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Ravens reach agreement with QB Beck

The Ravens won't have a competition at starting quarterback again this season, but there will be one for the backup job.

John Beck has agreed in principle on a one-year contract and will compete with Troy Smith to be the Ravens' No. 2 quarterback, according to an NFL source.

Beck will be reunited with Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, who was coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2007, when they drafted the Brigham Young standout in the second round. After Cameron was fired, Beck never clicked with the Bill Parcells regime and was released by the Dolphins on Wednesday, just five days after they drafted West Virginia's Pat White in the second round.

It is believed six teams had shown interest in Beck, who will turn 28 before the season starts. Beck is expected to sign early this week so he can participate in the Ravens' first minicamp, which begins Friday.

As a rookie, Beck lost all four of his starts midway through the Dolphins' then-winless season, throwing three interceptions and no touchdown passes. He fumbled seven times (losing five) and was sacked 10 times.

Last season, Beck fell behind Chad Pennington and Chad Henne on the depth chart and did not appear in a game.

Beck, who is 6 feet 2, 216 pounds, was one of the top quarterbacks coming out of college after throwing for 7,594 yards and 59 touchdowns in his final two seasons at BYU.

He was the 40th player chosen in 2007 and the fourth quarterback taken, after JaMarcus Russell, Brady Quinn and Kevin Kolb. The Dolphins signed Beck to a four-year deal, which included $3.25 million in guaranteed money.

Beck gets a fresh start with the Ravens. In five NFL games, he completed 60 of 107 passes for 559 yards. His career quarterback rating is 62.0.

Smith, Beck's chief competition, was selected 134 spots after Beck in the 2007 draft. He has appeared in 10 games, connecting on 43 of 80 passes (53.8 percent) for 534 yards. Smith's career quarterback rating is 87.2.

It is expected that the Ravens will keep Smith and Beck, which could mean the release of veteran third-string quarterback Todd Bouman. Another quarterback on the Ravens' roster is undrafted rookie Drew Willy out of Buffalo.