Ravens head coach John Harbaugh finally conceded that the organization is looking ahead to 2016 even though the team still has three remaining games.
It’s shocking it took this long for him to at least publicly acknowledge that the staff will use the next three weeks as an early audition for next season and beyond.
It’s trial by fire time for the likes of CB’s Tray Walker and Jumal Rolle in the Ravens secondary and Kapron Lewis-Moore and Carl Davis on the defensive front.
Davis and Lewis-Moore have been victims of the numbers game for Clarence Brooks’ defensive line that has been tough against the run in 2015 but has struggled to pressure opposing quarterbacks at times.
Davis has appeared in ten games this season (3 starts) and has posted just ten tackles prior to spending the last two games on the sideline as a healthy inactive.
“When you’re going to find out where somebody is, is you play them,” said Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees prior to the Dolphins game when asked about Davis’s playing time. “You can sit there and keep playing them in practice thinking, ‘Is this guy ready?’ We thought [Brent Urban] was ready, so let’s go play him. It’s going to be a week-to-week thing. It’s not necessarily [that] Carl is doing poorly or Brent was doing [well].
“It’s almost going to be week to week,” Pees added. “We’ll look at the scheme that we’re playing [and] what’s going to be the best fit. Do we need a five technique more than an inside guy? Do we need an inside guy more than an outside guy? And maybe [it is] who practiced best during the week.
“It’s really between all three of those [guys] and Kapron Lewis-Moore, too. All three of those guys we’re happy with. It’s going to always be a week-to-week rotation. Maybe someday it might be all three of those guys and somebody else. It’s not on anybody’s default. It’s whoever we think is playing the best or is the best fit for the scheme we’re playing.”
A slew of roster moves were made on Tuesday including the official announcement that Chris Canty has become the 19th member of the Ravens to be placed on IR this season.
The loss of Canty for the season and perhaps his last in Baltimore should certainly open up a spot for Davis on game day as Davis will likely be used in rotation, something the defense likes to do throughout the course of games given the depth of the unit.
“Carl Davis, obviously, will step back into that role that Chris [Canty] will void, and I’m excited about that,” remarked Harbaugh during his Monday press conference. “I’m disappointed for Chris, but I’m excited for Carl. I saw him in the locker room along with Kapron [Lewis-Moore] yesterday, and they’ve handled it well, but those guys want to play.
“Carl has had a couple weeks off to kind of study. He has been practicing, and let’s see if he takes his game up a notch after being out for a couple weeks.”
Hopefully Davis can use the remainder of 2015 to show the Ravens staff, it’s one less spot they have to fill during the offseason on a roster full of needs.
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