A day after trimming their roster to the league-mandated 53 players for the regular season, the Ravens began formulating their 10-man practice squad by signing three former draft picks and six others on Sunday.
The list was headlined by 2013 fourth-round linebacker John Simon, who was one of the more notable final cuts of the summer. Simon saw action in only seven games as a rookie, making four tackles while primarily serving on special teams. Despite a strong performance in the preseason finale in New Orleans, Simon was left off the 53-man roster just a year after the Ravens were so excited to select the 2012 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year out of Ohio Stat.
The Ravens signed two other former draft picks as 2013 sixth-round offensive lineman Ryan Jensen and 2014 sixth-round quarterback Keith Wenning cleared waivers and agreed to join the practice squad. Baltimore elected to enter the regular season with just two quarterbacks on the roster for the fifth straight year and had hoped that Wenning would go unclaimed after final cuts.
Cornerbacks Tramain Jacobs and Deji Olatoye, defensive tackles Jamie Meder and A.J. Pataiali’i, tight end Phillip Supernaw, and running back Fitz Toussaint were the other six players to agree to join the practice squad as the Ravens had one spot to fill as of Sunday afternoon.
All nine players currently on the practice squad spent the preseason with Baltimore. Olatoye was cut when the Ravens needed to trim their roster from 90 to 75 while the other eight were officially waived on Saturday.
The NFL expanded practice squads from eight to 10 members for the 2014 season.
Ravens sign former picks Simon, Wenning, Jensen to practice squad
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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