The Baltimore Ravens have decisions to make, and they're running out of time. The NFL set Aug. 29 as the final day to trim the roster from its full summer size (90 players) to the final, regular-season 53-man squad that would be available for Week 1 next September.
After a summer in which the Flock solved some roster issues but suffered some injuries complicating the construction of their team, decisions must be made in order to fix some pending woes.
The Ravens have a weakened secondary and a slim-at-best pass rushing. Multiple veterans were signed through the summer to bolster both lines, but they're not going to move the needle enough by themselves.
Here are four players that could be cut in order to improve the lookout of the team entering the 2023 regular season, as well as creating cap space and opportunities for the franchise to land reinforcements from elsewhere.
Running Back - Melvin Gordon III
It's been a little over a month since the Ravens signed former Denver Bronco and Practice Squad Super Bowl champion MG3 to bolster the running back room ahead of training camp.
It's been a little over a day since Gordon appeared in his third preseason game of the summer and virtually sealed his fate with Baltimore: the Ravens are going to ruthlessly cut him ahead of Tuesday's deadline.
This is the easiest of decisions to be made by the Ravens in the next few hours. Gordon doesn't have any guaranteed money in his deal, so it would cost Baltimore nothing to cut him straight. He can always be added to the practice squad later, as it's hard to see any team signing him... for whatever reason.
With the sudden and impressive emergence of UDFA Keaton Mitchell through training camp and the preseason matchups and the Ravens stuffed backfield, Baltimore should send Gordon home and bet on the rookie for the 2023 season and beyond.
Melvin Gordon, it's time to move on.