Griffin III earns backup spot on Ravens
The comeback of Robert Griffin III is complete: The quarterback will start the season with the Baltimore Ravens.
Griffin survived Baltimore’s final cutdown Saturday and will join starter Joe Flacco and first-round pick Lamar Jackson on the depth chart. The Ravens have not carried three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster since 2009.
Griffin signed a one-year deal with the Ravens in April after sitting out the entire 2017 season. The five-year veteran served as the primary backup behind Flacco but did not play in the finale Thursday against the Redskins, leaving open whether he would make the team.
The Ravens parted ways with receiver Breshad Perriman, the team’s first-round pick in 2015. He managed just 43 catches for 576 yards and three touchdowns over 27 games. It marked the first time in franchise history the Ravens cut a first-round pick before the end of his rookie contract.
Baltimore also waived tight end Darren Waller, who recently returned from a yearlong suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancers.
Steelers: Josh Dobbs’ impressive preseason ended up costing Landry Jones his job.
Pittsburgh chose to keep Dobbs and rookie Mason Rudolph as the primary backup quarterbacks behind Ben Roethlisberger when it pared the roster to 53. The decision left Jones, a six-year veteran, as the surprising odd man out.
Dobbs completed 67 percent of his passes while playing in three of Pittsburgh’s four exhibition games and led the team in yards passing (434), touchdowns (four) and quarterback rating (111.9).
Bills: Buffalo’s quarterback competition is now down to two after the Bills traded veteran AJ McCarron to the Raiders. The Bills received a fifth-round pick for McCarron.
The trade leaves second-year pro Nathan Peterman and first-round pick Josh Allen vying for the starting quarterback job.
Buffalo also released wide receiver Corey Coleman, a 2016 first-round draft pick by Cleveland whom the Bills acquired last month.
They chose not to hold onto Coleman, who has been a disappointment since the Browns made him the 15th overall selection two years ago. Buffalo traded a seventh-round pick in 2020 for him.
Giants: Mark Herzlich was released on his 31st birthday. It leaves quarterback Eli Manning and long snapper Zak DeOssie as the remaining players from a Super Bowl-winning team after the 2011 season, Herzlich’s rookie season.
Panthers: Decided to go with Taylor Heinicke as their backup quarterback behind starter Cam Newton. Carolina waived last year’s thirdstring QB Garrett Gilbert.
Texans: Cut punter Shane Lechler just before what would have been his 19th season. The 42-yearold spent the first 13 years of his career with the Raiders before joining the Texans in 2013. He started 206 games for Oakland and never missed a game as a Texan, making all 80 starts in his five seasons with the team.
49ers: Running back Jerick McKinnon hurt his knee in practice and could be facing a serious injury. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Saturday that McKinnon got hurt in his first day of team drills since injuring his right calf Aug. 9. McKinnon will undergo an MRI, and Shanahan said the team is “nervous” about his outlook.
The 49ers were counting heavily on McKinnon this season after signing him to a four-year, $30 million contract in free agency. The 49ers now have three healthy running backs on the roster in Matt Breida, Alfred Morris and Raheem Mostert.
McKinnon spent four years mostly as a backup in Minnesota. He has rushed for 1,918 yards with an average of 4.0 yards per carry, has 142 catches for 984 yards, and has 12 touchdowns.
Raiders: Cornerback Daryl Worley was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL’s policy on substance abuse and personal conduct. Worley pleaded guilty in June to misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence, carrying firearms in public in Philadelphia and resisting arrest. The charges stem from an arrest in April that led to Worley’s release by the Eagles.