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Instead of heading out to practice, Webb headed upstairs for a chat with Ravens coach John Harbaugh.
“Just seeing kind of what the situation was to see if he was going to try and keep me there,’’ said Webb. “And if not, I was going to come here . . . They just didn’t have room on the roster. There was just nothing they could do at that moment.’’
So, Webb packed his bags for New England — for the second time this season.
Webb was elevated for the Ravens’ Week 3 game at Gillette Stadium, and he left and impression on (and planted some seeds with) the Patriots’ staff with his special teams performances.
“Whatever I did in the two games that I did play in and then a little bit in the preseason kind of spoke for itself and it just let people know that I could play special teams, and then a little bit on offense as well,’’ said Webb. “And what I did in the preseason, whatever they saw, they liked it, which helps me out.’’
Bill Belichick noted Webb performed well in a couple of his individual matchups against the Patriots and that’s when he “came on our radar more.’’
The Patriots had a spot open for a core special-teamer when Cody Davis suffered a season-ending knee injury in Cleveland. Webb came to mind immediately.
He arrived midweek and was thrown right into the mix, making his debut in the Monday night game against the Bears Oct. 24. The adjustment was a smooth one as both Belichick and Harbaugh put a premium and an emphasis on special teams.
“So, what’s nice is the environment is kind of the same here in Baltimore. It’s a lot of physicality, a lot of high-tempo stuff. So, the environment wasn’t much of a change,’’ said Webb. “And then when it comes to special teams, most all special teams are the same. So that kind of helps as well, just knowing how to block people and just, they tell you who to block and you go block them or they tell you where to run, you go run and make a tackle and whatnot.
“Now when it comes to offense, the offenses are completely different, so that takes a little bit of time to learn. But special teams-wise, it was everything I learned in Baltimore, it just kind of carried over.’’
Webb, who started his college career as a defensive back at The Citadel before switching to receiver, shined on special teams for the Bulldogs, which helped land him rookie free agent contract with the Ravens.
“Yeah, so we ran the triple option, so it was a lot of runs, barely any passes in the games, and I played receiver so I would do a lot of blocking anyways,’’ said Webb. “And I actually enjoyed special teams because it gave me more time to do other things besides block and whatnot. So, I played just about everything you can think of on special teams just so I could play more.’’
Bailey (back) placed on IR
The Patriots placed punter Jake Bailey on injured reserve Saturday, a move that was foreshadowed Friday when he was downgraded to doubtful with a back injury.
An All-Pro in 2020, Bailey has struggled this season and ranks last in the NFL in punting average and net average this season. He will miss at least four games as he recuperates.
Michael Palardy, who had been on the practice squad the last two weeks, was signed to the 53-man roster and will assume Bailey’s roles as punter, kickoff specialist, and holder on field goals and extra points.
Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride.
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