As The Preseason Winds Down
The Baltimore Ravens are just a couple of weeks away from battling the New York Jets to start the regular season. The Ravens still have one preseason game to play, an important one tonight against the Washington Commanders. So far this summer, new narratives about the team have been established. The team has answered some offseason questions yet some remain unanswered.
Wide Receiver
An area of focus at the beginning of training camp was the position of wide receiver. Who would win the battle for the fifth wide receiver spot? But with the acquisition of Demarcus Robinson, that question no longer lingers. Robinson is making the 53-man roster while the top four receivers (Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, James Proche and Tylan Wallace) have never changed. Yet the position still has its challenges.
Bateman has looked good in practice but fans haven’t seen the strides he’s made as the main starters haven’t played in the preseason. Proche is still dealing with a hamstring injury. And while Robinson has a chance to provide reps as a role player, he hardly solves the position. The fact of the matter is that the Ravens are still very unproven at wide receiver. Concerns linger — concerns that are partially offset by the talent in the tight end room.
Isaiah Likely had 100 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals. He’s showing that he’s going to be a part of the offense in the regular season. He’s essentially a big receiver. The emergence of a potential difference-maker not named Bateman or Mark Andrews gives Baltimore hope that Lamar Jackson has enough weapons.
Tackle
In a way, there’s optimism to be had at the offensive tackle positions. Ronnie Stanley hasn’t practiced yet. That’s a major red flag. Ja’Wuan James has served competently at left tackle during training camp and preseason play. Before camp, many wondered if James could hold down the left side as Stanley healed. For the moment, those concerns have been tempered. At the very least, James can get you through a patch of games without Stanley.
Morgan Moses hasn’t been particularly impressive although he’s not triggering the same panic buttons that Alejandro Villanueva did one year ago. Moses also has experience at left tackle and Pat Mekari has experience as a swing tackle. On top of that Daniel Faalele has shown glimpses of Orlando Brown Jr.’s kind of potential. We all want to see Stanley back on the field, yet it appears that the tackles who are ready to dress can get the job done.
[Tale of The Tape: Can Ja’Wuan James Capably Fill in For Ronnie Stanley?]
Edge
The one glaring issue that hasn’t been solved is the shortage of firepower at outside linebacker. It’s very much an Odafe Oweh and everybody else kind of situation. Tyus Bowser still hasn’t returned to the fold. Steven Means has shown some flash but still could be on the roster bubble. Daelin Hayes had promise coming out of Notre Dame. It’s not looking like he’s the answer right now. Where will the pass rush come from?
It’s good that Justin Houston is back. It doesn’t solve the problem. It’s good that Bowser should be ready by Week 5 after being placed on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list. There’s reason for concern, exacerbated by the potential scratch of Travis Jones during the season opener due to a hyperextended knee suffered in Arizona. That extra interior pass rush is going to be vital to this defense. The pass rushing department was the biggest concern coming into training camp and that hasn’t changed after two games that don’t count.
Secondary
The Ravens lost Tavon Young and Anthony Averett this offseason, so how should we feel about the cornerbacks? Both Kyle Fuller and Damarion Williams have had a preseason interception. Fuller has the veteran presence to take ownership of the nickel corner spot at the beginning of the season. However, it would not be a surprise if Williams ends up being the player that gets the most work in at nickel this season. Williams may be a star in the making, at the very least he’s giving fans reasons to be excited.
With Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters back for regular season action, the group around them hasn’t gotten worse. It could be argued that the Ravens may never have had this much talent at safety. The secondary should be mostly on top of things. One concern is the readiness of Kyle Hamilton. Where are we on his stock?
Other than a few missed tackles, Hamilton is as advertised. In the open stadium practice, Bailey Gaither beat Hamilton in a one-on-one drill. The widely distributed video of this practice drill created doubt about Hamilton. Yet according to Pro Football Focus, Hamilton has had 53 snaps in coverage and hasn’t allowed a preseason reception. That should ease a lot of early overreactions.
Kyle Hamilton this preseason:
🟣 53 coverage snaps
🟣 0 catches allowed pic.twitter.com/BVrpU0kn7Y— PFF (@PFF) August 23, 2022
[Related Article: What Can Tyler Badie Bring to The Ravens?]
The Ravens have a lot of little anxiety bombs going into the season. They probably won’t have J.K. Dobbins in full force to start the campaign. They don’t have an overwhelming amount of proven talent at wide receiver. Ronnie Stanley is the ultimate x-factor on the season and the pass rush remains a big area of doubt. Some of the concern has been mitigated by what we’ve seen leading up to the preseason finale. Some concern remains unresolved.
Time will tell, but these small clusters of concern give fans nothing to panic about.
At least not yet…
