Digesting the Baltimore Ravens' Final 53-Man Roster (Offense)

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

When you ask head coaches what the hardest part of their job is, their answers will be similar: cutting somebody. It's something that has to be done, but you never like to see somebody who has worked so hard to reach the NFL, only to get canned and looking for a job.

Today, at 4 PM ET, all teams were required to have their final 53-man roster set. On every NFL team, there are guys who have a spot on the roster. On a team like the Ravens, one of those guys is quarterback Joe Flacco. But there are also bubble guys, and with 75 on the roster after the last preseason game, teams have little time to cut their roster down to 53.

Today, the Ravens cut their roster down to 53, parting ways with 22 players.

Quarterbacks: Joe Flacco (starter), Troy Smith, John Beck.

No surprises here. In my opinion, Beck deserves the backup job. Smith is an intriguing talent, as he has good escapability, but really, he hasn't led the team down the field during the preseason, and while you can use the argument that he was in with backups, John Beck was in with backups against the Atlanta Falcons starters, and went 16-of-28 with 232 yards and two touchdowns, leading Baltimore to a 20-3 win.

So that's a very silly justification. In the preseason, Beck went 22-for-38 with 340 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, while Troy was 25-of-49 with 341 yards, one touchdown, and two picks.

Running backs/fullbacks: Ray Rice (starter), Willis McGahee, Matt Lawrence, Jalen Parmele, Le'Ron McClain (starter).

It was a bit surprising to see both Cedric Peerman and Jason Cook get released. First things first, Rice, McGahee, and McClain were givens to make the roster. Rice has looked very good in the preseason, McGahee has looked much-improved off last season's disappointing effort, and McClain is an All-Pro.

Peerman didn't get many chances running the ball, but the Ravens liked his "team player" style, as he played well on Special Teams. Lawrence also played well, and it was a battle between him and Peerman, and I thought Peerman would get the job because of his Special Teams play.

I also thought the Ravens would keep Cook for blocking-back depth and to give McClain more carries.

Wide receivers: Mark Clayton (starter), Derrick Mason (starter), Kelley Washington, Demetrius Williams.

Pretty terrible depth here. Clayton is coming off an injury and didn't participate at all during the preseason, granted he did come back to practice recently. Mason is 36. Washington, while he's a name, hasn't done much in the NFL, and Williams is incredibly injury prone.

In 2006, he had a solid rookie year, catching 22 passes for 396 yards. He started 2007 well, but missed the final seven games due to an injury. And after playing the first seven games in 2008, he left with a season-ending injury.

In the preseason finale, a 20-3 win against Atlanta, he stepped up, catching four passes for 77 yards. But look for the Ravens to add an available WR. Names that the Ravens could discuss include Super Bowl XLII hero David Tyree, or Ronald Curry.

The Ravens released Justin Harper, who was very inconsistent, along with Yamon Figurs and Jayson Foster. Harper wowed some in training camp, and even had a good game against the Redskins (4 rec., 77 yards, 1 TD), and even caught a 51-yard pass against the Jets, but for Harper, it's simple. For every catch he made, there was a drop. The Ravens simply couldn't have that.

Figurs is a liability as a WR, and at his primary position, kick returner, he was average, at best, and with Lardarius Webb and Chris Carr in town, there's no room. Foster was a camp body, and he could be a practice squad guy.

Tight ends: Todd Heap (starter), LJ Smith, Edgar Jones.

Since the Ravens traded Derrick Martin to the Green Bay Packers for offensive tackle Tony Moll, the had to clear room for him, and released fifth-round pick Davon Drew, who never did much of anything during the preseason or practice.

Quinn Sypniewski, a player the Ravens had high hopes for, is now on IR, a place that has become all-too-familiar for him. Heap and Smith were both givens to make the roster as the one-two punch at tight end, and Edgar Jones is a guy the Ravens like, and mainly because he has versatility. He's a good special teams guy, can play tight end, and even plays defense as an OLB/DE. The team also cut Isaac Smolko.

Offensive line: Jared Gaither (starter), Ben Grubbs (starter), Matt Birk (starter), Marshal Yanda (starter), Michael Oher (starter), Chris Chester, David Hale, Tony Moll, Oniel Cousins.

No surprises here. The Ravens have a very good offensive tackle duo with Gaither and Oher, and a good, young guard tandem with Grubbs and Yanda, and an accomplished veteran center with Birk.

The backups are also pretty serviceable. Chester is a guy who can play guard and center, and can learn from a vet like Birk, or even a young kid like Grubbs. Hale impressed many during camp, and is also a very versatile guy, as he can play pretty much any position on the line.

Moll was acquired in a trade that sent Derrick Martin to Green Bay. As Rotoworld put it: "Baltimore got the better end of this deal. Moll isn't a mauler, but has starting experience and can play four positions. He's the ideal swing-type reserve." Cousins won't see any time this year, as the Ravens have three guys in front of him.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?