Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome sat back in his chair at the podium with a certain look of relief back in May following the conclusion of the 2015 NFL draft.
After all, he and his staff worked feverishly for months studying players who could improve the Ravens in 2015 and
beyond.
Part of that plan included signing players who fell through the cracks at draft time, which Newsome and company have had success doing over the years.
“Yes, there are players that we will target after the draft that were draftable players for us that we could have taken if
we had a seventh-round pick, which we don’t have,” said Newsome in May when asked about players that went undrafted. “So, there are still players on our board that we would have drafted. We run out of picks, so those are the guys that we’ll try to target first to be the undrafted college free agents.”
Just days later, the Ravens inked 15 undrafted rookie free agents. Some of those players flashed their abilities over the Summer while others didn’t. A few even looked liked they could stake a claim for a roster spot again this year.
With OTA’s, training camp, and the preseason all in books, the Ravens whittled their roster down to the NFL-mandated 53 players on Saturday prior to the 4 p.m. deadline. For the first time in 11 seasons, an undrafted rookie free agent was left off the roster (NFL’s third-longest active streak.)
Part of those cut yesterday were, running back Terrence Magee (LSU), safety Nick Perry (Alabama) and guard Kaleb Johnson (Rutgers). A fourth player would have likely joined the list if not for an in-practice trade as the Ravens sent center Nick Easton to the 49ers for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in return.
While one year certainly doesn’t mean Newsome and the Ravens have lost their knack for finding diamonds in the rough, it proves just how hard it is to do year in and year out.
Of the three UDFA rookie free agents signed last season, tackle James Hurst and linebacker Zachary Orr made the roster for the second-straight year. Running back Fitzgerald Toussaint was among yesterday’s final cuts.
The Ravens will be relying on several past undrafted free agents this season including linebacker Albert McClellan (2010), who remains for depth and his special teams play, and kicker Justin Tucker (2012), who ranks as the NFL’s most accurate kicker of all time.
Wide receiver Marlon Brown (2013) is back again. The Ravens will need the 2013 version of Brown, who had eight touchdowns that year, particularly with Torrey Smith now in another uniform.
Brynden Trawick (2013), another UDFA secured the last safety spot thanks largely in part to his special teams play.
The Ravens still have a few unanswered position questions that remain as they prepare for the start of the NFL season. It’s likely the roster won’t remain the same when they take the field next Sunday.
Follow me on Twitter @sportguyRSR
