Keiwan

Ratliff

Ratliff is about 15 pounds lighter than he was last season, increasing his already-impressive speed.

A former second-round pick, the writing had been on the wall for Ratliff for quite some time. He started his career well but faded quickly. Adams is a better special teamer and adds more versatility to the secondary.

Joseph, one of the league’s most promising young cornerbacks, will have the procedure taken care of on Monday. “He will be in a cast or a boot for a little bit,” head coach Marvin Lewis says. Joseph will likely be replaced by either Keiwan Ratliff or rookie Leon Hall opposite Deltha O’Neal for now.

Ratliff knows the Cover 2 defense, but he’ll mostly be asked to play special teams. Ratliff was a second-round pick of the Bengals in the 2004 draft.

Ratliff will mostly be asked to play special teams for Tampa Bay, which is mostly healthy at cornerback now. Ratliff was a second-round pick in 2004.

The former second-round pick hasn’t made an impact in the NFL other than sparingly on special teams. Ratliff had one stop in three games for Tampa.

Ratliff was the 49th pick overall in 2004. He hasn’t met initial expectations but also yasn’t been a liability in spot starts. He’ll push Anthony Madison and Fernando Bryant for a roster spot in Pittsburgh’s camp.

Ratliff could be back later if Indy needs corner depth, but Silva will probably stay until Bob Sanders returns. His main role will be special teams.