The Ravens have reached the light at the end of the summer tunnel.
After starters saw their most meaningful competitive reps of training camp practicing with Green Bay on Thursday, young players and backups will wrap the preseason schedule facing the Packers at Lambeau Field on Saturday afternoon. For veterans, preparations have already ramped up for the Sept. 5 opener at Kansas City.
“I do believe that we’re in a good place right now, but this is a moving target,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “It’s an always evolving type of a deal. It’s like life — you never know what’s going to come next, and we’ll just have to respond as we go. But I do believe we’re in about as good of a place as we can be in right now for where we’re at. The guys have done everything they can possibly do to be as far along as they can be, so I feel great about that as a coach.”
This marks just the third time the Ravens and Packers have met in the preseason with the teams spitting the first two summer exhibition games in 1996 and 2019. Green Bay leads the all-time regular-season series by a 5-2 margin and won the last matchup when Lamar Jackson was out with an ankle injury late in the 2021 season.
Unofficial (and speculative) injury report
The Ravens are not required to put out an injury report like they do for regular-season games, so I’ve offered my best guess of what one would look like if it were to be released ahead of Saturday’s game.
The players estimated to be out will come as no surprise, but the status of a few will remain in question. Of course, this list does not include the healthy starters and veterans who will be held out due to the coaching staff’s decision.
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Below is the unofficial injury report:
OUT: TE Mark Andrews, C Tyler Linderbaum (neck), CB Arthur Maulet (knee), RB Keaton Mitchell (knee)
DOUBTFUL: OLB Adisa Isaac (soft-tissue injury)
QUESTIONABLE: RB Rasheen Ali (stinger), S Sanoussi Kane (stinger), WR Devontez Walker (ribs), CB T.J. Tampa (sports hernia surgery), S Kyle Hamilton (leg), WR Russell Gage, WR Nelson Agholor
Five players to watch Saturday afternoon
OL Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu
Just over a year ago, Aumavae-Laulu was shaping up to be a good story as the 2023 sixth-round pick out of Oregon had practiced as the starting left guard for June minicamp and the open of training camp. Unfortunately, the narrative shifted when the pads came on and he struggled dramatically, resulting in him plummeting down the depth chart. After not logging a single snap through the first 16 regular-season games as a rookie, the 6-foot-5, 344-pound not even playing in the meaningless Week 18 Pittsburgh game was a bad sign, and this spring and summer did nothing to change that perception. Perhaps he’ll keep hold of a roster spot because the Ravens aren’t very deep along the offensive line, but Aumavae-Laulu made no push for a starting job despite three spots being up for grabs this summer.
CB Damarion Williams
After multiple ankle surgeries limited Williams to just one game last season, the 2022 fourth-round pick out of Houston has stayed healthy all spring and summer to make a strong push for a reserve spot in a deep secondary. His chances are helped by slot cornerback Arthur Maulet undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this month, but Williams still trails Ar’Darius Washington for snaps in a nickel package that also expects to use All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton and even three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey to defend the slot. One question potentially working against the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Williams is his presence on special teams other than providing some depth as a punt returner. Any backup who doesn’t offer a whole lot in that phase isn’t going to have a tight grip on a roster spot.
8RB Rasheen Ali
With Derrick Henry poised to handle the biggest workload by a Baltimore running back in years and Justice Hill set to be the top backup, the No. 3 back wouldn’t figure to be much more than a special-teams contributor — at least until Keaton Mitchell returns — and could even be filled by an ensemble of practice-squad elevations early on. Ali has flashed some potential as a receiver, but it was a nondescript summer overall for the fifth-round rookie out of Marshall even before he suffered a stinger in the preseason opener, a game in which he dropped a pass and didn’t show much vision or physicality carrying the ball. His draft standing may still give him an edge over 2023 practice-squad member Owen Wright, but the latter outplayed him this summer in a competition that’s been underwhelming overall.
ILB Josh Ross
After an impressive 2022 preseason resulted in him making the 53-man roster, the former undrafted free agent out of Michigan injured his foot early in his rookie year and has largely been a forgotten man. Ross spent 2023 on Baltimore’s practice squad and was elevated for three regular-season games as well as both playoff contests to contribute on special teams, but the question now is whether the Ravens value him enough as a reserve to keep him on the active roster. Veteran Chris Board figures to have a spot behind starters Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson, but the versatile Malik Harrison is the top backup inside linebacker in reality, which means Baltimore could elect to keep just three pure inside linebackers. You’d assume a good performance against the Packers would solidify Ross’ chances.
WR Anthony Miller
Despite having not appeared in an NFL regular-season game since 2021 and being released by Kansas City from a reserve-future deal in early May, the 29-year-old Miller joined the Ravens just a couple weeks ago and immediately began making plays in practice to garner some attention. Though Miller’s best path to sticking around is likely on the practice squad, the status of fourth-round rookie wide receiver Devontez Walker — who’s been limited by a rib injury for much of the month — could create a path to a roster spot for someone like Miller or fellow veteran receiver Russell Gage. Regardless of what happens, Miller, a 2018 second-round pick out of Memphis, deserves some credit for jumping right into the competitive mix and taking advantage of an opportunity at a time when his career is teetering.
