Ravens Move Down To 53
The Ravens minced their roster to 53 players, parting ways with UDFA Gerald Willis to get there. Baltimore also placed Tavon Young and Kenneth Dixon on IR.
Young suffered a neck injury recently and will miss a full season for the second time in three years. While Baltimore boasts a deep cornerback corps, losing its slot man again will not help the high-end defense’s cause. Dixon will head back to IR. The Ravens placed him on IR in September 2018 but used an IR-return slot on him. That will not be an option this year, which doubles as the running back’s contract slate.
Character concerns caused Willis, viewed as a high-Day 3-type prospect out of Miami, to go undrafted. He is now on the waiver wire.
Here are Baltimore’s cuts:
- Aaron Adeoye, DE
- Marcus Applefield, T
- Terrell Bonds, DB
- Maurice Canady, DB
- E.J. Ejiya, LB
- Tyler Ervin, RB
- Christopher Ezeala, RB
- Willie Henry, DT
- Cole Herdman, TE
- Bennett Jackson, DB
- Stanley Jean-Baptiste, DB
- Sean Modster, WR
- Cameron Nizialek, P
- Donald Payne, LB
- R.J. Prince, G
- Charles Scarff, TE
- Zach Sieler, DE
- Brynden Trawick, DB
- Antoine Wesley, WR
- Gerald Willis, DT
Placed on IR:
- Randin Crecelius, T
- Kenneth Dixon, RB
- Alvin Jones, LB
- Fish Smithson, DB
- Tavon Young, DB
Ravens Sign Gerald Willis, 16 Other UDFAs
Stationed on ESPN’s “best available” graphic for hours on Day 3 of the draft, Gerald Willis found a home in Baltimore. The Ravens made the defensive lineman part of their UDFA contingent. Here is the rest of the team’s 17-man group:
- Otaro Alaka, LB (Texas A&M)
- Marcus Applefield, T (Virginia)
- E.J. Ejiya, LB (North Texas)
- Cole Herdman, TE (Purdue)
- Markus Jones, LB (Angelo State)
- Patrick Mekari, G (Cal)
- Sean Modster, WR (Boise State)
- Kalil Morris, DT (Kent State)
- Mike Onuoha, LB (Texas A&M-Commerce)
- Matthew Orzech, LS (Azusa Pacific)
- Charles Scarff, TE (Delaware)
- Jaylen Smith, WR (Louisville)
- Silas Stewart, LB (Incarnate Word)
- C.J. Toogood, C (Elon)
- Antoine Wesley, WR (Texas Tech)
- Gerald Willis, DT (Miami)
- Evan Worthington, S (Colorado)
Rated as the No. 76 overall prospect on Mel Kiper Jr.’s big board, Willis earned second-team All-American honors by finishing with 18 tackles for loss and four sacks last season. However, character issues likely led to his slide. Florida dismissed the talented defender earlier in his career, and some Miami coaches were skeptical of his NFL future.
The Ravens are continuing their rookie-heavy approach to staffing their wide receiver spots, this trio following Marquise Brown and third-round pick Miles Boykin. Smith, who had his best college season (a 60-catch, 980-yard, seven-touchdown 2017) when playing with Lamar Jackson, will rejoin the developing passer. Wesley’s 1,410 receiving yards ranked third in Division I-FBS last season.