Will Saturday bring the preseason debut of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in the summer finale?
With Baltimore making the short trip to Landover to meet the Washington Football Team, head coach John Harbaugh and his staff must weigh the benefits of playing Jackson in a tuneup for the regular season against the risks of putting him out there with an offensive line still trying to find its way and a wide receiver group decimated by injuries. Ideally, Jackson would see a limited number of snaps as a benefit to the offense’s developing players more than a requisite for the 2019 NFL MVP himself.
“I think we value that. Every situation is different, and you have to really try not to make decisions based on clichés,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. “You have to really kind of dive down into each person individually and put it on the scale, so to speak. But playing live football, that’s where it’s at. If we can get some of that done, I think it would be a real benefit.”
Jackson’s status may be tied to the availability of franchise left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who has begun logging full practices and could see live-game action for the first time since suffering a season-ending ankle injury last November. It’s unclear whether Stanley will play against Washington, but he expressed his expectation earlier this week that he’d be “full-go” for the season opener against Las Vegas on Sept. 13.
As for Jackson, who began practicing on Aug. 7 after testing positive for COVID-19 at the start of training camp, he’s leaving his status up to the coaching staff.
“I’d love to play [and] get out there with my guys, but that’s coach’s decision,” said Jackson, who played 38 snaps over two games in the 2019 preseason. “I’m with him, whatever he decides.”
Saturday will mark the 13th time that the Ravens and Washington will meet in the preseason with Baltimore owning a 9-3 all-time advantage. The Ravens have won 19 straight preseason contests going back to 2016 and own a 39-12 record in the preseason since the start of the Harbaugh era in 2008.
8
Unofficial (and largely speculative) injury report
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 an unofficial injury report that wasn’t released by the Ravens:
OUT: WR Sammy Watkins, CB Marlon Humphrey (groin), RB Justice Hill (ankle), QB Trace McSorley (back), WR Rashod Bateman (groin), WR Marquise Brown (hamstring), CB Jimmy Smith (ankle), WR Miles Boykin (hamstring), ILB Otaro Alaka (knee), TE Nick Boyle (knee), OT Ja’Wuan James (Achilles)
DOUBTFUL: WR Deon Cain
QUESTIONABLE: OT Ronnie Stanley (ankle), DL Derek Wolfe, DT Aaron Crawford (shoulder)
Five players to watch Saturday night
G Ben Cleveland
8Just a few weeks ago, the rookie third-round pick from Georgia looked like the early favorite to win the starting left guard job, but a concussion sustained on Aug. 11 cost him precious reps and the opportunity to play in the first two preseason games. Though it could be too late for Cleveland to make up enough ground to win the starting job in time for Week 1, the 6-foot-6, 357-pound lineman getting out on the field for his first NFL game action will be valuable in terms of gaining experience and building momentum to be able to contribute in the early portion of the season. At this point, Cleveland just needs to play, whether it’s with the starting unit or the third string.
ILB Kristian Welch
The loss of L.J. Fort prompted many to assume Welch will make the 53-man roster as the fourth inside linebacker behind starters Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison and top reserve Chris Board, but the Ravens have difficult decisions to make at other positions and won’t carry the 2020 undrafted free agent from Iowa simply to have another body at the position. Welch showed value on special teams despite playing just eight defensive snaps as a rookie, so the 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker playing well against Washington would help his roster chances and decrease the likelihood of the Ravens adding a veteran to the position group. Otherwise, Welch could be waived and re-signed to the practice squad where he may still be elevated for game days to help out on special teams.
TE Josh Oliver
The former Jacksonville tight end leads Baltimore in preseason receptions with 11, but his longest gain is just 11 yards with the passing game being severely limited this summer. That’s not to suggest Oliver’s status as the potential No. 3 tight end is in peril, but there’s a sense of wanting to see what he looks like with Jackson throwing him the ball in a live-game setting. He has flashed some respectable blocking ability and easily stood above the other healthy tight ends on the roster not named Mark Andrews during training camp, so a productive — and fumble-free — effort against Washington would figure to put a bow on his roster spot.
DB Ar’Darius Washington
The decision to trade cornerback Shaun Wade should help Washington’s roster chances since the rookie safety has seen more time playing the nickel than deep safety this summer. His 5-foot-8, 176-pound frame makes him both easy to dismiss and difficult to project at the NFL level, but the TCU product always seems to be around the football and has played like someone who was deserving of being drafted on Day 3. The determining factor might be whether the undersized defensive back can contribute on special teams, which made his tackle on a kick return in the Carolina game that much more helpful. He may still wind up on the practice squad, but Washington has done more than enough to show he deserves a spot in the organization.
FB Ben Mason
The fifth-round pick will try to build on a good showing in the Carolina game, but Mason has been targeted just once as a receiver and hasn’t shown the diversity in his skills to warrant the Ravens carrying a backup fullback to Patrick Ricard. That said, the uncertain status of blocking tight end Nick Boyle could create a creative path to a roster spot if the Ravens envision Ricard filling more of Boyle’s responsibilities to open the season. As we witnessed with the trade of Wade, the organization doesn’t like cutting fifth-round picks, but the best bet is still attempting to pass Mason through waivers and re-signing him to the practice squad. Either way, the Michigan product will want to make a favorable impression offensively and on special teams in the preseason finale.
