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Why is Marlon Brown still taking up a roster spot?

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It is beyond me why the team is losing other players to keep Brown on the 53....

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The 2015 season for the Ravens is about the evaluation of the young players, and it has been for several weeks since the injuries to Joe Flacco and Matt Schaub. Every move the Ravens make should be about evaluating the young talent and seeing who fits into the long term plans, while still fielding the most competitive team possible for the given week.

So it must be baffling to Ravens fans everywhere why wide receiver Marlon Brown is still on the active roster, taking up 1 of the 53 spots. Brown has not played in 5 weeks, nor practiced since week 11 while battling a back injury. However, even before the injury he was not contributing to the team, and had lost snaps to others despite injuries to Steve Smith, Darren Waller and Michael Campanaro, and rookie 1st rounder Breshad Perriman never suiting up. The Ravens have been relying on Brown's fellow undrafted free agents Kamar Aiken and Jeremy Butler, both who have stepped up, and Chris Givens who the team acquired mid-season. Brown is a player who Ravens fans expected to be released months ago, so it is shocking not only that he is still a Raven, but that the team is wasting a roster spot on him in favor of letting other young players go.

The Ravens have waived RB Raheem Mostart and OL Kaleb Johnson recently, both of whom were claimed by the Cleveland Browns while keeping Marlon Brown on the roster. Both were young players the Ravens could have evaluated over the next 2 games. Johnson looked good in the preseason, and was one of the Ravens last cuts.

So why Marlon Brown is on the roster when he shouldn't be in the Ravens future plans is beyond me. He doesn't provide special teams value like Darren Waller, Daniel Brown, Aiken or Butler. He has been outplayed by just about every receiver on the roster, catching less than half his targets despite having ample opportunity early in the year. He is currently injured, so the team could even put him on IR if they wanted to hang onto him. But he is a restricted free agent, and after 2 seasons of producing nothing, I think we can definitively say he is not going to be a productive receiver.

The Ravens should not be wasting a roster spot on him for this year or next year, so why is he still on the roster?