The construction of NFL rosters and players retiring at a younger age has led to some odd retirement stories. Zach Orr, a former second-team All-Pro linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, was one such case after he retired in January following the 2016 season with a congenital neck disease.
Orr went on injured reserve late in the 2016 season, at which point doctors discovered the issue. He promptly walked away from football, but not quite, as in a very odd twist, he's returning to the game after just a few months in retirement.
The 24-year-old linebacker told NFL Network's "Good Morning, Football" that he is considering a return to football after being told that he isn't at any more risk of injury than anyone else in the NFL.
"I had my mind made up. I was like man, the doctors told me I was done. This is a serious issue. So I'm going to leave it alone," Orr said. "But I just kept hearing that from multiple people and some were telling me to just go check out and seek out some more opinions and things like that and come to find out my condition, it is rare -- .01 percent of the people have what I have -- but there's no actual evidence or facts that I'm at a higher risk than any other player. And it's actually been documented that a college player who had the exact same thing that I have that returned to play with no problems."
Orr is a special case, though, because he is immediately a free agent. He was scheduled to become a restricted free agent but the Ravens, understandably, did not tender him. Ozzie Newsome confirmed Wednesday that Orr is a free agent.
So with Orr free to pursue employment elsewhere, where might he go? In a vacuum, there are plenty of teams who could use his help. During the 2016 season he recorded 130 tackles (solo and assisted), five passes defensed, three interceptions, one forced fumble and two fumbles recoveries. Those are numbers that will help teams, and according to Dan Graziano of ESPN, eight different teams have reached out to him since his appearance on NFL Network this morning.
Orr would fit either as an outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense (he'd probably work as a middle linebacker tooor as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense, which is where he played in the Ravens system. With that in mind, let's look at some fits.
Detroit Lions
An obvious fit because they already reached out to Orr about an opening already, according to NFL Media's Mike Garafolo. Orr is expected to visit Detroit on Thursday and if the medicals checked out, he might not leave. The Lions added Jarrad Davis in the draft to fill a gaping hole at middle linebacker, but weakside linebacker is absolutely a weakness for them (Paul Worrilow, Tahir Whitehead and rookie Jalen Reeves-Maybin would be the candidates). Orr could slot in immediately and start for this team.
Baltimore Ravens
Even though Orr is an unrestricted free agent, it's not like he ended up in his position because he and the Ravens didn't get along. He said on GMFB that he has "a great relationship" with everyone in the Ravens organization, so it's entirely possible that Baltimore would consider bringing him back in 2017 if the two sides are comfortable with a contract and with the medicals. Baltimore does have Kamalei Correa, a second-round pick in the 2016 draft, currently slotted to fill Orr's role.
Indianapolis Colts
The focus of new GM Chris Ballard this offseason was bringing in defensive help for Chuck Pagano's lackluster unit. Sean Spence was brought in from Tennessee as an unrestricted free agent while Antonio Morrison was a fourth round pick in 2016 and Edwin Jackson was an undrafted free agent brought up from the Colts practice squad last year. In short, there is some opportunity here to win a starting gig, the Colts are certainly eager to improve their defense and the scheme familiarity is there to a degree with Pagano having previously served as the Ravens defensive coordinator (albeit not with Orr on the roster).
Oakland Raiders
The Raiders, quite simply, need some help at linebacker. Bruce Irvin is a pass rushing weapon, but Jelani Jenkins (added in free agency) and Cory James (a 2016 sixth-round pick) are not the answers. Reggie McKenzie hasn't been afraid to make a splash in free agency when the player is right, and Orr could absolutely make sense as someone to shore up the run and pass defense for this unit.
Dallas Cowboys
Because of a heavy investment in the offense and because of losses to personnel this offseason on defense, the Cowboys were forced to draft heavily on the defensive side of the ball. They addressed defensive end (Taco Charloton) and cornerback (Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis) but still need some depth at linebacker, especially with Sean Lee and Jaylon Smith being fairly big injury risks. Orr isn't exactly clear of health issues either, but he would benefit a linebacker group that is long on talent but short on depth.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints invested reasonably heavily at linebacker this offseason, drafting Alex Anzalone and signing both Mant'i Teo and A.J. Klein. They still have Dannelle Ellerbe and Craig Robertson on the roster along with Stephone Anthony, who shined as a rookie but was benched in October last year. They could use help on defense perpetually and linebacker is a position that they would benefit from an influx of talent.