QB Tyrod Taylor to back up Joe Flacco as Baltimore Ravens cut Curtis Painter – NFL News
Quarterback Curtis Painter has lost Baltimore Ravens’ job just before start of the season, plunging into another phase of uncertainty that had started at the time of his waiver by the Indianapolis Colts earlier this year.
Curtis was in competition with Tyrod Taylor for the backup position, just behind the offence leader Joe Flacco, but the team decided to let him go prematurely in their roster-cut efforts.
The QB had eight games for the Colts last season but did not attain much success. He was a part of the team’s overall failure of the season and eventually let go in owner Jim Irsay's rash overhauling of the squad.
He was lucky to have been taken on board by the Ravens and looked like making it to the regular season before arrival of the day when he along with some other players was released by the team to keep down its roster strength at 53 players to fulfil the requirement
of the National Football League (NFL).
Painter’s waiver has now cleared the backup position for Taylor, who is expected to retain the no. 2 slot, while Flacco continues to lead the offence.
Meanwhile, kicker Justin Tucker who has achieved tremendous success in the preseason has been retained. His stay beyond training camp looked inevitable following exit of Billy Cundiff, who has joined the Washington Redskins after waiver by the Ravens.
Tucker has been backed by coach John Harbaugh who is pleased with the promising start the player has made to his pro career. His performance numbers of the preseason phase are particularly impressive, and probably the main motivation for the team to retain
him in the longer run.
Cundiff’s release was due but had been lingering since his fumble in the American Football Conference (AFC) championship game against the New England Patriots, which they lost last season. Although the player said he felt confident and was working hard this
season, the Ravens found it hard to forget and forgive the fumble of the last season.
He was signed by the Redskins on August 28, within a couple of days of his release.
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