With the Baltimore Ravens moving full steam ahead with 2020 Training Camp, several of us here at RSR want to give you our camp primer. Starting with the offense…away we go!
Adam Bonaccorsi (@AdamBMore)
The QB Room for the Baltimore Ravens in 2020 is going to have the most consistency that we’ve seen in quite some time, as the team returns the unanimous 2019 MVP and QB1 in Lamar Jackson, along with backup Robert Griffin III, and second year clipboard holder Trace McSorely. The sole new face in the group for 2020 is former Utes QB Tyler Huntley.
This may come as a shock to many, but Jackson has the QB1 spot locked down for the Ravens once again.
There’s surely reason for debate with the remaining roster spots for the Ravens, as well as how many quarterbacks they would dare to keep. It’s my opinion that they’ll keep three this year, especially with the expanded rosters allowing 55 men. I don’t necessarily think the third QB would be active weekly, but they’ll have one available for sure.
While some folks see Bobby G3 as expendable, I think he’s locked into this roster. Runs the system well, steps in for Lamar in blowouts seamlessly, and lest we forget the Heisman package?
For me, it comes down to Trace McSorley versus UDFA Tyler Huntley. While I believe Huntley has the higher ceiling long term (better accuracy, better deep ball, better pocket awareness), I genuinely believe the Ravens will value McSorley’s knowledge of the system… at least out of the gate.
Locks: Lamar Jackson, Robert Griffin III
Bubble: Trace McSorley, Tyler Huntley
Final 55 Prediction: Lamar Jackson, Bobby G3, Trace McSorley
Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonRSR)
Sorting out the offensive line is always a fickle task for a football team. The key to building sustainability on an offense is creating continuity among your personnel. However, when you have five starting positions and a salary cap, combined with 22 total starting positions, it can be difficult to create that continuity.
Every year the Ravens seem to have a hole to fill or a concern along the OL. Last year it was sorting out who the LG was going to be and deciding whether or not Matt Skura could solidify himself at the team’s starting C.
Well, 2020 is no different. We have more questions than answers, but let’s start with the easy part.
The Ravens offensive tackles are not only easy locks, but they form a top-2 OT tandem in the NFL. The only team boasting a better pair of tackles is the New Orleans Saints, and with both Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown Jr. taking steps forward last year, that gap closed.
The piece with the OT group that isn’t talked about enough is depth in the event of an injury. The Ravens brought in Mississippi State LT Tyre Phillips, but due to foot speed and overall athleticism, he projects as more of an OG, similar to former Raven Kelechi Osemele.
The Ravens also brought back Parker Ehringer, but it’s important to note that while he played OT in college, he is yet to play a snap at OT in the NFL and spent his reps with the Ravens last season at RG (he rotated with Ben Powers in the Week 17 game). So that leaves Will Holden, Ehringer and Phillips as the only three backups on the roster right now who could play OT, which is mighty bleak.
As for the interior offensive line, this is truly where the camp battle will be. Skura’s injury and his current status on PUP means there’s technically an open spot at C, which Mekari filled last year. Filling the Incredible Hulk…I mean Marshal Yanda’s RG spot is also a tall task given he gave the Ravens a decade of elite RG play.
That said, despite all of the uncertainty, the Ravens did one heck of a job of bringing in the necessary competition to sort it out. Ben Bredeson and the aforementioned Phillips were two strong draft prospects, D.J. Fluker is a big mauling guard that could fill the RG spot and they still have Mekari and Bozeman who proved they can provide starting-caliber play. Add in Sean Pollard and Trystan Colon-Castillo to contribute to the C competition and it’s a group of many, many options.
The Ravens have typically favored starting experience on the OL and that helps explain the Fluker addition. There’s a ton of potential in the young group of Phillips, Powers and Bredeson, but with a shortened training camp and no preseason games it might be impossible for them to actually get a chance to start. To note, this is from the perspective of what I think the Ravens will do, not what I think I should do, which I have mentioned a few times:
What I want: Stanley-Philips-Bozeman-Powers-Brown
What I think it’ll be: Stanley-Bozeman-Skura/Mekari-Fluker-Brown
— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) July 22, 2020
Note: if Skura is ready Week 1 he’ll start of course.
I think the Ravens will look to once again risk their OT depth to carry a variety of iOL. The only real competition, barring injury, that I see is going to be Mekari vs. Ehringer. The only chance Ehringer will have is if the Ravens think he can provide some OT depth, but I fully expect they run with Brown as the backup LT (he slides over and Phillips comes in at RT if Stanley goes down) and Phillips as the backup RT.
Locks: Stanley, Brown, Bozeman, Skura, Powers, Phillips, Bredeson, Fluker
Bubble: Mekari, Ehringer,
Outside looking in: Holden, Colon-Castillo, Pollard
Final 55 Prediction:: Stanley, Brown, Bozeman, Skura, Powers, Phillips, Bredeson, Fluker and Mekari
Cole Jackson
When I take a look at the difference between the Ozzie regime and the EDC regime there are some very noticeable similarities, which reinforces how Ozzie groomed EDC. There is, however, one big difference that has been noticeable and that’s the development of an identity on offense and use of draft capital on the WR position to support that identity.
It was talked about last year that the Ravens wanted to form a track team at the WR position and they followed it up by bringing in Hollywood Brown and Miles Boykin. Then they turn around in the next draft and bring in Devin Duvernay and his 4.39 speed. They are committed to this and if you go back and watch the 2019 Ravens you can see why.
It was the first time in a long time the Ravens had guys running wide open. Defenses have to key in on Lamar Jackson and the running game and it naturally forces the defense up to the line of scrimmage. So, what’s going to stress a defense in the passing game? One that can hit you over the top and that’s what the Ravens will have now. They can put three WR on the field along with TE Mark Andrews, and all are supremely athletic with legit long-ball speed.
Willie Snead will provide the vet leadership with Brown, Boykin and Duvernay who I expect to be locks to be active each and every week.
So that begs the question, who’s rounding out the WR roster? We have a very interesting group. Sixth-round pick James Proche brings sticky hands and a ton of college production. Antonie Wesley and Jaleel Scott are big bodies that can support the X position behind Boykin. Jaylon Moore and Michael Dereus bring some interesting skillsets, but unfortunately will be fighting for practice squad spots.
So the question is, with the four top guys, who is going to grab the 5th and 6th spots? Well, it does come down to special teams. Proche had a productive career as a college returner. Despite not having blazing speed, he has great hands for punt return duties and has really good awareness and vision. I think that locks him into the 5th spot and John Harbaugh seems high on this prospect.
John Harbaugh says that at punt returner, it's James Proche's job to win.
Willie Snead IV is in the mix as well, and Hollywood Brown is catching punts "every day." That was something we saw this summer.
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) August 7, 2020
The last spot is a battle between special team abilities and WR abilities. Chris Moore has occupied that spot for a while, but he doesn’t have as much upside if he loses his returner duties, plus he was never all that good at it anyway. Scott made the team last year by showing increased gunner abilities in the 2019 preseason. Wesley, however, has the most upside at WR and Ravens fans should be clinging to him as the 6th guy given his upside. The 2019 UDFA spent the 2019 season on the practice squad and will look to crack his first NFL roster this year.
Locks: Brown, Boykin, Snead, Duvernay, Proche
Bubble: Wesley, Scott, Moore
Outside looking in: Moore, Dereus
Final 55 Prediction: Brown, Boykin, Snead, Duvernay, Proche, Wesley
Adam Bonaccorsi
The Ravens had arguably the deepest and most talented Tight End group in the NFL in 2019, whose contributions were felt deep at the roots of their offensive success.
Those efforts will be quite the tall task to duplicate in 2020, given the loss of former first-round Raven, Hayden Hurst, and the addition of… well, we’re not quite sure at this juncture.
Realistically, the Ravens will keep three Tight Ends on the roster, with Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle as absolute locks. Our focus is really going to be on the 3rd and final roster spot which, as of this writing, comes down to either 2nd year TE Charles Scarff, UDFA rookie Eli Wolf, and journeyman veteran, Jerrell Adams.
I know, I’m not wowed by any of these options either.
Realistically, the lack of viable options indicates that the Ravens will be increasing the work load of both Andrews and Boyle, but with the amount of two-Tight End sets the Ravens run, it’s absolutely crucial to have another viable blocker, as well as a receiving threat (the latter perhaps not as crucial, but I’d like to see something there). In Adams, the Ravens are looking at a fourth-year journeyman that’s spent time with the Giants, Texans and Saints to the tune of 30 total games, 24 receptions, 214 yards and one touchdown.
Oh, and all of those stats came from 2016-2017. In the past two years, Adams has been active for just one game, with a blank stat sheet.
Wolf offers a bit more potential in the receiving game, but he’s still very raw after switching from WR to TE as he entered college at Tennessee (he spent last year in Georgia). Still, Wolf produced a mere 13 receptions for 194 yards and one touchdown over eight games last season with the Bulldogs.
That leaves us with Scarff, who spent his rookie 2019 season on the Ravens practice squad. Scarff has the leg up on the competition simply from having spent a year in Roman’s offense, but we’re still talking about a practice squad-caliber Tight End. For most teams the TE3 is irrelevant and you can get by without much talent there (if they even roster three). For the Ravens, it’s a crucial role, and I’m not sold on Scarff stepping into the role seamlessly.
In order of potential, I’d go Scarff-Wolf-Adams, but I genuinely believe tbe 2020 TE3 isn’t on this roster yet.
Locks: Mark Andrews, Nick Boyle:
Bubble: Eli Wolf, Charles Scarff
Out: Jerrell Adams
Final 55 Prediction: Andrews, Boyle, TBD (Walker? Clay? Possibly another camp casualty?)
Matt Wise (@TheMattWise)
The 2019 Ravens running back group broke record after record as they helped lead the team to a 14-2 record and the number one seed in the AFC. With Patrick Ricard leading the way from his FB/blocking TE spot, Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards helped Baltimore to over 200 rush yards per game. The Ravens finished the season with the most rushing yards in the NFL and 991 yards more than the second-place 49ers.
In his first year in Baltimore, Ingram flourished in the feature back role for the Ravens. The offense that Greg Roman redesigned for the Ravens was a perfect fit for Ingram’s hard, North-South running style. Ingram may lose some carries in 2020, but I expect him to retain his role as the lead back.
Playing second fiddle to Ingram in 2019 was third-year Rutgers product Edwards. The former undrafted free agent has carved out a valuable role in the Ravens backfield. On limited carries in his first two seasons, Edwards has averaged 5.3 yards per carry. A powerful runner, Edwards has thrived in the “closer” role for the Ravens. When opposing defenses are tired in the 4th quarter, Edwards slams the door on a comeback attempt by extending drives and putting more points on the board.
In his rookie year, Hill was limited to mostly “garbage time” snaps in a third string role. Although he ultimately tallied just 58 carries, Hill showed flashes of the reasons why the Ravens made him a fourth-round pick. Hill possesses a level of elusiveness and speed that Ingram and Edwards don’t have. Moving forward, Hill’s best role with the Ravens will be as a change-of-pace back who can catch passes out of the backfield.
The addition of J.K. Dobbins to the group is a huge boost to an already talented room. Dobbins, my fourth ranked RB in the 2020 NFL Draft, is a top-level talent with the potential to become a true feature back early in his career. He’s a versatile back who racked up over 1000 yards in each of his three seasons at Ohio State. Dobbins provides Baltimore with a true home run threat and serves as the heir apparent to Ingram.
Kenjon Barner, a veteran who has time with four NFL teams, was added to the Ravens roster just a week before the official start of camp. Barner’s best chance to make the roster is as a return specialist or as a result of injury. Despite a seven-year career in the NFL, Barner has tallied just 100 carries. In fact, Barner has more career returns than carries. If Barner is unable to beat out rookie WR James Proche for the job as the primary returner in Baltimore, it’s unlikely that he’ll make the team.
I expect that the Ravens will keep all four RBs and use Ricard as a FB in 2020. With Dobbins in the mix and needing carries, Ingram, Edwards and Hill are all likely to lose carries. In an offense that will likely run the ball more than any other team in the NFL, the ability to spread carries among the four RBs will be a major advantage. Frequent rotation will allow the Ravens to use the RBs situationally and keep each of the four backs fresh.
Locks: Ingram, Edwards, Hill, Dobbins, Ricard
Bubble: –
Outside Looking In: Barner
Final 55 Prediction: Ingram, Edwards, Hill, Dobbins, Ricard
