Getty Baltimore Ravens safety Tony Jefferson celebrates a play during a 2022 preseason game.
The Baltimore Ravens “are planning to release” veteran safety Tony Jefferson, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, beginning the team’s final cuts to get their roster down to 53 players by the NFL’s 4:00 p.m. deadline on August 30.
The Ravens also waived center Jimmy Murray and kicker/punter Cameron Dicker, though neither player was in contention for a roster spot.
Though Jefferson’s release was not reported on the NFL’s official transaction report for August 29, the 30-year-old safety appeared to confirm the news with an emotional response on Twitter.
Third-year Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen didn’t seem to take Jefferson’s release too well, either.
Baltimore could re-sign Jefferson as soon as August 31 after setting their initial 53-man roster and opening a few spots by moving injured players like David Ojabo and Charlie Kolar to injured reserve. The Ravens have often made similar handshake deals with veterans in the past, including Anthony Levine, Josh Bynes and Pernell McPhee.
However, Jefferson’s visceral reaction suggests that there are no imminent plans for him to be added back to the Ravens’ roster later this week. Baltimore could be waiting to see which other players become available throughout the league before committing, even privately, to re-sign Jefferson.
Ravens’ Crowded Safety Room
Though the eight-year veteran is an “organization favorite,” according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, the Ravens invested heavily in the safety position this offseason, spending $70 million on ex-Saint Marcus Williams in free agency and the 14th overall pick on Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton in the draft.
Those additions even prompted starting safety and defensive playcaller Chuck Clark to request a trade during the offseason, according to an August 25 press conference.
(To his credit, when no trade materialized, this was his response: “I’m not going to give away my spot; if I’m going to not be a starter, it’s going to have to be taken from me.”)
With Williams, Hamilton and Clark all firmly entrenched on the roster, Jefferson entered training camp competing with 2020 seventh-rounder Geno Stone and 2021 undrafted free agent Ar’Darius Washington.
Jefferson made a strong case for a roster spot during the preseason after making his NFL comeback last year. He strung together a few solid performances to end the 2021 season after reuniting with the Ravens in December, earning him a one-year contract in February.
Jefferson was a vocal leader on defense and special teams in training camp and recorded 15 tackles across Baltimore’s three preseason games. He even flashed some ability to play in the box, an asset in Baltimore as the Ravens had as few as three inside linebacker locks on their roster at the start of camp.
While Washington missed most of camp recovering from last year’s foot injury, all but ending his chanes of making the 53-man roster for a second year in a row, Stone has performed well in the preseason. He recorded an interception against the Tennessee Titans and was all over the field with seven tackles and 0.5 sacks against the Washington Commanders.
Stone’s youth likely gave him the edge in the safety competition, while a solid preseason from Kristian Welch and a mini-breakout from undrafted rookie Josh Ross proved the Ravens had options at linebacker.
Ravens Could Keep Veteran CB
Baltimore’s desire for additional depth at cornerback rather than safety could have also influenced their decision to cut Jefferson. Head coach John Harbuagh hinted that veteran cornerback Kevon Seymour was in the team’s plan for the season during his August 29 press conference despite a recent ankle sprain.
“It’s not going to be like a week, it could be a few weeks. We’ll have him sometime early in the season,” said Harbaugh, indicating that the Ravens intend to keep Seymour in Baltimore. They could use his injury as a reason to place him on injured reserve after he makes the 53-man roster to open up another spot, perhaps for Jefferson or another signing. Such a move would sideline Seymour until at least Week 5, when he would be eligible to come off the IR, long past the expected recovery time of his injury.
The Ravens “would like to bring Jefferson back on the practice squad,” per Zrebiec, but it’s possible he receives interest around the league.
Ex-Raven Hollywood Brown already started recruiting Jefferson to reunite with the Arizona Cardinals, who signed him as an undrafted rookie in 2013.
Jefferson could catch on with another NFL team, but if not, expect him to see on Baltimore’s practice squad this season.
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Ravens Make Decision on Tony Jefferson’s Future in Baltimore: Reports