Long viewed as the dress rehearsal for the regular season, the third preseason game between the Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles isn’t expected to resemble that.
Head coach John Harbaugh confirmed most starters will play around 20 snaps for the third straight week, but that plan for quarterback Lamar Jackson may need to be revisted with three members of the projected starting offensive line dealing with health concerns. Meanwhile, it remains unclear if Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz will play Thursday after being held out of his team’s first two preseason contests by head coach Doug Pederson.
Starters seeing less and less playing time has brought the preseason schedule under greater scrutiny with many calling for a reduction in exhibition games. The Ravens have conducted two sets of joint workouts in each of the last two summers, a practice becoming more popular among NFL teams since it provides competition in a more controlled environment to curtail injuries.
“I just felt like we got a lot of work done,” said Harbaugh about the practices in Philadelphia and the possibility of eliminating some preseason contests. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that at all. I’m on record [saying] I don’t know how many of these preseason games we really need to play, but I also understand there’s a lot to the bargaining process. We’ll see what happens.”
Of course, this game remains very meaningful for players fighting for spots on the 53-man roster with final cuts only 10 days away. The preseason finale is often touted as the forum for bubble players to win jobs, but the reality is most roster decisions have already been made by that point and only a spot or two at most remains up for grabs.
Thursday represents the last best chance for many of these roster hopefuls.
“It’s going to be a measuring stick definitely,” defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said. “It’s one of those things that we talk about. This third preseason game, it’s getting down to crunch time now where guys are going to make the 53 or they’re not.
“The biggest message was, ‘If you think you’re on the bubble, you are.‘”
Thursday marks the 13th time the Ravens and Philadelphia will meet in the preseason with Baltimore holding a 7-5 edge. The all-time regular-season series is tied at 2-2-1.
The Ravens own a 35-12 record in preseason games under Harbaugh and have won a remarkable 15 in a row, a streak going back to the beginning of the 2016 preseason.
Unofficial (and largely speculative) injury report
The Ravens are not required to release an injury report like they do in the regular season, but I’ve offered my best guess on what one would look like if it were to be released ahead of Thursday’s game.
Most of the players ruled to be out will come as no surprise, but the status of several will remain in question. Of course, this list does not include any veteran starters who could be held out due to the coaching staff’s preference.
Again, this is not an official injury report released by the Ravens:
OUT: G Marshal Yanda (foot/ankle), CB Tavon Young (neck), QB Robert Griffin III (thumb), WR Seth Roberts, CB Iman Marshall (thigh), OT Greg Senat, OL Randin Crecelius
DOUBTFUL: LB Chris Board (concussion)
QUESTIONABLE: LB Otaro Alaka, OT Ronnie Stanley (ankle), WR Marquise Brown (foot), G Jermaine Eluemunor, RB Kenneth Dixon, RB Gus Edwards, LB Shane Ray, LB Nicholas Grigsby, DT Gerald Willis
Five players to watch Thursday night
TE Hayden Hurst
The 2018 first-round pick is healthy and has had his share of good days during training camp, but he’s recorded only one catch for minus-1 yard over the first two preseason games. Building confidence and consistency are keys for Hurst entering his second season, so you’d like to see him finish the preseason on a high note. With first-round rookie wide receiver Marquise Brown still not at full strength, Jackson and the passing game may need to lean even more heavily on the tight ends early in the season, making it important for Hurst to at least emerge as a productive complementary option to Mark Andrews.
LB Shane Ray
The Ravens have waited all summer for Ray to emerge, but it hasn’t happened to this point as he didn’t really stand out even playing against second- and third-team offensive linemen in the first two preseason games, which isn’t an encouraging sign for someone in his fifth season. The former first-round pick of the Denver Broncos missed practice time earlier this week, but he did return for Tuesday’s session, leading you to believe he should be able to play Thursday. The gap is hardly insurmountable, but Ray appears to be sixth in the pecking order at outside linebacker, which may not add up to a roster spot.
OL Bradley Bozeman
Despite not being strongly considered for the starting left guard job in camp, Bozeman has seemingly solidified his roster standing with solid play as the backup center in the preseason as well as an ability to fill in at either guard spot. The health status of the starting offensive line could press Bozeman into starting duty against the Eagles, which could provide him the chance to make a late pitch to be the left guard. The 2018 sixth-round pick from Alabama never did push Matt Skura for the starting center position as many anticipated this offseason, but he still looks the part of a versatile reserve.
CB Maurice Canady
The oft-injured defensive back entering the final year of his rookie deal looked to be the odd man out in a very deep group of cornerbacks, but the neck injury to Tavon Young has shortened a path to a roster spot for Canady, who has played well on the outside this summer. He served as Baltimore’s nickel back in the second half of the 2017 season, so it will be interesting to see if he receives more opportunities to compete in the slot against the likes of Cyrus Jones, Brandon Carr, and Anthony Averett. Canady’s injury history and contract status still make him vulnerable on cut-down day, but his chances have improved.
RB De’Lance Turner
Despite rushing for 58 yards on 11 carries in the first two preseason games, Turner looks to be no higher than fifth on the running back depth chart, which would suggest he’s really not even on the bubble. However, the burst he’s shown as a rusher coupled with his appearance on starting special-teams units would lead you to believe he’s vying for a job, especially since Kenneth Dixon is in the final year of his contract, has a long injury history, and doesn’t play special teams. No one suggests Turner is better than Dixon, but those variables work in the former’s favor if Baltimore wants to keep a fourth back behind Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill.
