A day after Head Coach John Harbaugh came down hard on punt returner Jeremy Ross and cornerback Asa Jackson for their key miscues against the Jaguars, the Ravens have made moves to replace them on the 53-man roster.
The Ravens cut Ross and waived-injured Jackson with an ankle injury. Jackson was not claimed by another team and was released by the Ravens Thursday with an injury settlement.
The changes came during a flurry of moves Tuesday afternoon, as the Ravens also placed rookie receiver Breshad Perriman (knee) on injured reserve and signed cornerback Cassius Vaughn, tight end Chase Ford and wide receiver Kaelin Clay.
Harbaugh also said there was a chance defensive end Brent Urban could be activated this week, but moving him to the 53-man roster from injured reserve – designated to return was not among Tuesday's moves.
Ross was a return specialist who took over the starting punt return job in Week 5. He brought some explosiveness to the return game and showed flashes as a receiver. He averaged 10.9 yards per punt return and had seven kick returns for 205 yards. He also had nine catches for 88 yards on offense.
But Ross had trouble hanging onto the football. He muffed two punts the last three games, and the miscue against the Jaguars led to a go-ahead touchdown by Jacksonville in the fourth quarter.
"The muffed punt killed us," Harbaugh said Monday. "It wasn't an easy catch, and the ball was moving from left to right, and behind him. But it's still a catch that you have to make in that situation. For sure."
Waving Jackson comes after he committed a pair of costly penalties against Jacksonville. Both were personal foul penalties on special teams that moved the Ravens out of great field position.
Harbaugh voiced his frustration for the penalties during Monday's press conference, saying "there's no place for that.
"That's what we call a foolish penalty," he said. "And for one guy to have three personal foul penalties in a season – in a career, let alone a season, let alone two in a game – is unacceptable."
Jackson had been moved on and off the roster several times this season. He was initially cut out of training camp, but then returned to Baltimore as a member of the practice squad. He was called up to the 53-man squad midway through the year and found a niche on special teams as a punt and kick blocking specialist.
He played in four games, blocked an extra point and a punt, and also had one tackle.
