Tight end Davon Drew, wide receiver Justin Harper, offensive lineman Bryan Mattison, linebacker Albert McClellan, running back Curtis Steele and offensive tackle Devin Tyler are among those that have been inked.

Prince Miller is going through waivers with the hope that Baltimore will add him as well. The move came as Miller was let go to make room for former Dallas corner, Bryan McCann.

Hunter Cantwell, a second-year quarterback out of Louisville, will be signed to the Ravens’ practice squad, according to WPSD-TV (the NBC affiliate in Paducah, Ky.) The Ravens have yet to announce the signing of Cantwell, a 6-foot-4, 236-pound prospect. The team, though, could use a third quarterback after releasing Troy Smith on Sunday. Cantwell spent last season on the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster in December when Jake Delhomme was placed on injured reserve, but he was cut again by Carolina on Saturday.

Today, the Ravens let third-string quarterback Troy Smith go as well as former 4th round selection in 2006 Demetrius Williams among others as the team pared down the roster to the required 53.

Troy Smith has been the subject of debate for years. But when fate and a tonsil infection allowed Joe Flacco to start in his first year with the team he never got the chance he’d hoped for to run this offense. Now the Ravens will go with just two quarterbacks on the active roster with Flacco and vet Marc Bulger. 

Demetrius Williams showed promise but could never seem to shake the injury bug during his time with the Ravens.

Other cuts included; K.J. Gerard, wide receivers Eron Riley and Justin Harper, Offensive Tackle Joe Reitz, Bryan Mattison, Curtis Steele and Albert McClellan.

Those that made the grade included a trio of linebackers, Jason Phillips, Prescott Burgess, and Edgar Jones as well as Wide-out Marcus Smith.

The team also moved these players to the Injured Reserve – offensive tackles Stefan Rodgers (right ankle) and rookie Ramon Harewood (knees), defensive tackle Kelly Talavou (left knee) and guard/center David Hale (bruised tailbone).

The news is coming slowly across the web with some of the Ravens roster moves with the biggest being the release of kicker – Shayne Graham.

Of course that means that Billy Cundiff, who replaced Steve Hauscaka mid-season last year was able to hold on to his job for another season.

It was a tough competition between the two and the pre-season didn’t do much to put much distance between them. Both hit kickoffs well while Graham was 2 for 3 on field goals attempts (missed one from 50 yds) and Cundiff hit all 3 of his tries. There are even stats that have been released on their practice numbers giving Cundiff the edge scoring on 85% of his kicks while Graham hit 80%.

My hope is that Cundiff can deliver this season since the kicking game, once a Baltimore strength, was horrendous last season and was responsible for at least two losses. When Graham was signed it was expected that he would get the job since he is the NFL’s 4th most accurate kicker in league history while Cundiff is with his 9th pro team. But it appears Cundiff has won job. He is also a cheaper option by several million dollars.

In other roster news; Tackle Ramon Harewood and Wide Reciever David Reed both made the team. The last two picks of the Ravens 2010 draft class were both on the bubble but injuries may have helped them maintain a spot.

Among some of the cuts were defensive backs, Brad Jones, Chris Hawkins and Prince Miller as well as vet Travis Fisher, Tight End Davon Drew and Tackle Devin Tyler.

Not too many surprises here except maybe Fisher. Fisher does have experience at the pro level but with the return of Fabian Washington and the acquisition of Josh Wilson the secondary situation hardly seems as dire as it was a few weeks ago.

More moves should be made available as the day progresses.

 The Baltimore Ravens have traded outside linebacker Antwan Barnes to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a conditional 2011 draft pick.Barnes is a promising pass rusher.

Drafted in the fourth round out of Florida International by Baltimore in 2007, the 6-foot-1, 251-pound Barnes has 20 career tackles, five sacks, an interception, a pass deflection, a forced fumble and 24 career special teams tackles. 

Last season, Barnes recorded a career-high three sacks and an interception.

Looks like Ozzie Newsome is attempting to recoup the pick they lost in acquiring Josh Wilson last week. Barnes has shown some promise as a pass rusher but it would have been hard to predict how much time he would have seen the field with a such a talented group of backers.

Stay tuned! More news on roster cuts are on the way.

Reed had hip surgery in April, and was facing a four-to-six month recovery time.

In June, Reed said he was 35% recovered from that procedure, hinting at possible retirement while simultaneously seeking an upgrade over the $19.7 million that remained on his six-year, $40 million contract extension from 2007.

In 118 career games, Reed has totaled 458 tackles, 5 quarterback sacks, and 46 interceptions, off which he’s amassed 1,255 return yards (27.2 avg) and six touchdowns. Reed has scored 12 touchdowns during his career. Reed was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, and is a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2000s.

The six-time Pro Bowler turns 32 next Saturday. Tom Zbikowski is expected to replace Reed in the starting lineup, and the Ravens added a veteran reinforcement in Ken Hamlin.

The final tuneup for the Baltimore Ravens wasn’t about getting one last warm-up for the starters but rather about figuring about which player’s bubbles will burst when the final cuts are made.

It certainly showed last night as the Ravens dropped their final Pre-season game to the St. Louis Rams 27-21.

The second team defense for Baltimore made things look easy for top pick Sam Bradford as he went 6 for 6 in his second pre-season start and tossed a two yard touchdown to Billy Bajema.

Troy Smith got the entire game to run the Ravens offense as both Joe Flacco and Marc Bulger sat this one out. The results for Smith were a mixed bag as he threw for 237 yds. on 18 for 38 passing. He ran for two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions. It will be interesting to see if his extended playing time last night was enough to secure his spot on the roster as rumors continue to swirl that his time in Baltimore may be at an end.

The Raven offense sputtered in the first quarter as they were outgained 157-19 by the Rams first teamers. The reserve defense wasn’t much better as they were down 14-0 by the end of the first quarter.

There were really two plays that stood out last night for the Ravens and each for different reasons.

Dannell Ellerbee who is still competing for the Inside Linebacking spot intercepted a tipped pass and went to the distance 57 yards to put the Ravens on the board. However, his showboating during run back drew the ire on Head Coach John Harbagh on his return to the sidelines.

Jalen Parmele made a fantastic hustle play as he ran down Chris Chamberlain who had picked off Troy Smith’s pass attempt at the St. Louis two. Parmele saved what should have been a sure defensive score and was able to drive Chamberlain out of bounds around the Baltimore Twenty.

Aside from that there was little to get excited other than the fact that the next time the Ravens play it will count. Baltimore travels to New York to open the season and Monday Night Football against the Jets on September 13th.

POINTS TO PONDER

Was this Troy Smith’s Last game as a Raven?

I’m still not sure yet.

But what I did see last night was pretty indicative of what type of player Smith is at this stage of his career. He has very good arm strength but displays little touch or accuracy on most of his throws. But he can tease you with his passing ability. He threw a laser on the slant to Justin Harper that was placed perfectly and yet can’t connect on a fade to Marcus Smith. He can be dangerous when running with the ball and you’d have to think if the Ravens do keep him that they would want to develop some Wildcat type packages for him. But, there are still too many times when he looks to tuck and run too soon.

Of course to be fair, Smith was working with an Offensive Line that was mediocre at best and a receiving core that didn’t do him any favors on some throws too.

But in the end summation, and cue Dennis Green- Smith was what we thought he was – an average to below average quarterback who is a third stringer on this team. Weather that will be enough to keep a spot for him is still up for speculation. Is another Corner or Linebacker more valuable than Smith as this point? Does Smith have any trade value or was that just a fantasy to begin with? For what it’s worth I think he stays.

Who makes the cut and who’s bubble will burst?

David Reed (Good call Gene Winner!) showed well again under the bright lights even though he struggled during camp. He led the team in receiving yards yesterday and if he read on block just right could have had a long gain on a kick return. Edgar Jones really helped his case last night. He was very active off the edge and is still in the mix. Jason Phillips had nine tackles last night but was fooled badly on play-action a few times. Is he worth keeping as a Special Teamer? Marcus Smith is a force on Special Teams but looked bad last night. He struggled getting out of breaks and showed suspect hands. Ken Hamlin looked like a guy who would have rather been in a Dentist chair than competing for a job with rookies. He should be shown the door.

What was Dannell Ellerbee thinking?

I hate the fact the NFL has taken some of the passion and joy out of playing football but Ellerbee’s antics didn’t make much sense. Of course now the word is that this is why Ellerbee hasn’t won the starting job yet even though every time he’s on the field he makes positive plays.

I liked Harbaugh’s reaction as he was quick to find Ellerbee and was forceful in getting his point across about how “classless” he thought his actions were. Sometimes Harbaugh can be a bit more passive-aggressive when it comes to enforcing team policies but this time he showed some fire.

But I do tend to wonder if his reaction would have been the same if another player would have done it like Ed Reed or Derrick Mason. I realize that the vets get different treatment but I have a feeling it would not have been the same scene.

It’s the final game of preseason as the Ravens take on the St. Louis Rams led by the first pick of the draft quarterback Sam Bradford.

You won’t see many starters as this game is really all about evaluating the remaining roster spots. Starters Joe Flacco and Marc Bulger (former Rams QB) aren’t likely to start. Rather, QB Troy Smith is expected to play the the entire game.  Will this be Smith’s last game for the Ravens? 

Players ‘on the bubble’ need to have a solid performance. There are some key positions to watch in this game:

Billy Cundiff vs. Shayne Graham: The kicking competition continues. Edge so far has to go Cundiff.

Defensive line:  Terrence Cody had a knee procedure (should return in a few weeks) and that means players like Kelly Talavou, Brandon McKinney, Lamar Divens and Arthur Jones will by given more playing time. DE Edgar Jones, a solid player on special teams must step up on defense.

Cornerbacks:  Keep an eye on rookie Prince Miller and veteran Travis Fisher. Both will be battling for a roster spot.  The Ravens acquired CB Josh Wilson from Seattle for a conditional draft pick, which puts more pressure on both Miller and Fisher.

 Receivers:  Donte Stallworth’s injury means their will be an extra spot on the roster. Demetrius Williams, Marcus Smith and David Reed are players who have a lot riding on this game.

 Linebackers: Jason Phillips has come on strong and if he has another positive performance he could make the squad. It’s been reported that Ravens are “intrigued with” rookie Albert McClellan’s pass rush ability. There could always be a surprise player added to the roster.  Remember last year, they held on to an undrafted rookie named Dannell Ellerbe.

Who makes The Highlight Film:

Matt Jergensen: LB Jason Phillips

“Phillips will get plenty of snaps tonight to prove that belongs with the team. The former 2009 pick has had a good camp and pre-season but happens to be around a deep pool of talented linebackers. I think will prove to be an asset on Special Teams with his hustle and tenacity.”

Gene Winner:  WR David Reed

“This is a game where receiver David Reed needs to stand out and show that he can separate himself from the competition.  A touchdown reception and a good return may just be the right thing to win a spot on the roster.”

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The hats will be available at retail at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $27.99.

The Ravens acquired the cornerback that they’ve been seeking, trading a conditional draft pick to the Seattle Seahawks for Josh Wilson, the team announced.

Wilson, 25, who played at the University of Maryland, has been a starting cornerback for the Seahawks this preseason. A second-round pick in 2007, he has six interceptions in three seasons.

The Ravens gave up a conditional draft pick for Wilson. That means the more Wilson plays, the higher the pick becomes.

Wilson is expected to arrive in Baltimore on Wednesday, but he isn’t expected to play in the preseason finale at St. Louis.

He has playmaking ability, returning two interceptions for touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown as a rookie and averaged 25.4 yards on kickoffs in 2008. Wilson only ran back 11 kickoffs last season.

Although not very big (5 feet 9, 192 pounds), Wilson is known for being a speed corner. At the 2007 NFL combine, he had the fourth-fastest time of all defensive backs (4.39).

Ozzie Newsome you’ve done it again. The Ravens acquire a starting cornerback and only need to give up a conditional draft pick? I had heard reports that the pick could rise to as high as a 4th rounder depending on Wilson’s playing time and production.