OWINGS MILLS, Md. — With NFL teams needing to trim their rosters from 90 players to 85 by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline, the Ravens parted with another veteran who was a long shot to earn a 53-man roster spot.
The day after releasing running back Corey Clement and cornerback Robert Jackson, Baltimore terminated the contract of quarterback Brett Hundley and placed outside linebacker Trent Harris on injured reserve. The Ravens began making their cuts over the weekend by waiving a pair of undrafted rookies: cornerback Denzel Williams and wide receiver Devon Williams.
Signed to the 90-man roster in late May when Lamar Jackson chose not to attend voluntary organized team activities, Hundley, 29, was behind undrafted rookie Anthony Brown for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart and played only 10 snaps in the fourth quarter of last Thursday’s preseason opener. Should Jackson not play in the final two preseason games, Baltimore will need to lean more heavily on top backup Tyler Huntley and Brown for snaps.
Clement, 27, received praise from head coach John Harbaugh days after being signed in late July, but he didn’t receive any carries until the fourth quarter of the first preseason game, an indication that he wasn’t in serious contention for a roster spot. The 28-year-old Jackson appeared in five games for Baltimore’s injury-ravaged secondary down the stretch last season, but he struggled to gain traction in a deeper cornerback group this summer.
Harris had only been signed to the preseason roster over the weekend and left Monday’s practice with an undisclosed injury, prompting general manager Eric DeCosta to pivot from initial plans to release undrafted rookie outside linebacker Chuck Wiley.
Teams must trim rosters from 85 to 80 players next Tuesday before setting their initial 53-man rosters on Aug. 30.
PUP players progressing
After making their training camp debut upon being activated from the physically unable to perform list on Monday, cornerback Marcus Peters and safety Ar’Darius Washington participated for a second straight day.
Peters was again limited to individual drills as he slowly ramps up his activity level again while Washington progressed to take part in some 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.
“Everybody has got their own plan, so we try to bridge them back from the rehab part of it to the practice part of it and the game part of it,” Harbaugh said Monday. “We put them on that bridge and they work across the bridge, and they get to the other side.”
With Peters and Washington finally back on the field, the Ravens are practicing with their full collection of defensive backs for the first time all summer, a welcome sight for a pass defense that struggled mightily in 2021.
Running back J.K. Dobbins continued his slow ramp-up, but his participation in back-to-back days was an encouraging sign after he sat out weekend workouts.
“He looked good. He’s kind of back on track, and I thought he looked a little better than he did before — last week,” Harbaugh said Monday. “He continues to improve, and we’ll see where it goes.”
Tuesday’s attendance report
Not including the aforementioned roster moves, the Ravens practiced without nine players from their 85-man roster on Tuesday, a list including tight ends Nick Boyle (knee) and Charlie Kolar (sports hernia surgery), wide receivers James Proche (soft-tissue injury) and Tylan Wallace (knee), center Tyler Linderbaum (foot), left tackle Ronnie Stanley (PUP: ankle), outside linebackers Tyus Bowser (PUP – Achilles tendon) and David Ojabo (Achilles tendon), and running back Gus Edwards (PUP – knee).
Rookie offensive tackle Daniel Faalele left the field a little over an hour into Tuesday’s practice and didn’t return, but it was unclear what may have happened to him.
Offensive tackle David Sharpe and wide receiver Bailey Gaither returned to practice after missing time due to undisclosed injuries.
