Ravens release Stills, 18 others; More moves to come
The Ravens released 19 players on Saturday in their final round of roster cuts, including former Pro Bowler Gary Stills.
Baltimore also placed cornerback David Pittman and running back Cory Ross on injured reserve and announced that cornerback Derrick Martin has been suspended one game for violating the NFL's Substance Abuse Policy.
Martin joins fellow CB Fabian Washington, who is suspended for one game for violating the league's personal-conduct policy. Both players will miss the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7.
All of the shuffling leaves the Ravens under the 53-man roster limit, meaning there are more moves to be made.
"With the two suspended players, that gives us 52 players on the current roster," general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement. "We will add another player before the opener against the Bengals."
While there were no big surprises in the cuts, Stills was the most recognizable name in the group of 19. The 34-year-old linebacker saw most of his playing time on special teams over his career, and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2003. Stills joined the Ravens in 2006 and posted an NFL record 44 special teams tackles that season.
His spot on the roster came into question when the Ravens signed Brendon Ayanbadejo as a free agent this offseason. Ayanbadejo, a two-time special teams Pro Bowler, had a strong preseason, posting 16 total tackles and a sack.
Left tackle Chad Slaughter, who was signed during training camp to provide depth on the offensive line, was also amongst the cuts. Slaughter performed fairly well in camp, but he became expendable when projected starters Adam Terry and Jared Gaither returned from injuries.
Quarterback Casey Bramlet was also cut, despite being signed just a few days earlier and playing over a half of the Ravens' final preseason game.
Baltimore might use the extra roster spot to bring in some help at cornerback or running back.
The suspensions to Martin and Washington and the release of cornerback Ronnie Prude leave the Ravens with just five corners going into the opener. Starters Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle have missed time during the preseason due to injury, and backups Frank Walker and Corey Ivy have been inconsistent.
Willis McGahee and Ray Rice are the only running backs left on the roster with Ross being placed on IR and the release of rookie Allen Patrick. McGahee missed all of the preseason as he recovered from arthroscopic knee surgery, and although head coach John Harbaugh has indicated throughout the last few weeks that McGahee will be ready for next Sunday, it's unclear if the Pro Bowler will be at full strength.
Here is a complete list of players waived:
Adam Bergen (TE, 6-4, 267, 3rd-year, Lehigh)
Casey Bramlet (QB, 6-4, 220, 2nd-year, Wyoming)
Darrell Campbell (DL, 6-4, 295, 1st-year, Notre Dame)
Patrick Carter (WR, 6-3, 195, Rookie, Louisville)
Adrien Clarke (G, 6-5, 330, 4th-year, Ohio State)
Amon Gordon (DT, 6-2, 305, 4th-year, Stanford)
Justin Harper (WR, 6-3, 215, Rookie, Virginia Tech)
Alex Haynes (RB, 5-10, 225, 2nd-year, Central Florida)
Keith Heinrich (TE, 6-6, 255, 5th-year, Sam Houston State)
Adam Kraus (G, 6-6, 295, Rookie, Michigan)
Robert McCune (LB, 6-0, 245, 2nd-year, Louisville)
Allen Patrick (RB, 6-1, 200, Rookie, Oklahoma)
Ronnie Prude (CB, 5-11, 180, 3rd-year, LSU)
Joe Reitz (T, 6-7, 270, Rookie, Western Michigan)
Chad Slaughter (6-8, 340, 5th-year Alcorn State)
Gary Stills (LB, 6-2, 250, 10th-year, West Virginia)
Ernie Wheelwright (WR, 6-5, 220, Rookie, Minnesota)
Lorenzo Williams (DL, 6-0, 310, Rookie, Missouri)
Matt Willis (WR, 5-11, 190, 2nd-year, UCLA)
Stan and scarletfever,
As Roch Kubatko is reporting, Chris Simms is in Baltimore right now talking with Ravens management. I'm going out to Ravens headquarters in Owings Mills later today and will give an update on the QB situation as soon as possible.
I think that Simms would initially be coming in as insurance at the QB spot, and would not be an option to start the season opener. At this point, I see Flacco as the leader for the starting job, partly because he's played well, but mostly because Smith and Boller have gotten so few game snaps this preseason because of their injuries.
As for the running backs, Coach Harbaugh has mentioned how much he likes the "jumbo" backfield with McClain and Lorenzo Neal. McClain played well this preseason, and Harbaugh also said he wants to put the ball in Neal's hands a bit as well, so they will pick up a few carries a game. Rudi Johnson is an option, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
Roch is reporting that Jim Hunter is reporting that Chris Simms is on a flight to Baltimore right now to meet with Ravens.
http://masnsports.com/2008/09/small-world.html
got any updates on Chris Simms???
Have you heard anything about whether the Ravens are going to sign a veteran QB or stick with what they have? What are the odds for Smith or Flacco starting against Cincinnati?
Also, since the Ravens have only two RBs, do you think they could posibly pick up someone like Rudi Johnson or Shaun Alexander (if either can be signed at minimum) or is Le'Ron McClain going to get more carries?