Jamison Hensley of ESPN reports that the Ravens are expected to waive S Matt Elam with an injury designation, as they work to get down to the 75-man roster limit by Tuesday.
Beyond that, Hensley says that the Ravens are also expected to place TE Ben Watson (Achilles) and DE Bronson Kaufusi (ankle) on injured reserve.
Should Elam clear waivers, he would revert to the team’s injured reserve list.
Elam underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee and is expected to miss a “significant” portion of the 2016 season. Elam could be a candidate for short-term injured reserve.
As for Watson, he suffered a torn Achilles on the first play of Saturday’s preseason game, so this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
Elam, 24, was taken with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2013 draft. He’s in the final year of his four-year, $6.767 million rookie contract that included $5.439 guaranteed and stands to make a base salary of $1,327,773 in 2016.
The Ravens declined to pick up Elam’s fifth-year option that would have run them over $5.6 million in 2017.
Elam’s 2015 season ended after he suffered a torn biceps back August. However, Elam wound up being suspended one game without pay for violating the NFL substance abuse policy.
In 2014, Elam appeared in all 16 games for the Ravens and recorded 50 tackles, a half sack, a forced fumble and five pass defenses. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 78 cornerback out of 87 qualifying players.
Watson, 35, is coming off of an impressive 2015 season and is in line to be an unrestricted free agent as of tomorrow. He signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the Ravens as an unrestricted free agent back in March.
In 2015, Watson appeared in all 16 games for the Saints and recorded 74 receptions for 825 yards receiving and six touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 56 tight end out of 73 qualifying players.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
