Ravens waive CB Maurice Canady, sign WR De’Anthony Thomas to the 53-man roster

After a big win over the Patriots this past Sunday, GM Eric DeCosta is already back to the drawing board. On Tuesday afternoon, the Ravens announced that they have released CB Maurice Canady and correspondingly signed WR De’Anthony Thomas to the active roster.

In addition, they added DE Michael Onuoha to the practice squad.

Canady was originally cut prior to the start of the regular season but re-joined the team following a slew of injuries in the secondary. In the absence of Tavon Young and Jimmy Smith, Canady quickly found himself playing a lot of defensive snaps.

He leapfrogged Anthony Averett on the depth chart and performed admirably against the Browns, Steelers and Bengals. Unfortunately, a thigh injury forced him to miss the past two games. Following the acquisition of Marcus Peters and return of Smith, there isn’t many snaps to go around at cornerback

Canady may have been the odd man out, but he’s a talented player and should be credited for playing well this season. He’ll surely find a landing spot elsewhere soon enough.

Taking his place on the 53-man roster is De’Anthony Thomas, who the Ravens recently brought in for a workout after he was released by the Chiefs. Thomas, a former fourth-round pick in 2014, played five full seasons for Kansas City, posting career totals of 65 receptions, 509 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

As a receiver, Thomas hasn’t posted gaudy numbers but carries value on special teams as a retuner. Thomas has returned 85 punts in his career for 751 yards and 58 kicks for 1,422 yards. He scored a punt return touchdown during his rookie season.

This move could potentially mean the Ravens are looking to bring in competition at punt returner after seeing Cyrus Jones fumble a fair catch attempt in Week 9. If the Ravens do plan to use Thomas on offense at all, he at least brings some speed and athleticism to the table, much like Marquise Brown and Justice Hill.