One of the more shocking details that emerged from the Ravens' final cuts on Saturday was the decision to keep rookie defensive end Michael McAdoo – who had joined the team on Aug. 23 – on the 53-man active roster.
Now it appears that McAdoo's stay will last for about a week.
Coach John Harbaugh said that McAdoo will remain with the team for the week of preparations leading up to the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. If the Ravens decide to release him after Sunday, McAdoo will have to pass through waivers before the team can sign him to the practice squad.
"It's just a move for the future of the team," Harbaugh said after Monday's practice. "It's the way [general manager] Ozzie [Newsome] structured the agreement with the agent so he's here for a week and we'll go from there. He's a practice squad guy in our minds."
McAdoo had joined the organization one day after passing through the supplemental draft on Aug. 22. Because of his limited time with the club, McAdoo was thought to be destined to be released.Even McAdoo acknowledged being surprised at his newfound status.
"I was very surprised because I felt like I wasn't well-educated with the plays or anything," he said. "But when I got out there, I did what I could do and gave 100 percent. So I was very surprised that I made the team on such short notice."
McAdoo, who did not play last season after the NCAA made 14 University of North Carolina players ineligible for accepting impermissible benefits from agents, did show a flash of his potential in the Ravens' 21-7 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. He sacked quarterback John Parker Wilson and stripped him of the ball, leading to the team's final touchdown of the contest.
Regardless of where he lands, McAdoo said his goal is to refine his skills as a defensive end.
"Just work on the things that are going to make me a better person and a better player in the future," he said.
