OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens placed running back Lorenzo Taliaferro on the reserve physically unable to perform list in one of four moves to trim their roster to the 75-man limit Tuesday.
Taliaferro had not practiced this summer after undergoing season-ending Lisfranc surgery last October. He did take part in voluntary workouts on a limited basis this spring before being placed on the active PUP list to begin training camp in late July.
“We’ll see how he continues to progress with the foot,” head coach John Harbaugh said at the time. “Not that there is a big issue with it, but he is not quite there yet as far as practicing.”
The 2014 fourth-round pick is now ineligible for the first six games of the regular season, but he will not count against the 53-man roster limit. Taliaferro likely would have faced an uphill battle in a deep group of running backs to make the roster this summer, but the Ravens will now have the luxury of revisiting his status when he’s eligible as early as Week 7.
Limited to just 16 games in his first two seasons, the 225-pound running back from Coastal Carolina has rushed for 339 yards and five touchdowns in his career.
Baltimore also placed defensive end Bronson Kaufusi and offensive lineman Stephane Nembot on injured reserve and cut kicker Wil Lutz. Kaufusi, a 2016 third-round pick, sustained a broken ankle on Aug. 4 and was already expected to be out for the season.
Teams must reduce their rosters to 53 players by 4 p.m. on Saturday.
“A lot of decisions have been made. I think that’s obvious,” Harbaugh said. “And then there are a number of decisions that still have to be made. We talk about those every day. Every second of every day we think about it and try to do the right thing for our team.”
Eleven players were absent from Tuesday morning’s practice, a list including nose tackle Brandon Williams, tight ends Dennis Pitta (finger) and Maxx Williams, running back Kenneth Dixon (knee), guard John Urschel (contusion), linebackers Elvis Dumervil (foot) and Za’Darius Smith (ankle), and defensive backs Shareece Wright, Kendrick Lewis, Jerraud Powers, and Matt Elam (knee).
Safety Lardarius Webb, center Jeremy Zuttah, and running back Buck Allen returned to the field after missing Monday’s workout.
