With the Ravens needing to set their initial 53-man roster by 4 p.m. Tuesday, general manager Eric DeCosta must weigh the status of injured players and will likely take some calculated risks to try to optimize his team’s overall depth and outlook for the 2021 season.
The more flexible roster rules introduced with the COVID-19 pandemic have returned for another season, which is why it’s important to remember the roster set on Tuesday is unlikely to be the same one traveling to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders for Monday Night Football in two weeks. The most important one worth mentioning is the requirement that a player be on the initial 53-man roster if his team plans to place him on injured reserve and bring him back after a minimum absence of just three weeks. Teams like the Ravens, who are often obsessed with manipulating rules and exceptions, won’t be afraid to step outside the box if they believe it gives them a competitive edge down the line.
Without further ado, below is a look at our final projected 53-man roster that’s bound to change as soon as Wednesday:
QUARTERBACKS (3)
IN: Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley, Trace McSorley
OUT: none
Skinny: Huntley left no doubt about his standing as the No. 2 quarterback with a sensational performance against Washington, but Baltimore has entered each of the last three seasons with three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Even more relevant than that is the fact that Jackson remains vulnerable to close-contact situations as an unvaccinated player, which could subject him to a five-day self-isolation period at any inopportune time under the NFL’s COVID-19 protocol. That’s why you’d understand the Ravens using some extra caution to keep McSorley, who could also be a candidate to go on injured reserve to potentially return after his back is 100 percent. In the meantime, another quarterback could be added to the practice squad.
RUNNING BACKS & FULLBACKS (4)
IN: Gus Edwards, Patrick Ricard, Ty’Son Williams, Justice Hill
OUT: Ben Mason, Nate McCrary
INJURED RESERVE: J.K. Dobbins
Skinny: The appearance of this position group changed dramatically with the season-ending torn ACL suffered by Dobbins on the first offensive drive of Saturday’s preseason finale. Outside speculation has already begun about adding a veteran such as Todd Gurley — who visited with the Ravens in June — or even Le’Veon Bell, but identifying the right traits will be critical as Baltimore would prefer a back with skills as a receiver out of the backfield, in blitz pickup, and in handling mesh-point exchanges so common in coordinator Greg Roman’s offense. In the meantime, Edwards is poised for a larger role, Williams impressed this summer, and a healthy Hill has flashed some ability on perimeter runs, a quality the Ravens will really miss without Dobbins.
WIDE RECEIVERS (7)
IN: Marquise Brown, Rashod Bateman, Sammy Watkins, Devin Duvernay, Tylan Wallace, James Proche, Miles Boykin
OUT: Deon Cain, Jaylon Moore, Binjimen Victor, Devin Gray, Siaosi Mariner
Skinny: As explained last week, I don’t expect the Ravens to carry seven wide receivers into the regular season, but health concerns for the top three projected receivers and his status as a 2019 third-round pick make it reasonable for Boykin to make the initial roster, which would allow him to go to IR as a potential reinforcement for later in the season. Less than three weeks removed from groin surgery, Bateman is another candidate to go to IR if it’s unlikely that the first-round rookie will be ready over the first three games of the season.
TIGHT ENDS (3)
IN: Mark Andrews, Nick Boyle, Josh Oliver
OUT: Eric Tomlinson, Tony Poljan
Skinny: The big question here is Boyle, who has yet to begun practicing after last November’s major knee injury and a cleanup procedure in June. Placing him on the reserve physically unable to perform list would take him out of play for at least the first six games of the season, but the Ravens could conceivably leave him on the initial roster and then put him on IR, which would cut that required absence in half. Of course, the hope is Boyle can avoid both of those scenarios since the ground game will need his superb blocking more than ever with the dynamic Dobbins lost for the season. Should Boyle not be ready to go for Week 1, Tomlinson could remain in play as a blocking tight end.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (9)
IN: Ronnie Stanley, Bradley Bozeman, Kevin Zeitler, Alejandro Villanueva, Ben Cleveland, Patrick Mekari, Tyre Phillips, Ben Powers, Trystan Colon
OUT: Michael Schofield, Ben Bredeson, Adrian Ealy, Foster Sarell
NON-FOOTBALL INJURY LIST: Ja’Wuan James
Skinny: Schofield saw extensive action at left tackle these last couple weeks as an audition for the swing tackle job, but the bet is that the Ravens try to get the veteran to the practice squad to use as a potential game-day elevation and seek an outside upgrade in the meantime. A fourth-round pick last year, Bredeson appears to have too many names ahead of him on the depth chart to land on the right side of the bubble. Ealy is a name to watch here as a developmental offensive tackle who would be an excellent candidate for the practice squad. Still recovering from an Achilles tendon injury suffered in the spring, James could be an option for later in the season, but that’s not a given.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (5)
IN: Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams, Derek Wolfe, Justin Madubuike, Broderick Washington
OUT: Justin Ellis, Aaron Crawford, Jovan Swann
Skinny: With as many as three or four offensive players looking like possible candidates for short-term IR, Ellis fits the description of a vested veteran who could be re-signed later this week once the dust settles from the roster calisthenics. If not, Crawford would be his replacement if the need arises for another defensive lineman on the active roster. The Ravens rarely ever activate more than five defensive linemen for games and sometimes go with only four in today’s pass-happy NFL.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS (3)
IN: Patrick Queen, Malik Harrison, Chris Board
OUT: Kristian Welch, Otaro Alaka
Skinny: The loss of L.J. Fort hurts the versatility and depth of this group, but Welch is almost exclusively a special-teams player and has shown limited ability to contribute on defense at this point. That truth coupled with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale likely using plenty of dime packages with only one true inside linebacker on the field could prompt the Ravens to try to pass Welch through waivers and re-sign him to the practice squad where he could be used as an early-season game-day elevation for special teams in the way Jordan Richards was to open 2020.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS (6)
IN: Tyus Bowser, Odafe Oweh, Justin Houston, Pernell McPhee, Daelin Hayes, Jaylon Ferguson
OUT: Chris Smith
Skinny: The Ravens are very unlikely to have six outside linebackers active for games, but Ferguson rose to the occasion after the Houston signing to secure his place on the roster. Some pundits have mentioned McPhee as a potential surprise cut or a vested veteran who could agree to a handshake agreement to re-sign, but the bet is Baltimore not wanting to rock the boat at a position that’s always in high demand around the league. If Smith doesn’t find a job elsewhere, he’d be a nice veteran addition to the practice squad after a rock-solid preseason.
CORNERBACKS (6)
IN: Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Jimmy Smith, Tavon Young, Anthony Averett, Chris Westry
OUT: Nigel Warrior
Skinny: The Shaun Wade trade eased a crowded deck here, but this remains the deepest position group on the roster. Especially considering he missed a couple weeks with a knee injury in camp, Warrior made an impressive push for a roster spot, but the Ravens will hope he clears waivers and can be re-signed to the practice squad. It’s worth noting that Smith has now been sidelined 3 1/2 weeks with an ankle injury, which is longer than the initial timetable provided by head coach John Harbaugh. If the injury is worse than initially thought, you wonder if a stint on IR is in play.
SAFETIES (4)
IN: Chuck Clark, DeShon Elliott, Brandon Stephens, Geno Stone
OUT: Anthony Levine, Ar’Darius Washington
Skinny: Levine joins Ellis as another vested veteran who will have a handshake agreement to re-sign later this week, but the toughest call in this group is Washington, a 5-foot-8, 176-pound defensive back who showed a nose for the football this summer. Still, Washington wasn’t a secret playing next to Raiders second-round pick Tre’von Moehrig at TCU and still went undrafted because of his lack of size and underwhelming athletic measurables. Rookie free agents aren’t the most popular candidates to be snatched off waivers after final cuts, so the Ravens will gamble trying to get him through to the practice squad.
SPECIALISTS (3)
IN: Justin Tucker, Sam Koch, Nick Moore
OUT: Jake Verity
Skinny: Other than the Ravens hoping to find a trade partner for Verity, there’s nothing else to discuss with this group as Moore begins his first full season as the long snapper.
