass rushers we can be goes along with that.

The Ravens continued to add depth to their defensive line, reaching a one-year agreement today with former Denver Broncos nose tackle Ryan McBean. McBean, 28, spent the previous three seasons with the Broncos and had his best year in 2011 with 33 total tackles and four sacks while playing in all 16 regular-season games. However, the league suspended him in March for the first six games of this coming season for violating NFL's performance-enhancement policy. McBean has disputed the claim and filed a lawsuit, saying that the NFL improperly handled his drug test.

The Ravens will play their third preseason game tonight against the Minnesota Vikings, and everyone on the defensive line is confident and at ease. This is no time to panic, just time to start playing. It's hard to remember any big plays made by a Ravens defensive lineman in the first two games. Think about it. Nothing from Trevor Pryce. Nothing from Terrell Suggs. Rookie tackle Haloti Ngata looked slow in his debut last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the only player to make any impact has been tackle Kelly Gregg.

ASHBURN, Va. -- There are several reasons why the Washington Redskins are ranked next-to-last in total defense among the 28 NFL teams, but let's start with one: the defensive line. Or, the absence of a stable, healthy one.The door to the Redskins' defensive line continued to revolve yesterday, with the probable return of three starters and the departure, at least temporarily, of another.Former four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Charles Mann was back on the practice field at Redskin Park after missing the past five weeks because of arthroscopic knee surgery for a torn ligament.

Phoenix -- When it comes to stopping the New England Patriots' vaunted offense, the New York Giants are putting it all on the line. That is, their defensive line. Super Bowl Patriots vs. Giants, Sunday, 6:17 p.m., Glendale, Ariz., chs. 45, 5, 1090 AM Records: Patriots (18-0), Giants (13-6) Line: Patriots by 12

Published reports had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive line confused and easily overmatched in a season-opening, 26-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Look for the Ravens' defensive line to try to compound such problems through numbers in Sunday's home opener. As in their 10-7 loss to Carolina on Sunday, the Ravens will again feature a six-man defensive line rotation that rises to seven when Peter Boulware shifts from linebacker to end in obvious passing situations. To the pleasure of those involved, the rotation among Tony Weaver, Kelly Gregg, Maake Kemoeatu, Adalius Thomas, Marques Douglas and Michael McCrary was pretty evenly distributed.

The Ravens won't have to wait as long as once thought to work new defensive tackle Ryan McBean into their regular-season defensive line rotation. McBean, the former Denver Bronco who agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Ravens yesterday, had his six-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancement policy reduced to three games. That news was first reported by The Denver Post. In exchange for the reduced suspension, McBean has dropped his lawsuit against the NFL that alleged the league improperly handled his drug test.

The Ravens continued to add depth to their defensive line, reaching a one-year agreement today with former Denver Broncos nose tackle Ryan McBean. McBean, 28, spent the previous three seasons with the Broncos and had his best year in 2011 with 33 total tackles and four sacks while playing in all 16 regular-season games. However, the league suspended him in March for the first six games of this coming season for violating NFL's performance-enhancement policy. McBean has disputed the claim and filed a lawsuit, saying that the NFL improperly handled his drug test.

Days after the Ravens added eight players in the NFL draft, director of player personnel Eric DeCosta said there are items left on their wish list - assuming the player and the price are right. "We're very excited about last weekend and the draft we just had," DeCosta said. "Our work is not yet done. … There are still moves left to be made. This team is not yet ready for September. " DeCosta was the featured guest Wednesday night at The Baltimore Sun Newsmaker Forum series at the Jewish Community Center in Owings Mills.

Looking to round out their defensive line rotation, the Ravens has signed veteran nose tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu, the team announced Wednesday. Kemoeatu will likely replace backup nose tackle Brandon McKinney, who signed with Chuck Pagano and the Indianapolis Colts in free agency. Kemoeatu, 33 got his start as an undrafted free agent with the Ravens in 2002. A Tonga native and a Utah graduate, Kemoeatu played four seasons with the Ravens. He started 16 games and made 30 tackles in 2005, his final season in Baltimore.

The Ravens won't announce their latest undrafted free agent class until the players officially pass physicals and sign contracts, which will happen at some point before the start of the rookie mini-camp in the second week of May. But most - if not all of the names have come out and been confirmed - either on the player's Twitter accounts, by their college athletic departments or in media reports. Below are the undrafted free agents on the defensive side of the ball. The offensive players were discussed in a follow-up entry.

Earlier this month, Ravens director of player personnel Eric DeCosta described the theme of this weekend's NFL draft as a "depth draft for the Ravens at virtually every position. " And to round out a roster that team officials feel can be molded into another Super Bowl contender, the Ravens spent Saturday's final day of the draft diving deep into the collegiate talent pool. The final four rounds of the Ravens' 2012 draft were highlighted by the selection of a trio of small-school prospects who filled secondary needs.

There has been one constant throughout the Ravens' five weeks of training camp and four preseason games -- the defensive line has to play well for the team to succeed this season.Why?Because the Ravens have inexperienced linebackers, a marginal to average secondary and an offense that is prolific but not efficient in time management.Oh, and don't forget about depth. The Ravens have little."They are an important part because of the rush," Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda said of the defensive line, which probably will be without starting end Michael McCrary (knee)

From a distance, Navy freshman Jabaree Tuani appears to be the prototypical defensive end playing big-time college football, considering the havoc he has already caused for opposing backfields this season. It's only close up that one gets to see how small Tuani really is for someone at his position. Though Tuani, 6 feet 1, 242 pounds, has plenty of company in that category among his teammates, he is still a rarity in Annapolis: the first plebe to start for the Midshipmen on the defensive line since Bwerani Nettles did a decade ago. Shortly after coming into the season opener against Towson, Tuani sacked Tigers quarterback Sean Schaefer and eventually took over as a starter for his team's upset last month at then-No.

The Ravens addressed another need with their last pick of this year's NFL draft, selecting Georgia defensive lineman DeAngelo Tyson at No. 236. Tyson, who is 6 foot 2 and 306 pounds, started 11 games and made 20 tackles last season. The Ravens lost Cory Redding and Brandon McKinney in free agency.

Baltimore Sun reporters Jeff Barker and Don Markus and editor Matt Bracken weigh in on the three biggest topics of the past week in Maryland football and basketball. Five Maryland commitments helped the U.S. All-Stars to a 105-93 win over the Capital All-Stars in the Capital Classic on Saturday . After seeing incoming post players Shaquille Cleare, Charles Mitchell and Damonte Dodd in action, how can we expect those freshmen to fit in a frontcourt that returns James Padgett, Alex Len and Ashton Pankey?