WILLIAMS, MCBEAN BRING ROSTER TO 87; CHART UPDATED

By Joe Platania

(through 11 p.m., Monday, May 7)

Monday, the Ravens came two steps closer to filling out their roster for the coming organized team activity and minicamp season, raising the number of players on their roster to 87, three shy of the 90-man limit.

The team signed former Denver defensive tackle Ryan McBean, who will help the team bolster its defensive line depth along with recent Ravens returnee Ma'ake Kemoeatu. The team lost end Cory Redding and tackle Brandon McKinney to the Indianapolis Colts.

McBean is facing a possible six-game suspension next year for violating the team's substance abuse policy, and was also arrested on a stalking charge last year.

The second signee was that of starting cornerback Cary Williams, who inked his $1.9 million restricted free-agent tender. Williams is not expected to be on the field until training camp as he continues to recover from offseason hip surgery.

But, with Williams' signing, the team now has all of its principal restricted free agents under contract.

The statuses of both Williams and McBean have been updated in our latest edition of the AFC North Player Movement Chart, which appears below.

The current Ravens' roster breakdown is as follows:

- 57: Number of veterans, plus unrestricted, exclusive-rights and restricted free agents now under contract for 2012.

- 8: Number of 2012 draft picks to whom the Ravens hold negotiating rights.

- 21: Number of 2012 undrafted free-agent rookies the team has signed.

- 1: Other players signed after the draft (LS Patrick Scales).

Also, the Ravens' eight-man draft class and 21-man undrafted free agent rookie squad will be taking the field for the first time this weekend at The Palace at Owings Mills for the three-day rookie minicamp, set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Jersey numbers have been issued for the draft class, with several slight adjustments to the numbers they wore in college and jerseys vacated by free-agent departees McKinney, Redding and Ben Grubbs already put back into circulation.

Three drafted Ravens will wear the same numbers they did as collegians: second-round pick Kelechi Osemele (72), third-round selectee Bernard Pierce (30) and fifth-rounder Christian Thompson (33).

Making switches will be second-rounder and top pick Courtney Upshaw (91, from the 41 he wore in school), ex-Delaware guard/center Gino Gradkowski (66, 56), fifth-round pick Asa 'Ace' Jackson (25, 2), sixth-round wideout Tommy Streeter (11, 8) and Georgia-bred seventh-rounder DeAngelo Tyson (93, 94).

An explanation of how the player-movement chart works appears at the bottom of this article.

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Free agents lost: WR Lee Evans (Jacksonville), CB Chris Carr (Minnesota), DT Brandon McKinney (Indianapolis), S Haruki Nakamura (Carolina), S Tom Zbikowski (Indianapolis), G Ben Grubbs (New Orleans), LB Jarret Johnson (San Diego), DE Cory Redding (Indianapolis), T D.J. Jones (Philadelphia)

Free agents signed: NT Ryan McBean (Denver), NT Ma'ake Kemoeatu (unattached), QB Curtis Painter (Indianapolis), S Sean Considine (Arizona), CB Corey Graham (Chicago)

Re-signed: CB Cary Williams, LB Jameel McClain, LB Brendon Ayanbadejo, C Matt Birk, LB Dannell Ellerbe, LB Albert McClellan, LB Chavis Williams, CB Lardarius Webb, G Justin Boren, LB Josh Bynes, LB Sergio Kindle, CB Danny Gorrer, LS Morgan Cox

Status unresolved: RB Ray Rice (franchise tag), TE Kris Wilson, C Andre Gurode, LB Edgar Jones, CB Domonique Foxworth, RB Matt Lawrence, K Shayne Graham

Retired: RB Ricky Williams

***

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Free agents lost: WR Jerome Simpson (Minnesota), LB Keith Rivers (New York Giants, via trade), WR Andre Caldwell (Denver), G Nate Livings (Dallas), G Mike McGlynn (Indianapolis), DE Jonathan Fanene (New England), DE Frostee Rucker (Cleveland)

Free agents signed: CB Terrence Newman (Dallas), G Jacob Bell (St. Louis), DE Jamaal Anderson (Indianapolis), DE Derrick Harvey (Denver), RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (New England), CB Jason Allen (Houston), G Travelle Wharton (Carolina), RB Aaron Brown (Detroit)

Re-signed: K Mike Nugent (franchise tag), TE Donald Lee, T Dennis Roland, LB Manny Lawson, DT Pat Sims, T Anthony Collins, CB Adam Jones, S Reggie Nelson, FB Chris Pressley, LB Dan Skuta, DB Jeromy Miles, LS Clark Harris, WR Andrew Hawkins (tendered), G Otis Hudson (tendered), DL Nick Hayden (tendered), RB Cedric Peerman (tendered), LB Vincent Rey (tendered)

Status unresolved: SS Chris Crocker, RB Cedric Benson, TE Bo Sciafe, CB Kelly Jennings, CB Rico Murray, LB Brandon Johnson, S Gibril Wilson, G Bobbie Williams, WR Terrell Owens

Retired: None

***

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Free agents lost: CB William Gay (Arizona), T Jamon Meredith (Tampa Bay)

Free agents signed: TE Leonard Pope (Kansas City)

Re-signed: QB Byron Leftwich, QB Charlie Batch, T/G Trai Essex, FB/TE David Johnson, WR Jerricho Cotchery, T Jonathan Scott, G Ramon Foster, G/C Doug Legursky, RB Isaac Redman, NT Steve McLendon, P Jeremy Kapinos, CB Keenan Lewis, S Ryan Mundy, WR Mike Wallace (tendered)

Status unresolved: WR Arnaz Battle, RB Mewelde Moore, QB Dennis Dixon, CB Bryant McFadden, T Max Starks, T Dorian Brooks, G Chris Kemoeatu, LB James Farrior, DE Aaron Smith, P Daniel Sepulveda

Retired: WR Hines Ward, NT Chris Hoke

***

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Free agents lost: RB Peyton Hillis (Kansas City), S Mike Adams (Denver), T Artis Hicks (Miami), T Steve Vallos (Philadelphia), LS Ryan Pontbriand (San Francisco)

Free agents signed: DE Juqua Parker (Philadelphia), DE Frostee Rucker (Cincinnati), P Spencer Lanning (Jacksonville)

Re-signed: K Phil Dawson (franchise tag), CB Dmitri Patterson, T Oniel Cousins, LB D'Qwell Jackson, TE Dan Gronkowski, G John Greco, TE Alex Smith, WR Jordan Norwood, DL Emmanuel Stephens (tendered), DL Brian Schaefering (tendered), DL Auston English (tendered), RB Chris Ogbonnaya (tendered), LB Ben Jacobs (tendered), QB Thaddeus Lewis (tendered)

Status unresolved: DE Jayme Mitchell, G Eric Steinbach, P Brad Maynard, P Richmond McGee, LB Marcus Bernard, LB Titus Brown, DL Brian Sanford, T Tony Pashos

Retired: None

**********************

PressBox's AFC North Division player movement list is derived from Rotoworld.com's look at players who let their contracts expire when the league signing period began on March 13.

The teams' lists of unrestricted and restricted free agents are thought to be complete, but other roster moves involving lesser-known exclusive-rights free agents may not be reflected here. As transactions involving such players become known, they will be included.

Also, players that are released and become street free agents -- the so-called "salary cap dumps" -- will be added to the lists as needed under the "status unresolved" heading.

Restricted free agents will be listed as having "re-signed" after receiving tender offers from their clubs, even though those tenders may not have been signed. A tender offer usually means a team is intent on keeping that player on its roster, although it is sometimes used to gauge interest from other clubs.

Draft picks, on most occasions, are commensurate with where the free agent in question was originally selected, and what a team can expect in return if it loses a restricted free agent.

Or, a team can perform an NBA-style "sign-and-trade" transaction, putting the restricted free agent's name on a new contract and sending him to another club.

All tendered restricted and exclusive-rights free agents will be indicated as such. If any of those players departs for another team, his name will be moved from the "re-signed" classification to the "free agents lost" category.

Players will sometimes change teams because they were placed on waivers and signed by other teams. Those moves are also reflected here, because any unattached player with NFL experience is, technically, a free agent.

Players lost or acquired via trades will also be noted as such.

This chart will appear on the "Ravens Report" blog and in the PressBox print edition throughout the offseason with updated information.

Posted May 8, 2012