RG3 hangs on in Baltimore; McCarron dealt to Oakland
RG3 is staying put while AJ is switching coasts.
Robert Griffin III, the 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year whose career has been disrupted by injuries since that season, remained with Baltimore as the Ravens cut their roster to the league maximum of 53 on Saturday. He'll likely be the third-string quarterback behind Joe Flacco and first-round draft pick Lamar Jackson, but he still has a job.
AJ McCarron, who signed with Buffalo as a free agent after four years as a backup QB in Cincinnati, was traded by the Bills to Oakland. The Raiders closed a deal with Chicago to send star pass rusher Khalil Mack to the Bears for a slew of draft picks, including two first-rounders.
Among the intriguing players let go were Dallas kicker Dan Bailey, Chiefs cornerback David Amerson, Ravens receiver Breshad Perriman, Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson, Texans receiver Braxton Miller and guard Davis Quessenberry, and Steelers quarterback Landry Jones.
Quarterbacks
Griffin signed a one-year deal with the Ravens in April after sitting out the entire 2017 season. He was Washington's first-round choice in 2012, second overall, and led the Redskins to the playoffs that year before things went sour.
“There's no doubt that you want Robert Griffin on your team,” coach John Harbaugh said after the final preseason game. “He makes our quarterback room better and stronger. He's a very good quarterback. He looks like a starter to me. He has been a starter. Certainly a backup in this league, without question. I mean, that's not even close. I would like to have him on the team, we'll just have to see how the math works.” It worked. Another survivor thus far: Paxton Lynch in Denver.
The 2016 first-rounder got through cutdown day despite slipping to third on the depth chart this summer. Chad Kelly leapfrogged Lynch last month and became the second seventh-rounder to beat out the former Memphis star. Trevor Siemian also managed it, but is now with Minnesota.
In Pittsburgh, Josh Dobbs' impressive preseason cost Jones his job. The Steelers kept Dobbs and rookie Mason Rudolph as the primary backups to Ben Roethlisberger. Dobbs made significant strides in his second training camp and ended the preseason by throwing for a touchdown and running for another in a victory over Carolina. Jones had been 3-2 as a starter in five pro seasons, with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Cincinnati put vet Matt Barkley (knee) on injured reserve, leaving Jeff Driskel as the backup to Andy Dalton heading into the season.
Busy Gruden
The Raiders waived Martavis Bryant just over four months after trading a third-round pick to Pittsburgh for the receiver.
The decision to cut Bryant came on a busy day for returning coach Jon Gruden, who dealt holdout pass rusher Mack to the Bears.
Oakland got nothing out of the third-round draft pick sent to the Steelers for Bryant, who dealt with injuries in training camp and has had several off-field issues in his career.
McCarron came from Buffalo for a 2019 fifth-round pick. He was both injured and inconsistent for the Bills in preseason and fell behind first-rounder Josh Allen and Nathan Peterman.