I’ve been asked often who I think the odd man out will be for the Ravens when it comes to the No. 3 quarterback position. My answer has been consistent since the acquisition of Marc Bulger was announced.
BOTH!
The Ravens have added quality depth through free agent augmentation of their roster and through the draft. The battle for those final roster spots promises to be fierce and it will end with some quality players being released.
So why give up a roster spot to a No. 3 quarterback who the coaching staff had such little confidence in last year that they wouldn’t sit Joe Flacco even for a game against a bad team despite performance degrading injuries?
They shouldn’t give up that spot and hopefully they won’t.
Look it isn’t as though the Ravens need someone in the three-hole to groom as a future starter. If all goes according to plan, Joe the Quarterback will hold that title for the next decade. So why bother with lesser developmental talents like Troy Smith or John Beck?
If the Ravens have to stoop to the depths of starting a third string QB, isn’t the season in peril anyway? Why let go of a player that can provide depth and contribute on special teams? Maybe THAT player has a greater chance to make an impact at the NFL level than either of the team’s potential No. 3 QB’s.
Couldn’t they find someone as good as Beck or Smith atop the QB scrap heap if that unfortunate time arrives?
Well yeah!
But time is on the Ravens’ side with Smith and Beck.
The Ravens could use their arms in camp. They could place either or both in favorable preseason game situations that could enhance their trade value. Perhaps some other clubs enter the mix due to camp injuries or substandard performances from QB’s currently filling rosters.
For the time being neither seems to have any marketability. After all, Cleveland opted for Seneca Wallace over Troy Smith and they chose to keep their 2010 sixth round pick instead of dealing for the Cleveland native.
Not a good sign.
Now folks seem to think the Eagles will deal for Smith if and when they jettison Michael Vick.
Howard Eskin of WIP reported yesterday that Philadelphia is “eyeballing Troy Smith.”
What or who is Eskin’s source?
Might this be the sly work of an agent?
Is Philly really a match for Smith given Andy Reid’s direct pipeline into the Ravens organization through a conduit named John Harbaugh?
And why does anyone think that Smith is better than the probable castoffs from Oakland or Miami?
Whatever you think Smith’s or Beck’s market value is, by the time the Ravens are asked to submit their final 53 man roster, the value of the spot will be worth more than either Smith or Beck.
