Damion Ratley

Ratley is signing with the Lions.

Analysis: The 2018 sixth-round pick has been waived or released by three teams within the past seven months. Ratley does have six NFL starts to his name, but he's caught only 29 passes in 31 career games, primarily with the Browns.

Ratley was released by the Texans on Tuesday.

Analysis: Ratley joined the Texans part way through the 2020 season, though he spent the majority of his time on the practice squad. The three-year veteran has never logged more than 13 receptions in a professional season and will now look to latch on with another roster as a depth piece.

Houston signed Ratley to its active roster Monday, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle reports.

Analysis: Ratley signed on with the Texans' practice squad in mid-October, shortly after the Giants decided to part ways with the 25-year-old wideout. He made five appearances for New York between Weeks 1 and 5, totaling four receptions for 67 yards over a workload of 25.2 offensive snaps per game. An appearance in Houston's Week 17 finale against the Titans would mark Ratley's first as a member of the organization.

The Texans signed Ratley to the practice squad Tuesday, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports.

Analysis: Ratley spent four games with the Giants this season and handled a solid workload that didn't translate into much production, as he caught four of nine targets for 63 yards. The 25-year-old will add organizational depth at wide receiver, but he likely won't be promoted unless there's an injury.

The Giants waived Ratley on Tuesday, Michael Eisen of the team's official site reports.

Analysis: Ratley was targeted once in this past Sunday's loss to the Cowboys, but he failed to reel it in. The 25-year-old wide receiver recorded four catches for 63 yards through the first five games of the season. The Giants opted to add practice squad receiver Austin Mack to the active roster in Ratley's place. Ratley will look for a depth role elsewhere.

Ratley failed to catch his only target during Sunday's 37-34 loss to the Cowboys.

Analysis: The 25-year-old played a season-high 34 offensive snaps Sunday, but he was minimally involved in the passing game. Ratley has four catches for 63 yards through four games, and his playing time could decrease with Sterling Shepard (toe) nearing his return from injured reserve.

Ratley caught three of four targets for 34 yards Sunday against the Rams.

Analysis: Ratley and C.J. Board are sharing the third/fourth receiver role right now behind Golden Tate and Darius Slayton. if Tate were suspended for his fight with Jalen Ramsey, one of them might see more targets against the Cowboys this week.

Ratley caught one of two targets for 29 yards in Sunday's 36-9 loss to the 49ers.

Analysis: Ratley made his first catch as a member of the Giants, and it was good enough for him to finish third on the team in receiving yards in what was a dismal performance from the offense against an injury-riddled 49ers defense. He played on 18 of the team's 52 offensive snaps.

Ratley stands to see an uptick in targets with Sterling Shepard (toe) on injured reserve for at least three weeks, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Analysis: Ratley has only drawn three targets in two games thus far, but with Shepard set to miss at least three weeks and Saquon Barkley (knee) done for the year, he stands to see a slight increase in targets. Darius Slayton and Golden Tate are the Giants' clear top remaining wideouts, and Evan Engram also remains high in the pecking order, but Ratley does look to be ahead of C.J. Board. He should operate as the No. 3 receiver during Sunday's game against the 49ers.

Ratley failed to come down with his lone target in Monday's 26-16 loss to the Steelers.

Analysis: Ratley played the fourth-most snaps (18) among Giants wide receivers, even with Golden Tate (hamstring) inactive. The lack of usage and production doesn't bode well for Ratley's chances of doing much once Tate gets back, which could be as soon as Week 2 against the Bears.

Ratley is in line for a bigger role Monday against the Steelers with Golden Tate (hamstring) inactive, Matt Lombardo of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Analysis: As a member of the Browns last season, Ratley earned at least a 30 percent snap share in six different games, totaling 10 catches (on 18 targets) for 136 yards and no touchdowns in those outings. The output isn't impressive, to stay the least, and he'll be no better than fifth in the pecking order for targets behind Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram in Week 1.

Ratley was claimed off waivers by the Giants on Sunday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Analysis: Ratley was let go by the Browns on Saturday, but he didn't have to wait long to find a new squad. Last season with the Browns, Ratley caught 12 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown across 13 games. The Texas A&M product will now assume a similar depth role that he had last season for the Giants with plenty of proven options ahead of him.

Ratley has been waived by the Browns, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Analysis: The 2018 sixth-round pick was limited by a groin injury throughout some of training camp causing a bit of a slip in the depth chart behind the likes of Rashard Higgins and Donovan Peoples-Jones. It's possible, should Ratley make it through waivers unclaimed, the Texas A&M product could return to the team's practice squad although Ratley's NFL experience might make him valuable enough to be a depth piece on another team's roster down the road.

Ratley (groin) participated in Thursday's practice, Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Analysis: Ratley missed over a week of practices due to a groin injury. Now back on the field, he'll resume competing with Rashard Higgins and Donovan Peoples-Jones for reps behind unquestioned top receivers Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry.

Ratley didn't practice Sunday due to a groin injury, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Analysis: In 26 career appearances to date, Ratley has experienced at least 48 percent of the offensive snaps in a given game seven times, combining for an 18-229-0 line on 28 targets. Otherwise, he's managed seven catches (on 16 targets) for 115 yards and one TD in the other 19 games. Considering most of the wide receiver reps in the Browns offense are allotted to Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry (hip), Ratley is battling Rashard Higgins and rookie sixth-rounder Donovan Peoples-Jones for the snaps that linger. For the time being, though, Ratley will attempt to get past a health concern.

Ratley caught two of three targets for 64 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 33-23 loss to the Bengals in Week 17.

Analysis: Ratley and quarterback Baker Mayfield hooked up on a 46-yard bomb on the Browns' third play of the game to give them an early 7-0 lead. The second-year wideout got over the top of the Bengals secondary and made a nice diving catch in the end zone for his only touchdown of the season. This was one of the few highlights for Ratley, who had just 12 catches while showing some big play ability (16.7 YPC). The Browns did not have a reliable third wide receiver in 2019, as both Rashard Higgins and Antonio Callaway failed to hold onto that role. Ratley enters the offseason as the leading candidate for that job in 2020; however, with a new, as-yet-to-be named head coach coming on board, Ratley's role is still very much in question.

Ratley did not catch any of his three targets in Sunday's 31-15 loss to the Ravens in Week 16.

Analysis: Ratley has emerged as the No. 3 wideout late in the season, but it has nothing to do with his production. Where others have failed, Ratley is being given an opportunity. He's replaced Rashard Higgins, who is special teams only now, and the departed Antonio Callaway. Ratley has just 10 catches for 136 yards and is on about a third of the team's offensive snaps.

Ratley caught two of two targets for 33 yards in Sunday's 38-24 loss to the Cardinals.

Analysis: Ratley was in the starting lineup for Sunday's contest, as head coach Freddie Kitchens went with with a three-wideout/two-back set. The receptions were Ratley's first since Week 4. Despite the start, Ratley played the fewest snaps (21) among the team's wideouts. The Browns' offense sees running back Kareem Hunt as its third receiver, so Ratley is unlikely to make much impact over the final two weeks of the season.

Ratley was targeted once and played 16 snaps in Sunday's 27-19 win over the Bengals in Week 14.

Analysis: Ratley had been an active part of the Browns' wideout corps to start the season but lost prominence when Rashard Higgins returned from a knee injury. Higgins has since failed to impress and did not see any offensive snaps Sunday, so Ratley appears to have moved up the wide receiver depth chart. That doesn't mean that much, however, as Cleveland is getting by with running back Kareem Hunt as a de facto third wideout.

Ratley (coach's decision) is listed as inactive Week 6 against Seattle.

Analysis: Ratley has been filling in off and on for the likes of Jarvis Landry and Antonio Callaway, and has even taken on meanginful snaps shares in several of Cleveland's games this season. The team enters Week 6 with a fully healthy receiving corps, however, as Rashard Higgins will be on the active roster for the first time since Week 1 after overcoming a knee injury. With the position group intact for the time being, Ratley seems unlikely to be part of the team's game plan in the immediate future.

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