By Jeff Zrebiec and Aaron Wilson

5:10 p.m. CDT, September 11, 2012

A day after he was waived to accomodate Anthony Allen's return to the active roster, undrafted free agent running back Bobby Rainey cleared waivers and was signed to the Ravens' practice squad.

"I basically just want to pick up where I left off," Rainey said. "Offensively, I think I'm good. To get on offense, I have to do more on special teams."
 
Rainey acknowledged that he was initially upset and confused when he learned prior to the Bengals game that he was being cut.
 
"It was a surprise to me, it caught me off-guard," Rainey said. "That's the way this business works. I knew that coming into the NFL, but for it to be that sudden, it was crazy to me. I understand what happened."

Rainey, who went to Western Kentucky, was one of the Ravens’ most productive offensive players in the preseason. In four games, he rushed 23 times for 55 yards and he caught a team-leading 14 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns.

He survived final cuts and initially made the team as the third running back behind Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce. However, he was waived before the Ravens' season-opening 44-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last night.

"Bobby Rainey is a big part of our plans," said Ravens coach John Harbaugh. "I texted Bobby before the game. He is, rightly so, kind of upset about it. Bobby is a guy that I cherish. We just did it for special teams reasons, pure and simply. Anthony Allen has done a great job on special teams, and we made a strategic roster move we hope works for us."