The Ravens were among eight NFL teams that put in waiver claims on former Houston Texans safety D.J. Swearinger, according to a league source.
Swearinger was awarded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because they had the top ranking in the priority order for waiver claims. Besides the Buccaneers and Ravens, the other six teams that put in claims for Swearinger included the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Safety is one of the thinnest positions on the Ravens defense. The team signed former Texans safety Kendrick Lewis as their new starting free safety, adding him on a three-year, $5.4 million contract. They are having disappointing former first-round pick Matt Elam and Will Hill compete for the strong safety job.
Swearinger is a hard-hitting former Texans second-round draft pick from South Carolina who fell out of favor with the AFC South franchise.
In two NFL seasons with 22 starts, Swearinger has registered 140 career tackles, three interceptions, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
The Texans attempted to trade Swearinger before cutting him this week. He had 73 tackles, three forced fumbles and two interceptions last season.
awilson@baltsun.com
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