Saturday, the Baltimore Ravens announced that the team promoted wide receiver Tim White and cornerback Roberston Daniel to the 53 man roster. Both White and Daniel were signed to the Ravens practice squad after being cut from the team after training camp. To make these moves possible, the Ravens waived wide receiver Janarion Grant, and offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor. Grant was the starting return specialist, and Eluemunor was a depth offensive lineman. White will replace Grant as the starting return specialist, while Daniel will come in to add depth to a secondary missing player’s Jimmy Smith, Maurice Canady, and Anthony Averett.
The decision to replace Grant with White came after Grant fumbled the ball twice in two weeks. The first fumble was excusable as heavy rain yielded some of the worst conditions for holding onto a football. The second fumble occurred on Thursday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals. John Harbaugh is a coach that prioritizes ball security above all else. Grant’s struggles in this department undoubtedly cast doubt into the mind of John Harbaugh. Although Grant is by far the more electric returner, White will look to take over the job and prevent fumbles. It is worth noting that White also had fumbling issues in the preseason. If White cannot hold onto the football, then the Ravens will not be hesitant to move on from him either.
The decision to cut Jermaine Eluemunor only to add Robertson Daniel comes as a surprise. While I expected the Ravens to part ways with Eluemunor by next year, I had no indication that the move would come this quickly. The move is even more surprising when one realizes the Ravens are now prepared to enter Sunday’s game with just seven offensive linemen on the roster. The Ravens must be confident that Ronnie Stanley will be healthy and able to play unhindered on Sunday. As for Daniel, he comes into the roster to relieve a once deep, now thin secondary. The Ravens secondary is missing Jimmy Smith, on suspension, Maurice Canady, on IR, and Anthony Averett, injured last Thursday night. Daniel has spent a few years with the Ravens on the practice squad. His patience finally paid off.
The decision to cut both Grant and Eluemunor will likely be followed up with practice squad additions for both players. The Ravens see the undisputed talent that Grant has, and may want to continue his development on the practice squad. Baltimore also sees Eluemunor as valuable. The 2016 draft pick will be an insurance policy for the now thin offensive line should he end up on the practice squad. For both players to be signed to the Ravens practice squad, both have to pass through waivers.
