4 potential surprise cuts on the Baltimore Ravens initial 53-man roster

The Baltimore Ravens are closing in on cut-down day when the team trims their roster down from 90 players to 53. While most of the cuts will be expected, and a lot of the roster spots are locked down, there will always be a surprise or two as the team tries to make the most out of every last roster spot.

If the Baltimore Ravens fans see a surprise release in the next few days, who are the most likely candidates?

4. Are the Baltimore Ravens done with Ben Cleveland?

The former third-round pick cannot seem to win this coaching staff over. We have seen it time and time again. It started with him losing a position battle to Ben Powers. Then, this year, he was supposed to step in for Powers.

However, the Ravens shifted him to right guard, they let Sala Aumavae-Laulu compete with John Simpson. Simpson ultimately won the job, and Cleveland spent his summer as a backup. However, even as a backup, his job is not secured.

When you look at the roster, there are the main six starters, including Sala Aumavae-Laulu, plus Patrick Mekari as the swing backup. Daniel Faalele has outplayed Ben Cleveland and was pulled from the preseason finale before Cleveland, and that makes eight. The team will definitely keep eight linemen, but the ninth is not a lock.

Does Cleveland even make it as number nine? Sam Mustipher is a backup center, which is not valuable until you need him. He was also pulled from the preseason final before Cleveland. Does he have a spot?

When Cleveland was playing right tackle in the preseason finale it was UDFA Tashawn Manning, Jaylon Thomas, and Tykeem Doss along with Sala Aumavae-Laulu as the five on the field. Sala Aumavae-Laulu needs the experience, but for Cleveland, it is because he is not as trusted as Faalele or even Mustipher, who may take his roster spot. It is not a lock that Ben Cleveland makes the Ravens roster.