OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Needing to trim their roster to the league-mandated 53 members by 4 p.m. Saturday, the Ravens parted ways with a number of players headlined by veteran offensive lineman A.Q. Shipley and 2013 fourth-round linebacker John Simon.
The Ravens also cut cornerbacks Dominique Franks, Derek Cox, Tramain Jacobs, and Sammy Seamster, offensive linemen Ryan Jensen and Parker Graham, defensive tackles Jamie Meder and A.J. Pataiali’i, tight end Phillip Supernaw, running back Fitz Toussaint, and sixth-round rookie quarterback Keith Wenning on Saturday.
“It’s challenging,” said head coach John Harbaugh about the final cut-down day. “When a guy walks in your room, as a head coach, or if you’re any kind of a person at all, immediately you put yourself in their shoes. You become empathetic to what they’re going through, and that’s just how you feel about it.
Defensive tackle Terrence Cody was placed on the reserve physically unable to perform list while he continues to recover from offseason hip surgery. He will be required to miss the first six weeks of the regular season before he’s eligible to return.
In addition to those transactions, the Ravens placed rookie wide receiver Jeremy Butler on injured reserve with a shoulder injury and moved running back Ray Rice and safety Will Hill to the reserve-suspended list.
The decision to part ways with both Franks and Cox means the Ravens only have four cornerbacks on their current roster, making it very likely that they’ll add another defensive back with Lardarius Webb, Jimmy Smith, and Asa Jackson all just returning to practice on Saturday after injuries. Six safeties made the regular-season roster with Anthony Levine and rookie Terrence Brooks also having the ability to play cornerback to help depth at that position.
After much discussion over which receivers would make the 53-man roster, the Ravens elected to keep the trio of rookie Michael Campanaro, veteran Deonte Thompson, and 2013 practice squad member Kamar Aiken to give them seven total wideouts on the 53-man squad. Many were of the opinion that the Ravens would find room for only two of the three.
A pair of rookie free agents made the 53-man roster in offensive tackle James Hurst and linebacker Zachary Orr. The Ravens were excited about Hurst’s upside when they signed him following the draft while Orr impressed coaches with his special-teams ability during the preseason.
Shipley was let go by Baltimore despite starting nine games last season after left guard Kelechi Osemele underwent season-ending back surgery. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 307 pounds, the Penn State product is undersized for his position but was projected by most to make the 53-man roster as a reserve interior lineman.
The selection of fifth-round guard John Urschel in May’s draft ultimately helped push Shipley out the door as the Penn State product has the ability to play all three interior line positions.
“Less competed against and more just grew with. He’s a Penn State guy; I’m a Penn State guy,” Urschel said after Saturday’s practice. “We became very good friends while we were here, and he’s a guy who really took me under his wing and taught me a lot of things. A guy who didn’t have to help me considering that I’m a young guy, [and] he’s a veteran. Helped me every single day and really just helped teach me how to be a pro in this league.”
Last year, the Ravens were elated to draft Simon, who was the 2012 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for Ohio State, but the 6-foot-1, 252-pound linebacker was slow to develop and failed to show the all-around skill set required of an outside linebacker. With Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, Courtney Upshaw, and Pernell McPhee all ahead of him on the depth chart, Simon was clearly on the bubble after an underwhelming summer.
Simon’s departure marks the second straight year in which the Ravens have parted ways with a fourth-round pick from the previous year. Baltimore cut disappointing 2012 fourth-round safety Christian Thompson after he finished serving a four-game suspension to begin the 2013 season.
The exit of Shipley initially appeared to be good news for the second-year offensive lineman Jensen, but he was also waived. A sixth-round pick in the 2013 draft, Jensen did not appear in a game last season, but the Ravens thought highly enough of him to carry him on the 53-man roster despite a broken foot costing him a sizable portion of training camp and the regular season.
The Ravens remain hopeful that Wenning will clear waivers, which would allow him to join the practice squad. They appear on track to carry only two quarterbacks on their active roster for the fifth consecutive season as starter Joe Flacco and backup Tyrod Taylor are the only signal-callers currently in the organization.
Of Saturday’s cuts, Jacobs, Seamster, Wenning, and Toussaint are among the potential fits for the 10-man practice squad if they do not draw interest from other NFL teams.
