Ravens Coach John Harbaugh ‘We’ll Be Pulling For’ CB Kyu Kelly

After a surprise move to waive rookie cornerback Kyu Kelly, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh says he’s happy for the young defender and hopes he does well with the Seattle Seahawks.

There was a lot of surprise when the Baltimore Ravens waived rookie cornerback Kyu Kelly following their preseason finale loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

With the 157th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft the Ravens drafted Kelly out of Stanford in hopes he’d be a part of the future development in their secondary. 

Instead, he’ll be a part of the Seattle Seahawks’ future after being claimed off waivers. 

It’s not a result completely surprising. After all, if Kelly wasn’t drafted in the fifth round by Baltimore it’s likely he’d have gone somewhere else very soon after.

Seattle’s next pick after Kelly was selected they went defensive back taking safety Jerrick Reed II out of New Mexico.

Reed made the Seahawks’ initial 53-man roster, and now Kelly will join him. 

“We were hoping to get Kyu to the practice squad. I’m sure he would’ve come to the practice squad,” Harbaugh said after Kelly was picked up by the Seahawks. “He was very happy here, but what an opportunity for him to go to Seattle and be on the 53 [-man roster]. I texted him. [I’m] really happy for him, and we’ll be pulling for him.”

Surely it’s hard for the Ravens to watch a fifth-round pick leave so quickly after arriving. After all, while nobody expects Day 3 picks to become Hall of Famers per se, most anticipate getting some level of in-season contribution from them. 

And while Harbaugh says he and the organization will be pulling for Kelly, they won’t be doing so as much on November 5th when Baltimore hosts the Seahawks in Week 9 of the regular season.