The Ravens signed receiver David Tyree on Tuesday, releasing tight end Tony Curtis to create a roster spot for the Super Bowl XLII hero.
Tyree spent the past six years with the New York Giants, but was waived by the team after suffering multiple injuries during training camp.
Perhaps most known for his spectacular helmet-clutching catch in the Super Bowl that helped continue an improbable Giants game-winning drive, Tyree is a solid special teamer that can also add depth to the receiving corps.
His addition could partly be a result of Kelley Washington's extended role with the offense, which has taken away from the special teams production he brought when he originally signed on Aug. 2, and linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo's placement on Injured Reserve because of a thigh injury.
Tyree, 29, has played in 73 regular-season games with five starts. Last season, Tyree spent the entire year on Injured Reserve with a knee injury. In 2007, he logged four receptions for 35 yards and nine special teams tackles.
Tyree worked out for the Ravens in September and passed a physical, showing that he had recovered from the groin, knee and hamstring injuries that plagued him over the summer.
At the time, head coach John Harbaugh was impressed with a player he regularly faced when he coached with the Giants' division rival Philadelphia Eagles.
"David Tyree did a tremendous job," he said following Tyree's audition. "Having had a chance to go against him in that [NFC East] division all those years, and then having a chance to see him personally go through the workout and get to know him, he's everything we thought he was. He got after the workout. He attacked the workout, and that's the way he's played all those years."
Curtis was signed when Ayanbadejo went to IR with a quadriceps tendon tear. He did not see action in any games for the Ravens.
