The Ravens made several changes to their 53-man roster Tuesday headlined by the decision to cut cornerback Chykie Brown and move defensive tackle Terrence Cody to the active roster.
Baltimore also promoted cornerback Tramain Jacobs and waived tight end Phillip Supernaw as they now prepare for Sunday’s meeting with the Tennessee Titans.
A 2011 fifth-round pick, Brown struggled throughout the summer and had seen his playing time decrease through the first two months of the regular season. After entering training camp as the Ravens’ No. 3 cornerback, Brown was a healthy scratch in Weeks 7 and 8 before he was pressed into duty in Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh with top cornerback Jimmy Smith sidelined.
Brown played 13 defensive snaps against the Steelers, but he was burned in coverage on Antonio Brown’s 54-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. It was apparent that defensive coordinator Dean Pees had lost all confidence in Brown when the Ravens began using strong safety Matt Elam at the nickel position instead of a third cornerback earlier this season.
The Ravens were forced to make a decision on Cody as his 21-day window to practice while still being on the reserve physically unable to perform list had expired. It remains unclear how Cody, a run-stopping defensive tackle, will fit into the rotation with Brandon Williams and Haloti Ngata both playing so well and rookie Timmy Jernigan emerging as a reliable reserve.
Jacobs is a rookie free agent from Texas A&M who impressed coaches with his performance during training camp, earning him an invitation to join the practice squad. With Brown being leg go, the 5-foot-11 Jacobs becomes the Ravens’ third healthy cornerback behind starters Lardarius Webb and Dominique Franks while Smith continues to recover from a mid-foot sprain expected to keep him out until at least after the Week 11 bye week.
Baltimore’s pass defense currently ranks 24th in the NFL and is allowing 263 yards per game through the air.
Supernaw would figure to be invited back to the practice squad should he clear waivers as his role diminished with the return of starting tight end Owen Daniels against the Steelers on Sunday.
