Needing to pare the roster and to potentially take advantage of more flexible injured reserve rules, the Ravens released longtime veterans and Super Bowl XLVII champions Pernell McPhee and Anthony Levine as part of a series of moves ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
Other notable cuts included quarterback Trace McSorley, fifth-round rookie fullback Ben Mason, defensive tackle Justin Ellis, and tight end Eric Tomlinson. The Ravens also traded 2020 fourth-round guard Ben Bredeson, a 2022 fifth-round pick, and a 2023 seventh-round selection to the New York Giants for a fourth-round choice in next year’s draft.
McPhee, 32, was the biggest surprise of Baltimore’s Tuesday cuts after he played in 15 games — 13 of them starts — at a high level at rush linebacker last season, but his departure could only be temporary if general manager Eric DeCosta is indeed trying to take advantage of the flexible IR rules still in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams are permitted to bring back an unlimited number of players from IR after a minimum three-week absence, but injured players were required to be on the initial 53-man roster to be eligible. Potential IR candidates to make the initial 53-man roster included wide receivers Rashod Bateman (groin) and Miles Boykin (hamstring) and cornerback Jimmy Smith (ankle).
The captain of the special teams for years, the 34-year-old Levine had been labeled by many as someone on the roster bubble this summer, but he could also be a candidate to re-sign later this week. Levine has been with the Ravens since 2012 and appeared in every game from 2013-19 before missing one game last season because of an abdomen injury.
Vested veterans such as McPhee and Levine aren’t subject to waivers, meaning they could re-sign with Baltimore — or any of the other 31 teams — at any point. Ellis, Tomlinson, and outside linebacker Chris Smith also fall into that category of released vested veterans. At the end of the 2016 preseason, the Ravens worked out a handshake agreement with veteran running back Justin Forsett before releasing him and re-signing him a couple days later.
The Ravens will hope McSorley clears waivers and agrees to join the practice squad to give them another quarterback behind starter Lamar Jackson and backup Tyler Huntley. With Jackson not being vaccinated for COVID-19 and subject to stricter rules in the league’s protocol, having another quarterback in the organization should be considered a must. McSorley’s back injury suffered in mid-August ended his opportunity to beat out Huntley for the No. 2 job, but the 2019 sixth-round pick from Penn State was healthy enough to return to practice on Monday.
In addition to McSorley and Mason, the Ravens waived defensive back Nigel Warrior, offensive tackles Adrian Ealy and Foster Sarrell, running back Nate McCrary, wide receivers Jaylon Moore and Binjimen Victor, tight end Tony Poljan, defensive tackle Jovan Swann, and kicker Jake Verity. It’s worth noting that any of these players clearing waivers — as well as vested veterans — could return to the 16-man practice squad. Teams may elevate two members of the practice squad for each regular-season game, another perk for a more flexible roster in 2021.
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Baltimore also waived inside linebacker Otaro Alaka (knee), defensive tackle Aaron Crawford (shoulder), and wide receiver Deon Cain with injury designations. They would revert to IR if unclaimed and could eventually reach an injury settlement.
As expected, veteran offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James was placed on the reserve non-football injury list, which means he will not count against the 53-man roster and must miss at least the first six weeks of the regular season. The Ravens haven’t ruled out the possibility of James being able to play later in the season after he suffered an Achilles tendon injury in the spring and was released by the Denver Broncos.
