OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens released linebacker Jake Ryan on Thursday, showing their faith in rookie linebackers Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison.
According to the NFL's official transactions wire, the move was made with a non-football injury designation.
Ryan, 28, reached a one-year agreement with Baltimore on April 18, but the Ravens drafted Queen and Harrison in the first three rounds a couple weeks later. There was no guaranteed money on Ryan's deal, which was officially signed May 4.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh recently said he expects Queen to play at middle linebacker and Harrison to line up on the weak side.
"We expect them to play a lot of football this year," Harbaugh said. "We're really fired up about those two guys."
Ryan, who spent most of his four-year career with the Green Bay Packers, hasn't played a defensive snap since 2017. Baltimore had added Ryan after losing Josh Bynes (Bengals) and Patrick Onwuasor (Jets), who both signed elsewhere in free agency.
With Ryan gone, the only Baltimore inside linebackers with NFL experience are L.J. Fort and Chris Board.
Ryan, a fourth-round pick by the Packers in 2015, has dealt with a knee injury the past two seasons. In 2018, he tore his ACL in training camp with the Packers and missed the entire season. Last year, he signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars but had a setback with the knee. Ryan played in only two games in 2019, exclusively on special teams, and his option was not picked up by Jacksonville this offseason.
In four NFL seasons, Ryan has used his size and physicality to develop into a reliable defender against the run, but he has struggled in coverage. He totaled 213 tackles (including 15 for loss), one sack, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in 45 career games (27 starts).