How different will the Ravens’ second preseason game look from the first one?
On Thursday, head coach John Harbaugh wouldn’t get into whether starting quarterback Lamar Jackson would play against Carolina on Saturday night, but the offensive line still isn’t 100 percent and injuries continue to crush the wide receiver position in the short term. In other words, is there any more meaningful upside to playing Jackson this week than when he sat against New Orleans last weekend? Should Jackson play, it probably won’t be for long.
The same could go for other veterans after the Ravens practiced against the Panthers for two days in the sweltering heat of Spartanburg, South Carolina this week. Harbaugh was pleased with what the Ravens accomplished in those joint workouts despite still being without a number of key offensive players that led to difficulties on that side of the ball.
“It’s good, hard work. Always when you go against another team, it’s just different — players don’t know each other,” Harbaugh said. “There’s certainly a level of emotion that gets raised up. They are a real high-emotion [and] high-energy-type team, which is good. It was good for us to deal with. I’m glad we had a chance to do it. It should make us better.”
Harbaugh acknowledged the intensity of that practice work impacting decisions on playing time in the second exhibition contest.
Saturday marks the eighth time that the Ravens and Carolina will meet in the preseason with Baltimore owning a 5-2 all-time advantage. The Ravens have won 18 straight preseason contests dating back to 2016 and own a 38-12 record in preseason tilts since the start of the Harbaugh era in 2008.
Unofficial (and largely speculative) injury report
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The Ravens are not required to put out 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 Saturday’s game.
Most of 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 any veterans who could be held out due to the coaching staff’s decision.
Below is not an official injury report released by the Ravens:
OUT: CB Marlon Humphrey (groin), RB Justice Hill (ankle), QB Trace McSorley (back), DT Aaron Crawford, WR Rashod Bateman (groin), WR Marquise Brown (hamstring), TE Nick Boyle (knee), OT Ronnie Stanley (ankle), CB Jimmy Smith (ankle), WR Miles Boykin (hamstring), WR Deon Cain, ILB Otaro Alaka (knee), OT Ja’Wuan James (Achilles)
DOUBTFUL: G Ben Cleveland (concussion)
QUESTIONABLE: TE Mark Andrews (cramping), WR Sammy Watkins, WR Devin Duvernay, G Kevin Zeitler (foot), C Bradley Bozeman (ankle), DB Brandon Stephens, DB Nigel Warrior (knee), G Greg Mancz
Five players to watch Saturday night
QB Tyler Huntley
With McSorley out for the rest of the summer with a back injury, we know Huntley will be the primary backup to Jackson at least to begin the regular season, but the second-year Utah product will now have the chance to see extensive action earlier in the game, especially if Jackson sits for a second straight week. Huntley showed off his impressive athleticism as Baltimore’s leading rusher last week, but you’d like to see him get into more of a rhythm as a passer after averaging just 4.9 yards per pass attempt against the Saints. That won’t be easy if the offensive line struggles as it did a week ago, but you always want to see youngsters build on their preseason performances, especially one entrusted with being the understudy to the best player on the team.
8DT Justin Madubuike
Though we’ll see how much veteran starters Calais Campbell, Derek Wolfe, and Brandon Williams play after sitting out the opener, Madubuike picked up where he left off late in his rookie season with two tackles and a forced fumble in his 15 snaps against the Saints. The age of the defensive line has been discussed at great length this offseason with both Campbell and Williams entering the final year of their contracts, but Madubuike continues to look the part of a starting-caliber 3-technique defensive tackle with much upside playing the run and pressuring the quarterback. He figures to see more extensive action with the aforementioned veterans unlikely to play all that much and Crawford sidelined with an injury sustained in last week’s game.
OL Ben Powers
The 2019 fourth-round pick from Oklahoma started at left guard and also played quite a bit at right tackle last week, but it couldn’t have gone much worse as he was bullied repeatedly and looked too slow to play outside. Though you’d likely expect the latter for a lineman who had worked exclusively at the guard spots until recently, Powers looks to be squarely on the roster bubble after failing to distinguish himself in a left guard competition that’s been underwhelming at best this summer. Other young linemen such as Tyre Philips, Ben Bredeson, and Trystan Colon may have their own question marks, but they have an extra season of team control on their side with Powers entering the third year of his rookie contract. Powers needs a better showing against the Panthers to improve his standing.
OLB Daelin Hayes
Though the rookie fifth-round pick from Notre Dame flashed his pass-rush ability in last Saturday’s win, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale made clear this week that Hayes still has a long way to go. “He’s a physical player. He needs to play faster. If you really look at it, you can see [with] the rookies, some of them are still thinking while they’re playing, and they haven’t turned it loose and gone full speed yet. It’s just not that natural to them yet.” That’s to be expected, of course, but the Ravens’ lack of depth at the strong-side or “Sam” outside linebacker spot beyond starter Tyus Bowser makes it important for Hayes to develop into a game-day rotation option sooner than later.
RB Ty’Son Williams
Even before the recent ankle injury sustained by Hill, the 2020 rookie free agent from BYU had seemed to be closing the gap for the No. 3 running back job behind J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. At 6-foot and 220 pounds, Williams has shown physicality throughout training camp, gained 64 yards on 12 touches last week, and has even flashed promise in pass protection. Should Williams fade to the background in the second preseason game, Hill’s job likely remains safe, but this has a chance to blossom into a real competition most weren’t anticipating. That probably says more about Hill not taking a step forward than anything else. As is the case with most backups, the ability to contribute on special teams will be key.
