At first glance, the large picture of Xavier Lee on the cover of the Baltimore Sun’s sports section last week caught me off guard as I was heading out of my hotel in Washington for another day of vacation in the nation’s capital.

Lee looked thicker, and his long dreadlocks were dyed blond at the tips; oh, and that No. 82 Ravens jersey seemed an odd fit for the former Florida State quarterback.

But all seemed well in Lee’s bid to make the Ravens as a tight end after going undrafted in April. First-year Ravens coach John Harbaugh complimented Lee repeatedly during rookie minicamp, but in the end, that wasn’t enough to earn Lee a job in his first shot at the NFL.

The Ravens released Lee on Friday, which according to reporters covering the team, was somewhat of a surprise considering the Ravens’ depth issues at tight end.

“I think he was into it a little bit,’’ Harbaugh said of Lee during one minicamp. “He was running routes and catching the ball and he would have a chance athletically to play tight end. They were right at Florida State. He could be a heck of a tight end.’’

Based on Lee’s performance in his first real stint playing tight end, expect another NFL team in need of help to at least take another shot at him during camp.