The Ravens made a big first step to trim the roster, cutting 12 players Sunday afternoon.
Baltimore terminated the contract of vested veteran tight end Visanthe Shiancoe.
The Ravens waived wide receiver Tommy Streeter, running back Damien Berry, wide receiver Rashad Carter, guard/tackle Jack Cornell, inside linebacker Bryan Hall, guard/tackle Ramon Harewood, defensive back Moe Lee, tackle David Mims, defensive end Will Pericak, wide receiver Gerrard Sheppard and outside linebacker Meshak Williams.
"They're great guys, guys that we're really sorry to see go," Head Coach John Harbaugh said.
"They're guys that did a great job, and most have a future in the NFL. I would expect these guys to get an opportunity somewhere else soon or maybe back here down the road. Sometimes you just look at the names in the paper and they're just names. But these are guys with dreams and aspirations that worked really hard."
Baltimore cut Shiancoe, who signed on July 28 after Dennis Pitta's potentially season-ending hip injury. The Ravens chose to keep veteran Dallas Clark over Shiancoe, who recorded five catches for 48 yards in three preseason games.
Harbaugh said it was "fair" to surmise that the addition of Clark and the improved health of tight end Ed Dickson contributed to Shiancoe's release.
Another big name on the cut list is Streeter, a sixth-round pick from last season who fans had high hopes for. The 6-foot-5 target spent last year on injured reserve and didn't stand out in the wide receiver competition this preseason. He had only one preseason catch.
Hall had made the transition from defensive tackle to inside linebacker this offseason, losing 45 pounds in the process. But the depth at that position turned out better than advertised, pushing Hall out. Harbaugh said it was a numbers game, and that the Ravens released Hall in the first cut to give him a better chance to land somewhere else.
"Love him being on the team, love his attitude every day, his work ethic, the kind of person he is," Harbaugh said. "He's another guy that I think will play football for a while, but no matter what he does he's going to be very successful."
Harewood was a former sixth-round developmental pick. But knee injuries set him back in his rookie year, and he lost his starting guard spot last season.
Lee was an undrafted rookie out of Utah who stood out in organized team activities, and seemingly had a shot to make the 53-man roster. He was competing with seventh-round rookie cornerback Marc Anthony.
Pericak reportedly got the highest signing bonus of any undrafted rookie. He and fellow undrafted rookie defensive lineman Cody Larsen were competing for backup duty on a stacked line.
The Ravens signed quarterback Dayne Crist, who spent time with the team during minicamp. The move could be because of backup Tyrod Taylor's concussion tests after Thursday's game. The Ravens need two healthy quarterbacks heading into St. Louis for their final preseason game, and Joe Flacco is expected to rest up for the season opener in Denver.
Baltimore is now down to 77 players and still must part with two more before Tuesday at 4 p.m.
