Two names that should be familiar to invested NFL fans are now free agents.
The Baltimore Ravens needed to sign two new defensive players on Wednesday, which meant they had no choice but to cut both an experienced running back and an experienced wide receiver.
The signings were nose tackle Josh Tupou and defensive tackle Taven Bryan.
The cuts? RB D'Ernest Johnson and WR Anthony Miller.
Johnson and Miller were both on the practice squad, and now they're free agents.
The running back Johnson is most known for his time with the Cleveland Browns. He spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Browns. In 2021, Johnson ran 100 times for 534 yards (5.3ypc) and three touchdowns while adding 19 catches.
Johnson spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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Miller was once an incredibly promising wide receiver with the Chicago Bears. In 2019, he had 52 catches for 656 yards, and that was after catching seven touchdowns as a rookie. He went for 49 more catches in 2020.
But in 2021, Miller played just a total of three games split between the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers. And he wasn't back in NFL regular season action again until two games with the Ravens last season.
Miller and Johnson both seem like known-enough commodities to be signed elsewhere, at least as practice squad veterans. The Ravens could also look to bring them back if the injury bug on the defensive side chills out a bit. For now, though, Baltimore has parted ways with two experienced NFL players because they felt they didn't have much choice.
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