With the Ravens needing to set their initial 53-man roster by 4 p.m. Tuesday, general manager Eric DeCosta must consider the reality of injuries, which makes for a challenging projection as multiple young players are dealing with nagging ailments at the end of the preseason.
It’s important to remember the roster formulated on Tuesday is unlikely to be the same one that will travel to Kansas City for the Sept. 5 opener. In addition to potential trades or free-agent signings, the Ravens may place two players on injured reserve on final cutdown day to designate to return after a minimum of four games. Additional players can be placed on IR with the option of returning later in the season, but those would need to be on the initial 53-man roster, which could lead to some roster gymnastics involving vested veterans who aren’t subject to waivers. In other words, the Ravens — who are no strangers to taking advantage of roster rules and exceptions — won’t be afraid to think outside the box if they believe it gives them a potential edge now and later in the season.
Teams are permitted to return a maximum of eight players from IR during the regular season and two more for the postseason. An individual is permitted to be designated to return from IR twice per season.
Below is a look at my last projection of the initial 53-man roster that’s bound to change as early as Wednesday:
QUARTERBACKS (2)
IN: Lamar Jackson, Josh Johnson
OUT: Devin Leary, Emory Jones
Skinny: Any lingering thought that Baltimore may not want to expose Leary to waivers was squashed by his brutal showing against Green Bay on Saturday. The Ravens will take their chances and try to re-sign the sixth-round pick to the practice squad — or see what other quarterbacks shake free this week.
RUNNING BACKS (3)
IN: Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Rasheen Ali
OUT: Chris Collier, John Kelly
INJURED RESERVE (DESIGNATED TO RETURN): Owen Wright
PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PERFORM LIST: Keaton Mitchell
Skinny: Wright fracturing his right foot against the Packers was unfortunate after he outplayed Ali and others in an underwhelming competition for the No. 3 spot. The question now becomes how the Ravens proceed regarding his status and whether an outside addition is made. Is keeping a third running back back — which is a special-teams role — on the active roster necessary with the potential to simply elevate a practice-squad back for early-season games?
WIDE RECEIVERS (6)
IN: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace, Devontez Walker, Deonte Harty
OUT: Anthony Miller, Russell Gage, Dayton Wade, Keith Kirkwood, Sean Ryan, Malik Cunningham, Isaiah Washington
Skinny: Walker played 24 snaps in Green Bay, but he had just one catch for four yards to cap a disappointing summer that included a nagging rib injury. The Ravens aren’t going to cut a fourth-round rookie — and shouldn’t — but Walker hasn’t shown any signs that he’ll make an impact early on. Harty was tabbed as the return specialist in the spring, but he didn’t show a whole lot this summer either. On the flip side, Wallace did all he could to dismiss any thoughts that his roster spot could be in jeopardy.
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TIGHT ENDS & FULLBACKS (4)
IN: Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar, Patrick Ricard
OUT: Qadir Ismail, Riley Sharp, Mike Rigerman
Skinny: I’m not sure the Ravens saw enough in Kolar’s development this summer to believe he’s going to supplant Ricard as the top in-line blocking option they have, regardless of not wanting to be too predictable. Barring an injury, a path to a roster spot was always going to be next to impossible for the young tight ends, but Ismail showed the kind of growth that could land him on the practice squad.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (10)
IN: Ronnie Stanley, Andrew Vorhees, Tyler Linderbaum, Daniel Faalele, Roger Rosengarten, Patrick Mekari, Josh Jones, Ben Cleveland, Nick Samac, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu
OUT: Tashawn Manning, Darrian Dalcourt, Julian Pearl, Corey Bullock, Darrell Simpson
Skinny: Perhaps the starting five will be fine with room to improve as the season progresses, but the depth is a substantial concern at the very least, meaning DeCosta will likely be exploring some outside options. Saturday’s injury to Samac could open the door to Aumavae-Laulu making the team despite his underwhelming summer. Manning looked like a sleeper to crack the 53-man roster, but he played only eight snaps in Green Bay, which suggests Baltimore will try to pass him through waivers instead.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (5)
IN: Justin Madubuike, Michael Pierce, Travis Jones, Broderick Washington, Brent Urban
OUT: Josh Tupou, C.J. Ravenell, Deadrin Senat, Tramel Walthour
Skinny: This is one of the most stable position groups on the team, but it was interesting to note that the Ravens held Jones out of the preseason finale entirely, which reflects his elevated standing in this rotation. The IR rules aren’t as rigid as they used to be, but Urban would still be among the first veterans you’d identify for a handshake agreement if DeCosta has some roster gymnastics to do.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS (3)
IN: Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, Chris Board
OUT: Josh Ross, Yvandy Rigby, Deion Jennings
Skinny: Practically speaking, the versatile Malik Harrison is the top inside backup behind Smith and Simpson, but this group is still light. Ross missing the last two preseason games with an undisclosed injury probably makes it easier to pass him through waivers and re-sign him to the practice squad.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS (6)
IN: Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy, David Ojabo, Tavius Robinson, Malik Harrison, Adisa Isaac
OUT: Joe Evans
SEASON-ENDING INJURED RESERVE: Malik Hamm
Skinny: Another soft-tissue injury for Isaac makes his status something to monitor after the third-round rookie missed the entire spring and most of the summer recovering from an offseason hamstring injury. On the positive side, the depth of this position group is looking better after encouraging summers from both Ojabo and Robinson. That said, a veteran addition isn’t out of the question if Isaac goes on IR.
CORNERBACKS (6)
IN: Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, Nate Wiggins, Jalyn Armour-Davis, T.J. Tampa, Damarion Williams
OUT: Ka’dar Hollman, Trayvon Mullen, Bump Cooper Jr., Christian Matthew
INJURED RESERVE (DESIGNATED TO RETURN): Arthur Maulet
Skinny: Though a poor showing against the Packers makes this a very anxious time for Williams, the early-season absence of Maulet could save his spot for now. The oft-injured Mullen hurt his shoulder again Saturday, but the Ravens may not feel he’s worth keeping on the roster anyway. Hollman is a veteran special-teams player who could still find his way on the team after the transaction dust settles.
SAFETIES (5)
IN: Marcus Williams, Kyle Hamilton, Eddie Jackson, Ar’Darius Washington, Beau Brade
OUT: Sanoussi Kane, Daryl Worley
Skinny: Brade runs the alley in impressive fashion and finished second on the team in tackles this preseason, making you wonder if the former Terp could draw some interest if exposed to the waiver wire. Perhaps the Ravens find a way to keep both Brade and Kane as special-teams stalwarts on the active roster, but there’s also the possibility of Worley finding his way back into the mix after roster maneuvering is complete.
SPECIALISTS (3)
IN: Justin Tucker, Jordan Stout, Nick Moore
OUT: Jack Browning
Skinny: Browning didn’t even get to play in the preseason after signing as an extra camp leg a couple weeks ago, but there’s nothing else to see here.
