Jared Gaither

The Ravens took their biggest gamble of free agency when they reached an agreement with talented but troubled offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie on Tuesday. An eight-year starter for the Minnesota Vikings, McKinnie agreed to a two-year contract with a maximum value of $7.5 million (including $1 million signing bonus). The deal is contingent on McKinnie passing a physical Wednesday, which is far from a formality. The Vikings released the 6-foot-8 offensive lineman on Aug. 2 after he reportedly showed up to training camp close to 400 pounds.

Each morning, Monday through Friday, I'll hook you up with reading material to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday -- that way I'll have an excuse to do the same at the start of mine.   Running it back: The Ravens' 13-6 loss to the Eagles in Thursday night's preseason opener will increase concerns that the team needs to add an experienced wide receiver, a proven right tackle and a backup quarterback. ... Tyrod Taylor has room for improvement after a rocky Ravens debut . ... Paul Kruger was one bright spot for the Ravens . ... The first five batters got hits against starter Chris Tillman, who allowed six runs in two-plus innings and was demoted after the Orioles' loss to the White Sox . ... Brian Matusz, who was demoted to Triple-A in June after a rough stretch in the majors, threw a shutout for Norfolk on Thursday . Hitting the links: 1. Needless to say, Mike Preston was not impressed with the Ravens' performance against the Eagles [ Baltimore Sun ]

As the four recently released Ravens walk out of team headquarters for perhaps the final time this week, they open the door for the team's free-agent priority. The Ravens struck a deal with Marshal Yanda late Tuesday afternoon, agreeing to terms with the coveted offensive lineman on a multi-year deal that is believed to average a little more than $6 million per season. According to SI.com, Yanda agreed to five-year, $32 million deal that includes $10 million signing bonus. He will receive $21 million in first three seasons.

We won't know for sure until a new collective bargaining agreement is in place, but Ravens guard Marshal Yanda might be an unrestricted free agent when the NFL reopens business. If that's the case, the Ravens will have plenty of competition for the services of Yanda, a versatile and valuable member of their line. Yanda has started 42 games on the Ravens’ offensive line over the past four seasons, and the mysterious ailment that sidelined Jared Gaither forced the Ravens to move him from right guard to right tackle last season.

Unofficially, the Ravens might as well call it their version of The Marshall Plan. Heading into the 2011 NFL draft, it's no secret Baltimore would like to beef up its offensive line, a unit that struggled at times last year to protect quarterback Joe Flacco and run the ball effectively in short yardage. And ideally, they'd do it by finding another gem like Marshal Yanda, whom the Ravens drafted out of Iowa in the third round of the 2007 draft. Yanda wasn't exactly a highly coveted prospect that year — 11 offensive linemen were selected before the Ravens grabbed him with the 86th pick.

At a time when this year's Super Bowl teams ignored the running game in record-setting fashion, the Ravens' top priority for next season is fixing their ground attack. The consensus of the Ravens' brain trust — from owner Steve Bisciotti to general manager Ozzie Newsome to coach John Harbaugh — is that the failures of the offense shouldn't be blamed on offensive coordinator Cam Cameron but the inability to run the ball down the throats of defenses as in previous years.

There are fewer options this time around, but Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome is still optimistic about upgrading the offensive line, especially at the tackle position. The Ravens fired offensive line coach John Matsko at the end of the season because the Ravens had trouble protecting quarterback Joe Flacco and establishing a consistently strong running game. But almost any discussion about reshaping this unit has to start at left offensive tackle, where second-year player Michael Oher struggled in his first season as a starter.

By Mike Preston, The Baltimore Sun Former Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe has failed to make the Hall of Fame class for the last two seasons, but if Ravens general manger Ozzie Newsome had a vote, Sharpe would have been inducted. Newsome should know a little bit about tight ends. After playing the position for the Cleveland Browns for 13 years, Newsome was inducted in the Hall of Fame in the Class of 1999 after catching 662 passes for 7,980 yards and 47 touchdowns.

Team owner Steve Bisciotti ended Thursday's "State of the Ravens" news conference by playfully recounting the laundry list of recommendations from the media and fans that he accumulated on the Internet. Some of the highlights that he read aloud: Change the offense; sign or draft a big left tackle and fast wide receivers; add a shutdown corner and a dominant edge rusher; get faster players; get smarter players; get more veterans but get younger, fire [Ozzie] Newsome, [Cam] Cameron, [Greg]