Ravens Sign Arena League Quarterback David Olson

Colin Kaepernick was on option but the Ravens passed on him.

The Ravens have signed quarterback David Olson to participate in training camp with Joe Flacco nursing a back injury, the team announced Friday. 

Flacco’s injury led to speculation that Baltimore would pick up Colin Kaepernick. Head coach John Harbaugh spoke positively of Kaepernick on Thursday. Even if Kaepernick had landed with the Ravens, he would have been competing with Ryan Mallett and Dustin Vaughan for the backup job, as Flacco’s injury is not considered serious.

Olson, like Kaepernick, has ties to Harbaugh’s brother Jim. Olson began his college career at Stanford before transferring to Clemson. He appeared in Stanford’s 55–17 win over Washington State in 2013 but did not throw a pass or carry the ball. He played only 15 snaps in three games at Clemson as a grad transfer in 2014, completing one of three passes for -1 yards. 

Olson has spent the last couple of years alternating between desk jobs and quarterbacking in the Champions Indoor Football league. He played for the Wichita Force and led the team to a league title, winning MVP of Champions Bowl II. He played this year in the same league with the Kansas City Phantoms but was injured.