The Baltimore Ravens made their roster cuts to get down to the 53-man limit that was posted for Tuesday. However, while that was the initial roster, it will be nothing like the final roster, and it likely will not even be like the roster a few days from now or when week one starts.
The Ravens like to take advantage of vested veterans by releasing them on a handshake deal. They tell the veterans they plan to pick them back up and give them a slight pay rise. In return, the Ravens get to carry someone on the 53-man roster that they were not sure would make it. This player usually gets transferred to the IR, and then the veteran returns. If this process did not happen, the player on the IR would be gone for the year. Now, he could come back.
So, who are three players on the Ravens that got cut, but could end up returning?
3. The Baltimore Ravens have done this with Brent Urban before
The Baltimore Ravens know Brent Urban well, and Urban knows this process well. Urban was drafted by the Ravens and spent his first four seasons with them. Then, he cycled back to them in 2022. That is when the Ravens proposed this idea to him.
Urban went along, got cut, let the Ravens take care of their roster mechanics, and then got a little bump in pay to come back to the same role. So, the Ravens already knew that Urban would do this, and they asked him to again.
If Urban does not return in the next 24 hours it will be a big surprise. Since he is entering year eight he does not have to clear waivers, and he has bounced around the NFL, but clearly wants to stick around in Baltimore.
Beyond that, the team is now thin on the defensive line. They currently have four, so they essentially have just one depth lineman in their base 3-4 look. They will need to make some moves to get some defensive line help, and it likely means Urban is back.
2. Will Daryl Worley wind up back with the Baltimore Ravens?
Daryl Worley is another player who is familiar with the Baltimore Ravens and their strategies. Worley was with the Ravens last year, and he bounced up and down from the practice squad to the active roster and then would get released and signed again. Then, he finished with the team.
The thought is that the same process is going on here. Worley entered training camp knowing that he had to compete for his roster spot. However, he played well enough that he should have won the job He played almost every snap and competed on special teams in the preseason opener.
He followed it up with a strong second preseason game and he was relieved early in the third preseason game. He started and left the game with Geno Stone, and the thought was that Stone and Worley would hold the third and fourth safety spots.
Combining his play on defense with special teams should have had Worley as a lock. It probably still does. One major thought from the roster was seeing eight cornerbacks compared to three safeties. Something tells you that a cornerback or two are going to be heading to the IR, and one of those cornerback spots will go to Daryl Worley, who will resume his role as the fourth safety.
1. Angelo Blackson should circle back to the Baltimore Ravens
When the Baltimore Ravens signed Angelo Blackson, he was firmly on the roster bubble. He was coming off a terrible 2022 campaign, but he was playing out of position and would be much better in the Ravens' defensive look.
So, the thought was that while he had to compete to make the roster, his status on the team would be solid. However, he was one of the cuts. He does not have the history of loyalty displayed by both Worley and Urban.
However, he signed with the Ravens because he knows it is a scheme fit, and his veteran status allows him to choose his home this year without going through waivers. The Ravens probably told him that they need him to do this for the team and that they will lock him down soon enough. A team may call, but Blackson is likely to come back.
As we noted with Urban, it is almost impossible to see the Ravens head into a gameday with just four defensive linemen. Even five is a bit thin, and you would like to have that sixth man ready for depth purposes. The odds are that both Urban and Blackson circle back to the active roster, and the team makes a few moves to open the roster spots to do so. If any of the three found a job and left, it would be Blackson, but even that is hard to see.