The whole point of having a practice squad is to stash players there until you need them in an emergency and, if they prove they deserve it, they get a full-time job when the time comes. That time has come for defensive tackle and former first-round pick Taven Bryan. The Baltimore Ravens announced on Saturday, November 15, that Bryan was joining their 53-man roster after signing him to the practice squad on September 24.
Bryan has been something of a good luck charm for the Ravens. He’s been on the active roster for the last three regular-season games—all of which Baltimore won. The Ravens have bounced back from a 1-5 start and are now 4-5 headed into a Week 11 AFC North Division road game against the Cleveland Browns.
“We have placed LB Jay Higgins IV on Injured Reserve and signed DT Taven Bryan from the practice squad to the 53-man roster,” the Ravens wrote on their official X account. “Additionally, we have activated LB Chandler Martin and DB Amani Oruwariye from the practice squad (standard elevations) for tomorrow’s game.”
### Bryan: First Round Bust in the AFC South
Bryan, standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 291 pounds, was a first-round pick (No. 29 overall) by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2018 NFL Draft out of the University of Florida. He signed a 4-year, $10.15 million rookie contract and became a free agent after the 2021 season. Bryan then played for the Browns on a 1-year, $4 million contract before spending two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts in 2023 and 2024.
After being cut by the Cincinnati Bengals in August, Bryan landed with the Ravens.
There’s some irony in Bryan ending up with Baltimore. He’s perhaps best known for being one of the last few players picked before the Ravens selected 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, who went with the final pick of the first round just three spots after Bryan.
“Former general manager Dave Caldwell’s stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars was marred by baffling decisions,” Black & Teal’s Carlos Sanchez wrote in July. “One of the worst was probably picking Taven Bryan over Lamar Jackson in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Instead of selecting the best passer available at that moment, Caldwell chose to fortify the defensive trenches. Fast forward to 2025, and Jackson is one of the top quarterbacks in the league, while Bryan’s career is hanging by a thread.”
### Ravens Suffered Massive Blow on Interior Defensive Line
The Ravens lost one of the NFL’s elite defensive linemen when NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike suffered a season-ending—hopefully not career-ending—neck injury in Week 2. Baltimore also let the NFL trade deadline pass without making a move to shore up the position.
This perhaps speaks to how well veteran Travis Jones has played and the depth that a player like Bryan has supplied. That said, it remains to be seen whether this decision might come back to haunt the Ravens later in the season.
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/baltimore-ravens/sign-first-round-pick-taven-bryan/