The Baltimore Ravens have made some roster moves and now have 70 players on their roster. They have until 4pm EST Saturday to get down to the 53 man roster requirement. There will be some very tough decisions for the Ravens as they have some players that have shown that they are worthy of playing in the NFL.
The Ravens notified five players of their release from the team on Friday. Those players are: Levi Brown (defensive tackle), Derrick Hopkins (defensive tackle), D.J. Roberts (linebacker), Reggie Stephens (center) and Nathan Overbay (tight end). These are roster reductions that were expected to happen. It is not official yet, but the Ravens also informed rookie defensive tackle, A.J. Pataiali’i that he’ll be released. They do intend to sign him to the practice squad if he should clear waivers.
The Ravens also have two players that will serve suspensions and not count against the roster yet. Rice (two-game personal conduct policy suspension) and safety Will Hill (six-game substance-abuse policy suspension) will soon be put on the reserve-suspended list. This will clear up two more roster spots for the time being. The Ravens will need to clear room for Rice after week two and Hill after week six. Two players will need to be released in order for them to do so.
Another roster spot could possibly be opened up if the Ravens decide to place defensive tackle Terrence Cody on the reserve-physically unable to perform list. If this happens, he won’t be eligible to play until six weeks into the season. Additionally, he won’t occupy a roster spot until he is activated.
Be sure to stay tuned for updates on the Ravens hard roster decisions. One of which will be the wide receivers. They will have to pick from a very solid young group of receivers that include Deonte Thompson, Mike Campanaro, Kamar Aiken and Jeremy Butler. It is very likely that Campanaro makes the roster. The Ravens have invested a draft pick in the shifty slot receiver and they traded one of their 2015 draft picks to get into position to draft him.
Thompson has been a threat on special teams and at the receiver position. He has scored touchdowns in three straight preseason games and is the fastest player on the current roster. Aiken is out of practice squad eligibility but was impressive early in training camp. Butler has been a steady player and is likely to be placed on the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged that the process is difficult because of how well the players have performed. “Nobody’s making it easy for us, are they,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “These are a bunch of guys that are going to play in the NFL for a long time. You get a chance to see those guys chase their dream. As a coach, that’s so fulfilling.”
Another good question is whether or not the Ravens will keep three quarterbacks. Keith Wenning showed some improvement in the last preseason game. He flashed the accurate passing ability that was his trademark at Ball State. The Ravens would like to keep Wenning on the practice squad if he is released and clears waivers.
A better picture of how the roster will look will be available after more cuts are made on Saturday. However, that is not the final look of the team. The Ravens have positioned themselves to be able to absorb a veteran player after they renegotiated Lardarius Webb’s contract. That saved them almost $3 million in cap room. They are now slightly above $7 million under the cap. There is a strong possibility that they trade for a veteran corner due to the unclear status of Webb, Jimmy Smith and Asa Jackson.
