LOCK: Haloti Ngata, Chris Canty, Marcus Spears, Arthur Jones, Brandon Williams, Terrence Cody
BUBBLE: DeAngelo Tyson
LONG SHOT: Will Pericak, Cody Larsen
INJURED: Kapron Lewis-Moore (will likely be placed on the reserve non-football injury list or injured reserve)
Skinny: Tyson finds himself in a similar position to Harewood, but the Ravens are so deep along the defensive line and that’s not even counting some of their linebackers who can move upfront in certain sub packages. This group has the potential to be downright nasty this season.
LINEBACKERS (16)
LOCK: Daryl Smith, Elvis Dumervil, Courtney Upshaw, Terrell Suggs, Arthur Brown, Josh Bynes, John Simon, Pernell McPhee, Albert McClellan
BUBBLE: Bryan Hall, Nigel Carr
LONG SHOT: D.J. Bryant, Brandon Copeland, Meshak Williams
INJURED: Jameel McClain (will likely be placed on the reserve physically unable to perform list to start the season), Adrian Hamilton (projected to be placed on injured reserve with a wrist injury)
Skinny: Hamilton’s wrist injury appears to be a convenient way to stash him on IR since he’s a talented player with room to grow as a pass rusher. Carr and Hall are highly unlikely to stick on the 53-man roster, but they are still a notch above the “long shot” category of linebackers.
CORNERBACKS (8)
LOCK: Lardarius Webb, Jimmy Smith, Corey Graham, Chykie Brown
BUBBLE: Marc Anthony, Moe Lee
LONG SHOT: None
SUSPENDED: Asa Jackson (will be suspended for the first eight games of the regular season)
Skinny: Anthony hasn’t been very impressive this summer, but Jackson’s suspension and the fact that he was a seventh-round pick will likely give him the nod over the undrafted free agent Lee. The Ravens feel good about their top four, but an injury would immediately raise depth concerns.
SAFETIES (6)
LOCK: Michael Huff, Matt Elam, James Ihedigbo
BUBBLE: Anthony Levine, Omar Brown
LONG SHOT: Brynden Trawick
SUSPENDED: Christian Thompson (will be suspended for the first four games of the regular season)
Skinny: Levine is more physical than Brown and has been featured on the starting special-teams units, which is a possible sign of him receiving the nod for the fourth safety spot. Brown would likely be a good candidate for the practice squad.
SPECIALISTS (3)
LOCK: Sam Koch, Morgan Cox, Justin Tucker
BUBBLE: None
LONG SHOT: None
Skinny: This group remains the status quo, which has been a refreshing change from most years of the Harbaugh era that included a kicker competition.
Sizing up the 2013 Ravens roster after the third preseason game
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
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