This has been a weird August for the NFL, with the abbreviated camps devoid preseason games. Those challenges make it even harder to try to properly predict what the Baltimore Ravens are going to do with their roster before 4 pm Saturday when teams need to finalize their 53-man squad.
On one hand, the veteran presence and knowledge of the system should help certain players grab a spot; on the other hand, the Ravens have surely seen enough from some of the young kids to know if their value is there to nab a spot on the 53.
Naturally, this is going to be a slightly-educated crapshoot… but I’m always ready to roll the dice.
Quarterback (3): Lamar Jackson, RG III, Tyler Huntley (UDFA)
LJ and Bobby G3 are of course in. The question then becomes whether or not the Ravens opt to keep three signal callers. In the year of COVID-19, I think they will. I trust the club and its players to stay safe out there, but there’s no harm in keeping a 3rd QB to join those weekly healthy scratches in the event one of the two ahead of him catch the ‘Ronas. Huntley was solid in camp, while 2nd year QB Trace McSorley treated his chance of making the team the way he treats any pass over 10 yards… he threw it away.
Running Back (4): Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, J.K. Dobbins (R)
I won’t lie. I had just three running backs making the roster in my first attempt at this. Why? Logic. The Ravens have never kept more than three running backs (not including fullbacks) on any opening roster over the past decade.
Eric DeCosta & John Harbaugh have shown they’re not afraid to cut second-year players that don’t fit (Daylon Mack, 5th Round 2019). Hill’s role as a returner (which he’s never held in Baltimore) looks to be going to a rookie. So why keep him?
Because insurance.Â
Fullback (1): Patrick Ricard
That’s *Pro Bowler* Patrick Ricard. My apologies.
Wide Receiver (5): Willie Snead, Hollywood Brown, Miles Boykin, Devin Duvernay, James Proche
Again: short changing the weapons. I’m sorry. Typically, we’d see the Ravens keep six wideouts here, with the last spot designated for Special Teams, or if a rookie wasn’t up to speed, they’d add a veteran and bump the rookie into that weekly Inactive slot. With both Duvernay and Proche thriving in camp, I don’t see a need for the latter, and my Special Teams guys are secondary players in this roster prediction. The Ravens won’t need six active wideouts on game days, so five in total it is.
Sorry to those expecting Chris Moore or Jaleel Scott to make the team…
Tight End (2): Mark Andrews, Nick Boyle
Let me be clear on one thing: this doesn’t mean the Ravens will go into Week 1 with just a pair of Tight Ends. This simply means that when they break camp, they’ll roster just two. I fully expect them to add a third once they clear a roster spot with an IR move (Skura? Madubuike? Phantom IR for Washington?). But there’s no reason to keep Jerell Adams here in the meantime, and the Ravens have made it clear that they don’t expect Charles Scarff to make the team with that quick ‘baby come back!’ jam session after the Eli Wolf injury.
Ultimately I expect the Ravens to add a Tight End either via free agency (Delanie Walker, Charles Clay) or via camp cuts.
They’ll be fine. Relax.
[See Matt W’s 53-Man Roster Prediction here]
Offensive Line (9): Ronnie Stanley, Orlando Brown Jr, Bradley Bozeman, Matt Skura, Patrick Mekari, D.J. Fluker, Ben Bredeson, Tyre Phillips, Ben Powers
Initially, I had Powers out and journeyman OT Will Holden in as a means to provide tackle depth, but John Harbaugh’s recent comments regarding whether or not Skura would be ready for Week 1 had me rethink this. Should Skura be rostered and moved to the IR, then the Ravens would need one of their swing G/C to slide inside, which would leave some space at offensive guard.
Powers still has enough value that he could potentially take that open guard spot. With the Ravens still needing OT depth, they could replace Skura’s spot on the 53 with either Holden again (he should still be there), another team’s camp casualty, or perhaps they’ll just look at an internal option like Fluker (played RT with the Chargers) or Phillips (played OT at Mississippi State).
TOTAL OFFENSIVE ROSTER SPOTS: 24
Defensive Line (6): Brandon Williams, Calais Campbell, Justin Ellis, Derek Wolfe, Justin Madubuike (R), Broederick Washington (R)
Given how much Wink Martindale likes to mix it up and move guys in and out, having this many options on his D-line should play nicely into his favor. With that said, I wouldn’t be shocked if either Justin Madubuike or Broederick Washington will find their way onto the “IR” to thin the crowd, with the chance to return later in the season. Again, this would leave a void to add elsewhere (TE, OT, perhaps ST depth).
If nobody hits the IR, I think Washington will be one of those weekly inactive guys, but either way, this unit is night & day from what we saw the Ravens break camp with in 2019.
Outside Linebacker (5): Matt Judon, Jaylon Ferguson, Tyus Bowser, Pernell McPhee, Jihad Ward
Consistency is key here. The Ravens have tended to keep five at this position in recent years, and naturally, all five of these Ravens were on the roster in 2019 as well. If anybody could sneak into this group? I’d have my money on Aaron Adeoye, who looked fantastic this summer. Overall, this unit performed admirably in camp. Between Adeoye, John Daka, Marcus Willoughby, and Chauncey Rivers, I expect the Ravens to stash two of these talented kids on the practice squad.
Inside Linebacker (4): L.J. Fort, Chris Board, Patrick Queen (R), Malik Harrison (R)
This seems like a slam dunk group to predict: Board and Fort returning, with the rookie pairing of Queen and Harrison ready to contribute immediately.
Cornerback (5): Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphrey, Jimmy Smith, Tavon Young, Anthony Averett
UDFA Josh Nurse had a fighting chance to be a 6th corner on this roster, but injuries derailed those hopes. Same for Iman Marshall who is done for the year. My biggest concern here is depth in the slot and how seamlessly Tavon Young comes back from injury (for what it’s worth he’s looked solid in camp).
Safety (6): Deshon Elliott, Chuck Clark, Anthony Levine Sr, Jordan Richards, Geno Stone, Nigel Warrior (UDFA)
That’s a lot of safeties! But Richards and Warrior are playing those special teams roles, with Warrior showing the potential in camp for an increased role as the season develops. I also think the uncertainty about this unit after the ousting of Earl Thomas and the injury concerns with Elliott give me reason to feel comfortable with six safeties on board.
TOTAL DEFENSE ROSTER SPOTS: 26
Special Teams (3): Justin Tucker, Same Koch, Morgan Cox
Sure and steady, as always.
I figured I may as well take a stab at the practice squad as well. I understand not every cut Raven will find a home on the squad, but the crop of UDFA’s this year were fantastic and being able to keep most would be ideal. So who would I like to see the Ravens retain for their 16-man squad this year, with the remaining spots being filled outside of the organization?
Practice Squad (11): QB Trace McSorley, OLB Aaron Adeoye, OLB Marcus Willoughby, CB Josh Nurse, CB Khalil Dorsey, OL Tristan Colon-Castillo, OL Sean Pollard, WR Michael Dereus, iLB Kristian Welch, DT Aaron Crawford, TE Eli Wolf
Cheers to inevitably getting every single bubble spot on the roster wrong!
