The Ravens won’t have to trim their roster to 53 players until Aug. 31, but cuts began earlier this week and the rest of the preseason schedule will offer a better idea of what the coaching staff has to work with for the 2021 season.
The current look at the 85-man roster still weighs track record, contract status, draft standing, and positional need in addition to what we’ve witnessed over the first three weeks of training camp. For now, I estimate at least 46 players to be safely on the roster, leaving seven spots to fill. We’ll get a much better idea of where players stand starting with the rep distribution during preseason games. Not all bubble players are on equal footing, of course, with certain position groups lacking depth and others enjoying so much talent that the numbers game will likely victimize a few players deserving of an NFL roster spot.
Though general manager Eric DeCosta, head coach John Harbaugh, and the rest of the staff and front office are cognizant of the numbers at each position, trying to arbitrarily pinpoint a certain number of tight ends or inside linebackers isn’t the most accurate way of projecting a roster. The Ravens prefer reserves who will contribute on special teams, so they’ll look carefully at other attributes in addition to what players bring to their individual positions when filling out the back of the roster.
The numbers in parentheses indicate how many players are currently on the roster at that position. Bubble players who are underlined are the ones projected to make the cut for the initial 53-man roster as of Aug. 18.
QUARTERBACKS (4)
IN: Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley
BUBBLE: Trace McSorley
LONG SHOT: Kenji Bahar
Skinny: The backup competition is all but over with McSorley out for the rest of the preseason with a back injury. The question is how much the Ravens want to keep the 2019 sixth-round pick in the organization. Placing McSorley on injured reserve and maintaining his eligibility to return would require keeping him on the initial 53-man roster. The prediction is he’ll be waived with Baltimore attempting to re-sign him to the practice squad if he goes unclaimed.
RUNNING BACKS & FULLBACKS (7)
IN: J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Patrick Ricard
BUBBLE: Justice Hill, Ty’Son Williams, Ben Mason
LONG SHOT: Nate McCrary
Skinny: We alluded to Hill’s quiet start to camp in our last roster look, and the former fourth-round pick didn’t show much in the preseason opener and is now dealing with an injury. Meanwhile, Williams, a 2020 member of the practice squad, continues to make the most of opportunities to close the gap for the No. 3 running back job. With Ricard healthy, it remains very difficult to see a path to a spot for Mason with the tough choices at other positions.
WIDE RECEIVERS (13)
IN: Marquise Brown, Rashod Bateman, Sammy Watkins, Devin Duvernay, Tylan Wallace, James Proche
BUBBLE: Miles Boykin
LONG SHOT: Deon Cain, Jaylon Moore, Binjimen Victor, Devin Gray, Michael Dereus, Siaosi Mariner
Skinny: Poor pass protection made it tough for Proche to showcase his growth in the first preseason game, but his practice performance and other injuries to the position group land Proche safely on the roster. Boykin has begun working out on a side field, but he has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since Aug. 2 and is running out of time to state his case for a spot. Bateman is a candidate to open the year on IR, but he’ll be on the initial 53-man roster.
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TIGHT ENDS (5)
IN: Mark Andrews, Nick Boyle
BUBBLE: Josh Oliver, Eric Tomlinson
LONG SHOT: Tony Poljan
Skinny: Though the competition for the No. 3 tight end spot hasn’t lived up to the spring hype, Oliver has been the best of the group and remains the strong bet if the Ravens indeed keep three. Boyle’s health and availability for Week 1 will remain a strong consideration and could create an opportunity for Tomlinson, a capable blocking tight end who played in six regular-season games and both playoff contests last year.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (16)
IN: Ronnie Stanley, Bradley Bozeman, Kevin Zeitler, Alejandro Villanueva, Ben Cleveland, Patrick Mekari, Tyre Phillips
BUBBLE: Trystan Colon, Ben Powers, Ben Bredeson, Michael Schofield
LONG SHOT: Andre Smith, Greg Mancz, Adrian Ealy, Foster Sarell
INJURED: Ja’Wuan James
Skinny: With established starters such as Stanley and Zeitler having missed extensive practice time, the summer hasn’t been a flattering statement for the offensive line depth, leaving one to wonder if DeCosta will seek options outside the organization. None of the swing tackle candidates have looked up to the task, which is concerning. Powers and Bredeson are recent fourth-round picks and candidates for modest trade scenarios if left off the roster.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (8)
IN: Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams, Derek Wolfe, Justin Madubuike, Broderick Washington
BUBBLE: Justin Ellis, Aaron Crawford
LONG SHOT: Jovan Swann
Skinny: The Ravens will need a backup nose tackle to Williams, but Ellis isn’t subject to waivers as a vested veteran and Crawford appeared in only one game last season and spent the year on the practice squad as a former undrafted free agent, making it very likely that he’d pass through waivers. In other words, either could be re-signed pretty easily after the dust settles on final cuts and any IR candidates spend the requisite time on the initial 53-man roster.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS (6)
IN: Patrick Queen, Malik Harrison, Chris Board, L.J. Fort
BUBBLE: Kristian Welch
LONG SHOT: Otaro Alaka
Skinny: Welch is a good contributor on special teams, but he doesn’t offer as much positional value as the four options ahead of him and would very likely pass through waivers unclaimed, leading to a return on the practice squad. Alaka continues feeling the effects of last year’s ACL injury and is again out from practice, diminishing his roster chances and increasing the likelihood of him being placed on IR like cornerback Iman Marshall was this week.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS (7)
IN: Tyus Bowser, Odafe Oweh, Justin Houston, Pernell McPhee, Daelin Hayes
BUBBLE: Jaylon Ferguson, Chris Smith
LONG SHOT: none
Skinny: Ferguson’s roster chances have been discussed throughout the summer, but his standing as a recent third-round pick coupled with the age of Houston and McPhee will make it difficult for the Ravens to move on from the Louisiana Tech product — even if he’s a likely healthy scratch every week. Smith has had a good summer without much fanfare, but the 29-year-old seems less likely to crack the roster as a potential sixth edge defender.
CORNERBACKS (8)
IN: Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Jimmy Smith, Tavon Young, Anthony Averett, Chris Westry
BUBBLE: Shaun Wade
LONG SHOT: Nigel Warrior
Skinny: We’ve noted how deep the Ravens have been at corner in recent summers, only to see that depth dwindle during the season. In other words, you should always take the over for the numbers at this position. The 6-foot-4 Westry has made an exceptional roster push with Wink Martindale recently praising DeCosta for signing him last January, which isn’t what you say if trying to sneak a player through waivers. Wade has struggled this summer, but being a fifth-round pick and former standout at Ohio State should keep the rookie on the right side of the bubble.
SAFETIES (7)
IN: Chuck Clark, DeShon Elliott, Brandon Stephens
BUBBLE: Anthony Levine, Ar’Darius Washington, Geno Stone, Jordan Richards
LONG SHOT: none
Skinny: Levine remains the captain of the special teams despite not carrying as much defensive value as a few years ago, but Richards may not have enough appeal in either department compared to younger options vying for a spot. Washington and Stone both make solid roster cases and appear close to a coin flip, but the former shows potential as a nickel option and was a higher-profile rookie free agent in May whereas Stone was available for anyone to sign back in March. Both would be obvious candidates for the practice squad if they’re not part of the 53.
SPECIALISTS (4)
IN: Justin Tucker, Sam Koch, Nick Moore
BUBBLE: none
LONG SHOT: Jake Verity
Skinny: The only question here is whether the Verity hype train gains enough steam for the Ravens to convince another team to give them a draft pick for the East Carolina product with impressive exit velocity and distance on his kicks.
