Ravens Sign One CB, Release Another
- The Ravens signed cornerback Carrington Byndom and waived fellow corner Sam Brown, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com.
Ravens Could Cut Matt Elam, Arthur Brown
- In an early projection of the Ravens’ 53-man roster, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun lists safety Matt Elam and inside linebacker Arthur Brown (the club’s first- and second-round picks from 2013) as players on track to miss the cut. Elam could lose his spot to Terrence Brooks, who has impressed in training camp, per Zrebiec. Notably, the Ravens declined Elam’s fifth-year option for 2017 earlier this offseason, which came after he struggled in 2014 and then missed the 2015 campaign because of a biceps tear. Releasing Elam, who also has a suspension in his past, would save Baltimore $1.33MM. The club would free up less than $900K by parting with Brown, who has amassed just 17 tackles and a half-sack in 34 games (zero starts).
Ray Rice: NFL Return "Will Happen"
- Will former Ravens running back Ray Rice get another chance in the NFL? Many are skeptical of that, but Rice is staying optimistic. “In my heart of hearts,” Rice told ESPN’s Mike & Mike (video link), “it will happen.” Of course, teams are wary of taking on the PR hell storm that would come with signing Rice and it also doesn’t help that his last season played in the NFL was lackluster. For what it’s worth, Rice blames his 2013 struggles on a torn muscle which has since healed up.
Ravens Rookie Bronson Kaufusi Done For Year
Sadly, Bronson Kaufusi‘s season is over before it could even start. The third-round defensive end is likely done for the year thanks to a broken ankle, coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Thursday morning (via the Ravens on Twitter). 
[RELATED – Impact Rookies: Baltimore Ravens]
Kaufusi, a defensive end out of BYU, went on a Mormon mission before starting college and was one of the oldest player’s in this year’s class at 25 years old. Before he landed on the NFL radar, Kaufusi his split time between football and basketball. Once he zeroed in on football, he attempted to drop down in weight and shift to outside linebacker, but that experiment did not work out. Still, Kaufusi impressed as a bookend and despite projections that he would go in the fourth or fifth round of this year’s draft, he wound up being selected with the seventh pick in the third round.
Kaufusi was expected to be in the rotation at DE for Baltimore this year, supporting Lawrence Guy and Timmy Jernigan. With the rookie sidelined, there should be greater opportunities for 2014 fourth-round pick Brent Urban, fifth-round rookie Matt Judon, and Kapron Lewis-Moore.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ravens Could Bring Back T-Rich
- The Ravens released Trent Richardson because they needed a wide receiver to practice, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. They believe he’s talented and his return is possibility, Werder adds. Coach John Harbaugh told reporters, including Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter) that both he and GM Ozzie Newsome spoke to Richardson about getting healthy and possibly coming back to the team.
Ravens Sign Houston, Cut Palardy
Ravens Release Trent Richardson
The Ravens waived running back Trent Richardson, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
[RELATED: No Deal For Ravens, Jake Long]
Richardson underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair an existing condition, putting him on the shelf at a time when he was fighting for a spot on the Ravens‘ roster. Richardson, who just turned 26, agreed to a one-year contract for the veteran’s minimum earlier this offseason, joining a Baltimore running back corps that already included Justin Forsett, Javorius Allen, Lorenzo Taliaferro, Terrance West, and rookie Kenneth Dixon, as shown on Roster Resource. Richardson may be given an injury settlement along with his release.
In an interview in June, Richardson vowed to end his NFL story by “putting on a yellow jacket” at a Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
“People wrote him off, he came back and did some amazing things. He always had the pedigree. He just had to get back to the guy that we know,” Richardson said, narrating his own hypothetical 30 for 3o.
T-Rich, the former No. 3 overall pick of the 2012 draft, has a career average of just 3.3 yards per carry, and it remains to be seen whether he will be given another shot in the NFL.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ravens Sign Michael Palardy
- The Bills have swapped out defensive tackles, signing Casey Walker while releasing Cedric Reed, the team announced. Walker, 26, has eight career games under his belt, having seen action with the Ravens, Patriots, and most recently, the Cowboys.
- Fourth-year cornerback Rashaan Melvin signed with the Dolphins, according to agent Mike McCartney (via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com, on Twitter). Melvin started two games for the Ravens in 2014 and spent 2015 with both the Ravens and Patriots, playing in eight games for the latter.
- Meanwhile, the Ravens have used their final roster spot to sign punter Michael Palardy, tweets ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley. The former Tennessee special teamer has also spent time with the Raiders, Rams, and Panthers.
No Deal For Ravens, Jake Long
The Ravens won’t be signing Jake Long after all. Despite passing an exit physical with Falcons in January and another with Dr. James Andrews this week, Long declined to sign an injury waiver today and, therefore, remains a free agent, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Facebook link). 
Long tells Schefter that his knee feels great and indicated that he was happy with by Andrews’ review of his knee this week. With what he deems to be good medical news, Long says that he still looks forward to playing this season. However, it’s unclear where he might try and make that happen. Long had a visit with the Bears earlier in the offseason, so it’s conceivable that Chicago could come calling again.
Long, 31, spent the 2015 season with the Falcons after signing on midway through September. The former No. 1 overall pick was hoping to have a bounce-back season in Atlanta but he wound up only appearing in four games and he didn’t start in any of those contests. In the year prior, Long saw time in just seven games for the Rams last season due to a torn ACL. In the year before that, Long also tore his ACL in St. Louis.
In 2014, Long’s last season which could be measured by advanced metrics, Pro Football Focus ranked Long as just the No. 36 tackle out of 84 qualified players. In 2013, however, Long graded out as the seventh-best tackle in the league with a strong 22.5 overall score, based on PFF’s advanced metrics. Those numbers suggest that Long could still be a productive player if he can return to full health.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ravens Sign Kavell Conner
The Ravens have signed free agent linebacker Kavell Conner to an undisclosed contract, thus bringing their roster to the 90-player maximum, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
[RELATED: Ravens To Sign Jake Long?]
Conner, 29, has previously seen NFL action with the Colts and Chargers. The former Clemson Tiger entered the league in 2010 as a seventh-round pick with Indianapolis and played there through 2014. Conner started in 36 of 52 appearances with the Colts and picked up 236 tackles, including a career-best 104 in 2011, and two forced fumbles. Conner then partook in 26 regular-season games and amassed 10 starts over the previous two seasons in San Diego, with which he compiled 70 tackles, two forced fumbles and a sack in 2014. The Chargers scaled back Conner’s role last season and then released him in March after a 10-game, 22-tackle showing.
An inside linebacker, Conner will now look to crack a Ravens team set to start C.J. Mosley and Zachary Orr in the middle. Baltimore also has Arthur Brown and Albert McLellan as depth, as seen on Roster Resource.