Ravens Begin To Trim Roster
The Ravens have initiated the process of moving their roster to 53 players by announcing several transactions today. Baltimore’s roster now stands at 72 players following these moves:
Waived:
- DB Robertson Daniel
- OL Andrew Donnal
- OL Justin Evans
- TE Nick Keizer
- DE Christian LaCouture
- S Kai Nacua
- CB Jackson Porter
- WR DeVier Posey
- LS Trent Sieg
Waived/injured:
- LB Alvin Jones
Placed on injured reserve:
Placed on reserve/PUP (minimum six-game absence):
- WR Quincy Adeboyejo
- LB Bam Bradley
- CB Jaylen Hill
AFC Notes: Browns, Landry, Peterman
On the eve of roster cutdown day, here’s the latest out of the AFC:
- The Browns have turned to multiple players this offseason in search of Joe Thomas‘ replacement, but after moving well-regarded left guard Joel Bitonio to left tackle, it doesn’t appear the team is ready to slot him there in Week 1. Hue Jackson said Bitonio might be moving back to guard and has declined to say who will be his left tackle starter against the Steelers, per Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland (on Twitter). Austin Corbett‘s left guard job is also not certain, per Jackson (via Jeff Schudel of the Lorain Morning Journal, on Twitter). Rookie UDFA Desmond Harrison may be the latest name to get a crack at left tackle, which would be an interesting move for a team with Shon Coleman and Greg Robinson still on the roster.
- It appears the Titans may be without two of their top edge rushers when they suit up for Week 1. With Derrick Morgan already expected to be out because of meniscus surgery, Harold Landry suffered a sprained ankle — a second opinion revealing that this could be a high ankle sprain, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter) — is uncertain for Tennessee’s opener. No joint damage occurred, but the Titans may opt to play it safe with their second-rounder.
- Working as both a camp kicker and punter with the Ravens, rookie UDFA Kaare Vedvik has drawn attention around the league this month. Teams are monitoring this situation, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link), since Vedvik will not be beating out Justin Tucker or Sam Koch.
- Nathan Peterman has a real shot to be the Bills‘ Week 1 starter, despite having made one of the worst starts in modern NFL history last season. Signs are pointing to Peterman to begin the year as the Bills’ starter, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic writes. The 2017 fifth-round pick completed 80 percent of his preseason passes and watched the Bills deploy A.J. McCarron instead of him in Thursday night’s preseason finale, a game usually reserved for backups or players set to be cut. McCarron signed for two years and $8MM this offseason. Josh Allen is obviously the long-term option, but while he learns, Peterman may be the Bills’ guy.
Elvis Dumervil Retires From NFL
Elvis Dumervil is calling it a career. On Thursday, the veteran defensive end took to Twitter to announce his retirement from the NFL. 
“After spending a great deal of time talking to my family and prayerfully considering what’s next in my career, I have made the difficult decision to step away from the NFL at this time,” Dumervil wrote. “Its been an incredible 12-year run.”
Dumervil, 34, ranked third among active players in career sacks with 105.5. And, last year, he led the 49ers with 6.5 sacks. Dumervil clearly still has some football in the tank – and he said his body “feels great” in his retirement announcement – but he has opted to spent more time with his family and focus on his other business ventures going forward.
Dumervil entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Broncos in the 2006 draft and the Louisville product went on to become a pillar of the Broncos’ D. In 2009, he broke through as a defensive star with a league-leading 17 sacks. Interestingly, the Broncos have watched former stars Dumervil, Eric Decker, and Julius Thomas all retire in a matter of days.
In 2013, Dumervil hooked on with the Ravens and he continued to terrorize opposing quarterbacks. In 2014, he even matched his personal high of 17 sacks.
After 12 seasons in the league (eleven, if you exclude his lost 2010 season), Dumervil acquired five Pro Bowl nods and two First-Team All-Pro selections. He probably has some sacks left in him, but he already accomplished plenty on the field.
Ravens Trade LB Kamalei Correa To Titans
The Ravens have left traded linebacker Kamalei Correa to the Titans, accoridng to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (on Twitter). The Ravens will receive a 2019 sixth-round pick in return. 
Correa was a second round pick of the Ravens in the 2016 draft. Although the Ravens had high hopes for him at the time, Correa hasn’t done much at the NFL level. In 25 games over the last two years, Correa has totaled just eleven tackles.
This summer, Correa was given an opportunity to play at his preferred outside linebacker position as well as inside linebacker. Although he flashed at times, the Ravens still had Terrell Suggs, Matthew Judon, Za’Darius Smith, Tim Williams, Tyus Bowser ahead of him on the LB depth chart.
Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees is obviously a fan of Correa, so he should be in for an uptick in playing time now that the two are reunited. In Tennessee, Correa will have an opportunity to back up Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan and he may get even more chances to play if Harold Landry misses time with his ankle injury.
In his three-year career at Boise State, Correa totaled 110 tackles, 20 sacks, 31.5 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles.
Ravens Place Jaleel Scott On IR
The Ravens placed fourth-round wide receiver Jaleel Scott on injured reserve, according to a team announcement. To take his place on the roster, they brought back Robertson Daniel, a cornerback who has spent parts of the last two seasons on the practice squad.
As Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes (on Twitter), the Ravens have never cut a rookie fourth-round pick before the season opener, but that was a possibility for Scott after he struggled mightily this offseason. However, the undisclosed injury rendered that issue moot.
Scott, a product of New Mexico State, hauled in 76 catches for 1,079 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Despite his athleticism and strong hands, he was unable to get the hang of things in practice. He’ll now focus on his recovery before trying again in 2019.
With Scott fully out of the picture, Jordan Lasley, Tim White, Janarion Grant, and Breshad Perriman will compete for the final wide receiver spot(s) on the roster. The top four WR jobs have been secured by Michael Crabtree, John Brown, Willie Snead, and Chris Moore.
Ravens Injury Update: Henry, Hurst
The Ravens were expecting big things from defensive tackle Willie Henry this season, but they may have to wait a few weeks to see him contribute. Head coach John Harbaugh said on Saturday that the 24-year-old recently underwent surgery to repair an umbilical hernia.
“It’s not football related, but maybe had been there and just kind of opened up on him a little bit. He had surgery for that, so he’ll be a few weeks,” Harbaugh said (via Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com).
After sitting out his entire rookie campaign, the 2016 fourth-round pick showed some promise in 2017 after sitting out his entire rookie campaign. In 14 games (three starts), Henry compiled 33 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and five passes defended. With Henry out of the starting lineup, the Ravens will likely turn to Chris Wormley or rookie Zach Sieler.
Henry won’t be the only Ravens player forced out of the lineup. Harbaugh also said tight end Hayden Hurst recently had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot, and recovery could take three to four weeks.
Hayden Hurst, Willie Henry Undergo Surgery; DeShon Elliott Could Be Moved To IR With Forearm Injury
- Though they had been enjoying an injury- and drama-free offseason, the Ravens have been hit hard with unwelcome news over the past few days. They lost rookie TE Hayden Hurst for three-to-four weeks, they saw star CB Jimmy Smith suspended for four games — though they at least knew that was coming — and now Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic has more bad news to report. Zrebiec tweets that emerging third-year defensive tackle Willie Henry will miss several weeks with a hernia, while promising rookie safety DeShon Elliott may be out for the season with a forearm injury. Zrebiec adds that the recent spate of bad luck will impact Baltimore’s initial roster construction, because while the team will likely carry Hurst and Henry on the 53-man roster until they are ready to return, the Ravens may need to keep an extra tight end and defensive lineman until that happens (Twitter link). Elliott, meanwhile, is an IR candidate. Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports that Henry had surgery for his hernia and Hurst has had surgery for the stress fracture in his foot (Twitter links).
AFC Notes: Browns, Taylor, Bryant
Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor has dislocated the pinky on his non-throwing hand, as Andrew Gribble of the Browns’ website tweets. While his left hand is bruised and sore, head coach Hue Jackson says “he’s going to be fine.”
It sounds like Taylor will be alright for the season opener, so we won’t be seeing Baker Mayfield out there – at least, not yet.
Here’s more from the AFC North:
- It’s unlikely that the Ravens will make a second run at Dez Bryant or another veteran receiver, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic writes. Chris Moore has nailed down his spot as the Ravens‘ fourth wide receiver behind Michael Crabtree, John Brown, and Willie Snead, so the Ravens appear to be set at the top of the order. There’s uncertainty beyond that, but Zrebiec feels the Ravens will not be motivated to get for a veteran WR unless one of their top three guys gets hurt.
- Nine teams are spending more than $50MM per year on their top three players, and the Steelers are one of three clubs in that group to have made the playoffs last season, Jason Fitzgerald of OTC writes. With $53.4MM carved out for Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and LeVeon Bell, the Steelers have found success with a top-heavy structure.
- The Bengals parted ways with defensive tackle Chris Baker.
Ravens TE Hayden Hurst To Miss 3-4 Weeks
Ravens rookie tight end Hayden Hurst is likely to miss three-to-four weeks while dealing with a stress fracture in his foot, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link), who adds Hurst will undergo a procedure today to insert a screw in his foot.
Given his timeline, Hurst won’t be available for Baltimore when the regular season gets underway, and could potentially miss multiple games. But because he’s not expected to miss half the year or more, Hurst isn’t a realistic candidate to be placed on injured reserve/designated to return. Instead, the Ravens will simply hold Hurst on their roster until he recovers.
Hurst was one of two tight ends Baltimore selected in the 2018 draft, as the club added Oklahoma’s Mark Andrews in the third round after picking Hurst on Day 1. With Hurst out of the picture for the time being, Andrews figures to line up as the Ravens’ move tight end, while Nick Boyle is likely to see the most action as a blocker. Fourth-year pro Maxx Williams, Vince Mayle, and Darren Waller are also candidates to stick on Baltimore’s roster.
Hurst, the 25th overall selection and one of two Ravens first-round picks (joining quarterback Lamar Jackson), posted 44 receptions, 559 yards, and two touchdowns during his junior season at South Carolina. A former minor league baseball player, Hurst will already be 25 years old when the 2018 campaign begins.
Ravens Torn On Keeping Robert Griffin III
The Ravens’ roster hasn’t featured a three-quarterback setup since the 2009 season, but circumstances this year may induce a change to their usual approach.
John Harbaugh said Thursday, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, that Robert Griffin III‘s roster spot will go down to the wire. Despite being out of football last season, Griffin has outplayed Lamar Jackson during the preseason to this point but hasn’t gotten nearly as many game reps as the rookie.
“He has played at a starting-caliber level in the games that he’s played, and he’s an experienced guy,” Harbaugh said, via Hensley. “I’d rather have him than not have him, for sure, but there are other factors that go into that and we’ll have to figure all that out. [GM] Ozzie [Newsome] ultimately will have to make that decision.”
RG3’s $1MM salary becomes guaranteed if he’s on the Ravens’ Week 1 roster. It’s possible Baltimore would release the 28-year-old quarterback only to bring him back after Week 1, but given the depth issues many teams have at sports’ marquee job, another team could swoop in with a better offer. Griffin could also serve as a trade chip, but Jackson’s struggled during most of the preseason. The 2016 Heisman Trophy winner’s completed just 42 percent of his passes. The 2011 Heisman recipient, Griffin’s only attempted 26 passes but has outplayed the younger prospect.
Joe Flacco‘s missed just 10 games in his 10-season career, and each came in 2015 after he tore an ACL. The Ravens are pleased by the strides Jackson’s made, per Jeff Zreibec of The Athletic (subscription required), who adds that Griffin’s roster spot will come down to how Jackson performs during the preseason’s remainder.