The Baltimore Ravens reduced their roster to 53 players for the regular season on Tuesday.
For a team returning much of the core of a 13-4 team that made the AFC Championship game last year, there simply wasn’t much wiggle room to give undrafted players and training camp invites a spot on the roster.
This is reflected in some decisions about who was in the squad and who was not.
Here’s a sneak peek at the list:
Our list of 53 players! pic.twitter.com/K0fihZYtI0
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 28, 2024
And here are those who didn’t make it.
The Ravens cut…
WAIVED
OT Corey Bullock
RB Chris Collier
CB Bump Cooper Jr.
WR Malik Cunningham
G Darrian Dalcourt
Joe Evans, OLB
TE Qadir Ismail
QB Emory Jones
Quarterback Devin Leary
G Tashawn Manning
OT Julian Pearl
BY CJ Ravenell
First row back Yvandy Rigby
ILB Josh Ross
WR Dayton Wade
CB…— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) August 28, 2024
Here are some of the biggest surprises.
Sixth-round rookie QB not on roster
The Ravens enter the season with just two quarterbacks: Lamar Jackson and Josh Johnson.
The roster does not include Devin Leary, who was drafted in the sixth round this year.
Leary, who played college football at North Carolina State and Kentucky, has a big arm but has struggled with accuracy and turnovers. He had some good moments in training camp and the preseason, but apparently not enough to make the 53-man roster.
If Leary is cleared on waivers, he could be a candidate for the practice squad.
In the meantime, it’s worth wondering if the Ravens will target quarterbacks who were released today like Bailey Zappe or Mike White, both of whom could bolster the backup quarterback depth.
The Ravens might also have enough confidence in Johnson to keep room on the roster for other positions.
Undrafted receiver Dayton Wade released
Wade has garnered plenty of interest during OTAs, training camp and the preseason. Fullback Patrick Ricard has singled him out as a potential candidate. Wade has made big plays in practice and led the Ravens in receiving in two of three preseason games, including a 56-yard touchdown on a double-action in the second game.
News broke later today that veteran receivers Russell Gage and Anthony Miller were not on the roster, giving Wade a glimmer of hope of making the team.
But the Ravens simply don’t have much room at receiver. While few in the NFL world think the Ravens are loaded with receivers, they do have a veteran core of Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor. They selected Devontez Walker in the fourth round, and they also like Deonte Harty and Tylan Wallace.
Ultimately, the team may not consider Wade’s potential to be high enough to warrant a roster spot.
However, Wade was released, so if he isn’t picked up by another team, he could be a candidate for the practice squad.
A local kid is part of the squad
One player who is making a good impression is safety Beau Brade.
Brade grew up in Clarksville, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore, and played college football at the University of Maryland.
He went undrafted, but signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent.
Brade started training camp slowly, but emerged during the preseason, recording 19 tackles, including two for losses.
The Ravens are well-stocked on defense, which means Brade shouldn’t get much, if any, play on the field. But he’ll also get a chance to learn from players like Kyle Hamilton and Eddie Jackson. Getting that experience on his hometown team is one of the funniest stories of this Ravens season.
