Ravens sign two players to practice squad, release one

The Baltimore Ravens have done plenty of practice squad shuffling over the course of the 2021 season. They’ve found multiple practice squad players who have made positive impacts so far, and they hope that will continue over the rest of the year.

On Tuesday, the team announced that they had signed offensive lineman James Carpenter and linebacker Joe Thomas to the practice squad, while releasing outside linebacker Chris Smith from the practice squad. Baltimore had an open spot on their practice squad after they promoted running back Le’Veon Bell to the active roster.

Carpenter is a former first-round pick, as he was selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. He has played primarily left guard over the course of his career, and has also spent time with the Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets.

Thomas is a veteran linebacker who has spent time with three NFL franchises, most recently playing for the Houston Texans. He will provide more inside linebacker depth on the practice squad with Josh Bynes recently being promoted to the active roster.

Smith played with the Ravens during the 2021 preseason and was one of Baltimore’s cuts during cut down day. He was signed to the practice squad soon after.