The Baltimore Ravens waived 22-year-old inside linebacker Reid Williford with an injury settlement on Aug. 26, ending his brief tenure before the preseason finale.
Williford, born Dec. 6, 2003, in Franklin, Tenn., signed with Baltimore as an undrafted free agent out of Charlotte after the 2026 draft. The three-year deal was worth about $3.115 million and included a $15,000 signing bonus.
At 6-foot-1 or 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, he was a long-shot camp body on a linebacker group already anchored by Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson.
The move came on a busy transaction day. Baltimore also signed inside linebacker Michael Barrett, a former Michigan captain who played under new Ravens head coach Jesse Minter during the Wolverines’ 2023 national title run, and placed center Danny Pinter on injured reserve with a torn right patellar tendon.
Williford’s waiver created roster space as the team finished preseason work against Washington.
Williford never appeared in a regular-season NFL game. He arrived as a productive but mid-major prospect. At Charlotte he played four seasons and finished with roughly 184 career tackles, six sacks, and one forced fumble.
He led the 49ers in tackles as a junior in 2024 (77 stops, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks) and again as a senior in 2025 (74 tackles, 6.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks). His signature college moment came at Army in October 2025: 17 tackles, including 12 solo, tying the program record for most solo tackles in a game.
He also blocked kicks earlier in his career and was a preseason All-American Athletic Conference pick.
High school tape from Christ Presbyterian Academy in Franklin showed a three-star recruit who also played receiver. That versatility and special-teams background made him a typical late-camp add for a Ravens team that historically keeps a deep linebacker room.
An injury settlement means the sides agreed on compensation so the team could release him without placing him on injured reserve.
The exact injury was not detailed in the official announcement. For an undrafted rookie, that outcome is common in late August: the numbers at inside linebacker were tight, veterans and draft picks held the core spots, and a settlement allowed both sides to move on cleanly.
Williford becomes a free agent and can sign with another club after the waiver process. At 22, with two seasons as a college tackle leader and documented special-teams value, he remains a candidate for a practice squad elsewhere.
For Baltimore, the cut was one of several roster-trimming steps as the 53-man deadline approached and the new coaching staff under Minter finalized its look for the regular season.
