After months of hot practices and grueling tryouts, the Ravens have selected their 53-man roster.
It was tough, said Head Coach John Harbaugh, but he's pleased with the results.
There were no big surprises coming out of Baltimore.
"I really, really, really, really like this football team, really appreciate these players," Harbaugh said. "We have a group of guys that really know how to work, a group of guys that are really very united."
The Ravens informed many players before their morning walkthrough that they had been cut, but they still had a couple decisions up in the air as of Friday afternoon.
The team did not release its final cuts until the 9 p.m. deadline.
Here is the list of players that were waived:
RB Anthony Allen, Georgia Tech
S Omar Brown, Marshall
LB Josh Bynes, Auburn
LB Nigel Carr, Alabama State
G/T Jack Cornell, Illinos
WR Dorian Graham, Syracuse
G/T Cord Howard, Georgia Tech
NT Nicholas Jean-Baptiste, Baylor
NT Ishmaa'ily Kitchen, Kent State
G Antoine McClain, Clemson
DE Terrence Moore, Nebraska
QB Curtis Painter, Purdue
WR Logan Payne, Minnesota
S Cyhl Quarles, Wake Forest
OLB Chavis Williams, Alabama
G Tony Wragge, New Mexico
The following players were placed on Injured Reserve:
TE Matt Balasavage, Temple (ankle)
RB Damien Berry, Miami (neck/shoulder)
G/C Justin Boren, Ohio State (foot)
LB Ricky Brown, Boston (head)
TE Bruce Figgins, Georgia (shoulder)
WR Tommy Streeter, Miami (foot)
With the release of Curtis Painter, the Ravens will once again go with only two quarterbacks for the third straight season. Starter Joe Flacco has yet to miss an NFL start.
Baltimore went with six receivers and held onto Tommy Streeter (injured reserve) while also keeping undrafted rookie wide receiver Deonte Thompson.
At running back, the Ravens chose undrafted rookie free agent Bobby Rainey over second-year player Anthony Allen. Damien Berry was placed on injured reserve. Rainey excelled this preseason, especially as a pass catcher and pass blocker.
Despite earlier concerns about his weight, tackle Bryant McKinnie was retained. He, Michael Oher and rookie Kelechi Osemele provide three starter-quality tackles. Jah Reid (calf) and Osemele can also swing inside to guard, which enabled the Ravens to send guard/center Justin Boren to injured reserve and keep tackle Ramon Harewood.
Veteran tight end Billy Bajema will be the No. 3 tight end behind Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta.
On the defensive side, Baltimore parted ways with rookie free agent Omar Brown, the man who had three turnovers in one preseason game. The Ravens could try to get him on their practice squad, which will be announced tomorrow.
Instead, Baltimore kept an extra cornerback with Danny Gorrer and Chykie Brown. Gorrer is a technically-sound veteran cover corner and Brown is a valued special teamer. Baltimore has seven cornerbacks overall, which should help as it faces 11 Pro Bowl quarterbacks this year.
The Ravens retained outside linebacker Sergio Kindle, who had a costly penalty and no tackles in the fourth and final preseason game. However, the former second-round pick has pass rush potential.
The defensive line retained seventh-round draft pick DeAngelo Tyson and defensive tackle Bryan Hall, who spent last year on the practice squad. The Ravens kept all of their draft picks, which is the norm in Baltimore.
While the 53 players kept on Friday hold the special distinction of making the team, there could still be changes. With other teams making cuts, the Ravens could look to bolster certain positions with newly-made free agents.
"All kinds of possibilities are still out there. We will just have to see how it shakes out," Harbaugh said. "What we will be striving for is our best 53 for now. And then – you know in this league it is very fluid – nothing is certain. Once you get past the first week, you go to the second week, and you see where we're at."
