Surprised, but not surprised in the Ravens cutting John Simon

Per the Baltimore Sun's Aaron Wilson, the Ravens have cut OLB John Simon. Just last year, Simon began his NFL career as a fourth-round pick of the Ravens.

As the Ravens are trimming down their roster from 75 to 53, some decisions are harder than others. The Ravens are attempting to field the best 53-players on their roster, but I personally think that Simon was an exception to the rule. I believe the Ravens had bigger plans for Simon, but the fax machine fiasco, thus landing Elvis Dumervil made Simon a wasted fourth-round pick.

During his final year at Ohio State, Simon was the Big 10 conference defensive player of the year and is nothing short of what many would call a gym rat. Actually, here's a great side story to Simon that shows his work ethic.

A Ravens official once told me that upon signing his rookie contract, Simon's first words were asking where the weight room was. The team not only had to look for a pair of gym shorts, but had to make sure he was allowed to work out at the team facility per the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Only playing in seven games last (mostly on special teams) Simon hasn't had the chance to showcase his abilities as a legitimate pass rusher in the league. Simon did have a strong showing during the Ravens preseason finale against the Saints, including a seven yard sack.

Due to the depth at outside linebacker with Dumervil, Terrell Suggs and Courtney Upshaw ahead of Simon on the depth chart for the foreseeable future, it's likely the Ravens cut Simon so he could land on another team and actually contribute instead of riding the bench in Baltimore.

I doubt he'll go unclaimed through the waivers process, but Simon does have practice squad eligibility with the Ravens.

In some cases, teams are stocked with talent in certain positions and that's exactly the case in Baltimore with outside linebackers. While I'd like to see what Simon could really do on the field with some experience, I'd rather have Dumervil playing opposite Suggs and the possibility of Dumervil being a Raven wasn't even known by the time Simon was drafted.

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