Anthony Brown

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC North

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These BengalsBrownsRavens and Steelers moves are noted below.

Cincinnati Bengals

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Baltimore Ravens

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Cleveland Browns

Claimed:

Placed on IR:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Released:

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Ravens Set 53-Man Roster

The Ravens did a bit of work in the days leading up to the roster cut deadline, including the announced release of veteran running back Melvin Gordon. Still, there was a bit of work left to be done today. Here’s the remaining moves Baltimore made in order to get down to 53 players:

Waived:

Released:

The most surprising moves here come at cornerback. Especially with the recent injury trouble facing star corner Marlon Humphrey, the Ravens choice to not only cut two reliable backups in Seymour and Worley but also to waive the fifth-round rookie draft pick Kelly is shocking. The team did reinforce with several free agent veterans like Rock Ya-Sin, Ronald Darby, and Arthur Maulet, and they’re hoping to see strong seasons from second year cornerbacks Damarion Williams and Jalyn Armour-Davis, both of whom were limited in their rookie seasons due to injury. Look for them to attempt to retain Seymour and Worley on the practice squad. Kelly will have to clear waivers in order to return, a tough ask for a fifth-round talent. Williams is expected to be placed on injured reserve following the deadline, opening a door for Worley or Seymour to return to the active roster.

Brown and Johnson put forth valiant efforts throughout the preseason, essentially allowing starting quarterback Lamar Jackson and primary backup Tyler Huntley to escape the preseason without really being touched. Unfortunately, neither made a strong enough case to remain on the regular season roster. Brown is surely a candidate to return to the practice squad, if he clears waivers.

Baltimore’s tradition of scouting undrafted talent continued this year as the team saw two free agent rookies make the initial 53-man roster. Former East Carolina running back Keaton Mitchell gave some strong impressions that helped him beat out Gordon and fellow undrafted signee Wright. Malik Hamm, Lafayette’s all-time sack leader, makes the team behind as of yet unproven pass rushers Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo, veteran Jadeveon Clowney, and fellow rookie Tavius Robinson, a fourth-round pick out of Ole Miss.

Outside linebacker Tyus Bowser remains on the non-football injury list to start the season alongside long snapper Nick Moore, rookie guard Andrew Vorhees, and cornerback Trayvon Mullen. He’ll miss at least the first four games of the season.

CB Ronald Darby Visits Titans, To Meet With Ravens

10:42am: The Ravens indeed added Brown to their workout, Anderson tweets. This marks Brown’s first known audition since his December Achilles tear.

9:01am: More than 10 months after he suffered an ACL tear, Ronald Darby continues to generate interest. The veteran cornerback will up his summer visit count to four Thursday.

Having already met with the Texans and Vikings this year, Darby traveled to Tennessee for a Titans visit this week. In light of the foot surgery Marlon Humphrey underwent Wednesday, the Ravens are set to meet with Darby today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (Twitter links). Darby met with the Vikings in early August and the Texans in July.

Injuries have limited Darby, 29, for much of his career. He missed six Broncos games in 2021 and went down in Week 5 of last season. Last year’s ACL tear marked familiar territory for Darby, who sustained the same injury in 2018. While the former second-round pick was able to rebound from the previous knee malady to set up another Eagles deal, a Washington pact and the three-year, $30MM Broncos accord, he is running out of time to show teams he can stay healthy.

When available, Darby has generally played well. Pro Football Focus ranked him as a top-30 corner in 2020, his only career 16-game season — one that led the Broncos to authorize that eight-figure-per-year pact. PFF also viewed the 5-foot-11 defender as having a strong start to the 2022 campaign prior to the knee setback. The Florida State product has made 88 regular-season starts and operated as a first-stringer in Super Bowl LII with the Eagles.

The Titans have made a few early-round investments at corner in recent years. They have used four first- or second-round picks on this position since 2017. While Adoree’ Jackson departed after the 2020 slate, the Titans still carry Kristian Fulton (Round 2, 2020), Caleb Farley (Round 1, 2021) and Roger McCreary (Round 2, 2022). Fulton and McCreary represent key cogs for the AFC South team, but Farley has been unable to shake his injury trouble. The Virginia Tech product, who underwent season-ending back surgery to wrap a campaign in which the Titans reduced his playing time, remains on the team’s active/PUP list. Back trouble dinged Farley’s stock coming into the NFL as well.

The Ravens are dealing with multiple injuries at the position. In addition to Humphrey’s foot procedure, second-year cover man Damarion Williams underwent ankle surgery that is expected to sideline him until at least October. Jalyn Armour-Davis and recent pickup Arthur Maulet have also missed time due to injury in training camp. John Harbaugh said Humphrey should not be expected to be shelved for an extended period, but he is on track to miss regular-season games. With this quartet down, Brandon Stephens, Kevon Seymour and Ar’Darius Washington reside as Baltimore’s top available corners.

In addition to Darby, the Ravens have former Cowboys corner Anthony Brown on their radar, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets. Brown, 29, joins Darby in coming off a season-ending injury. The six-year Cowboy cover man, however, suffered his injury — an Achilles tear — in early December. Brown served as a regular Cowboys slot corner, re-signing with the team on a three-year deal worth $15.5MM in 2020. His work on that contract ended a bit early, with the Achilles tear occurring in Week 13 of last season.

Despite catching on with Dallas as a 2017 sixth-round pick, Brown started 69 games with the team. The Cowboys have not been connected to a reunion with Brown this year, having traded for Stephon Gilmore in March. Dallas also rosters Jourdan Lewis, who is also coming off a season-ending injury. While Darby has been connected to a handful of teams this offseason, Brown has hovered off the radar since his Cowboys contract expired.

Ravens Hoping QB Lamar Jackson Back For Playoffs

Lamar Jackson has been sidelined for more than a month with a knee injury, but the Ravens are still holding out hope that their franchise quarterback will be back for the postseason. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman told ESPN’s Jamison Hensley that he wouldn’t put it past Jackson to play in the first round of the playoffs.

“He’s a special guy,” Roman said. “I think if somebody’s got a chance to do it, he does.”

“I would say, I would bet on him. I would definitely bet on him,” Roman added. “It’s not an ideal situation, obviously, but it’s a great opportunity when he does come back to get him back in the lineup and get moving.”

Jackson last saw the field on December 4th and hasn’t been spotted at practice since. The Ravens have kept Jackson’s progress close to their vest, with the coaching staff merely admitting that the QB could be back at some point this season. The QB wasn’t practicing again on Friday, and he had a “hitch in his walk” as recently as last Sunday, per Hensley. The coaching staff will obviously get more clarity on Jackson’s condition once he returns to the practice field, with John Harbaugh saying the team was “hopeful” that they’d get a look at the QB next week.

Meanwhile, backup (and fill-in) quarterback Tyler Huntley continues to be limited at practice with shoulder and wrist injuries. If neither of the Ravens’ top two QBs are good to go on Sunday against the Bengals, undrafted rookie Anthony Brown would get the start.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/31/22

Today’s roster moves heading into gameday:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Promoted from practice squad: G Kyle Hinton, DL T.J. Smith

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Ravens Waive LB Josh Bynes

The Ravens have once again parted ways with veteran linebacker Josh Bynes, according to Field Yates of ESPN, releasing the 33-year-old today. The loss is not a significant one to the Ravens defense considering Bynes has been inactive since October.

Bynes was introduced to the NFL as an undrafted free agent in Baltimore back in 2011. In his second season with the team, Bynes was elevated to the active roster from the practice squad following an injury to Ray Lewis but remained a backup behind starters Dannell Ellerbe and Jameel McClain. An eventual injury to McClain would grant Bynes his first career starts near the end of the regular season. Bynes would go on to make the final tackle of the Ravens’ Super XLVII victory.

Bynes was named a season starter in the following year after Lewis’s retirement, but he would eventually lose the starting job to McClain and would be placed back on the practice squad following the drafting of C.J. Mosley in 2014. Bynes was signed off Baltimore’s practice squad by the Lions and would eventually become a starter in Detroit, as well, finishing second on the team in 2015 with 82 total tackles.

After his time with the Lions, a short stay in Arizona would be followed with a second stint in Baltimore. He would follow that with his best career season in Cincinnati in 2020, when he would finish third on the team with a career-high 99 total tackles. Bynes would spend the 2021 preseason in Carolina before getting cut in final roster decisions. Now a journeyman, Bynes would return to Baltimore for a third time, finally getting an opportunity as a full-time starter. After a strong 2021 season, the Ravens re-signed Bynes to one-year deal for this season. A quadriceps injury in a Week 7 win over the Browns would take him out of the lineup and keep him inactive for the next seven games.

Luckily for Baltimore, its in-season addition of linebacker Roquan Smith helped ease the team’s loss of Bynes. Having operated for so long without Bynes at this point, his dismissal from the roster shouldn’t require much of an adjustment. Starters Smith and Patrick Queen are still backed up by Malik Harrison and special teamers Kristian Welch and Del’Shawn Phillips.

In an additional couple of roster moves, the Ravens have promoted quarterback Anthony Brown and wide receiver Andy Isabella from the practice squad as standard gameday elevations against the Falcons tomorrow. With star passer Lamar Jackson inactive for tomorrow’s contest, Brown will be elevated to perform backup duties behind fill-in starter Tyler Huntley. Isabella is making his Ravens debut and should provide depth to a receiving corps that currently shows Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, and Tylan Wallace all on injured reserve. Huntley will be passing to the likes of Demarcus Robinson, DeSean Jackson, newly re-acquired Sammy Watkins, James Proche, and Isabella.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/16/22

Here are today’s minor moves heading into the Saturday slate of games:

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/10/22

Here are the minor moves around the league in advance of the Week 14 slate of games:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Cowboys CB Anthony Brown Suffers Torn Achilles

The Cowboys lost a starter in their secondary during last night’s blowout win over the Colts. Cornerback Anthony Brown exited the game in the third quarter, and his injury has been diagnosed as a torn Achilles.

The news confirms that Brown’s season is over, and marks a significant blow to Dallas’ defense. The 28-year-old had started every game this season, logging a snap share of 90%. His production – 44 tackles, seven pass deflections and a sub-55% completion percentage allowed – will be difficult to replace, especially given the season-ending foot injury suffered by slot corner Jourdan Lewis earlier this season.

Brown, a sixth-rounder in 2016, had been mostly healthy for five of his previous six NFL campaigns, all spent with the Cowboys. The lone exception was 2019, when a triceps tear ended his season in November. When making the announcement of this latest injury, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expounded on its significance to the team.

“I’m sick for him,” Jones said of Brown, via Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams“He’s had an outstanding career… and he, to me, is what a young player working hard, really having the right stuff, can become who’s not a No. 1 draft pick. I’m sick for him and sick for us.”

With Brown joining Lewis on the shelf for the remainder of the season, Dallas finds itself thin at the cornerback spot for the stretch run. 2021 second-rounder Kelvin Joseph stepped into a starting role after Brown’s injury, and will likely continue to do so moving forward. The Kentucky product was in the headlines this summer for his connection to a deadly shooting in Dallas, but he has since been cleared of criminal wrongdoing.

Joseph has primarily played on special teams to date, making just two starts in 21 career games. If he is able to take on an increased workload now, though, he could help maintain the level of play Dallas has enjoyed so far on the backend of its defense. The unit has allowed 180 yards per game through the air in 2022, the second-best mark in the NFL. Their ability to remain elite in that category will now be tested once again.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC North

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These BengalsBrowns, Ravens and Steelers moves are noted below.

Here are Wednesday’s AFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Baltimore Ravens

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Cincinnati Bengals

Claimed:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Cleveland Browns

Claimed: 

Released:

Signed to practice squad:

Pittsburgh Steelers