With the preseason opener against New Orleans in the rear-view mirror, I take a look at projecting the Ravens’ 53-man roster for the first time since the end of mandatory minicamp in mid-June.
My current look at the roster suggests 44 players are locks if the deadline to trim the roster to 53 took place today. My rough assessment of the 90 players currently on the preseason roster lists 17 players on the bubble. Not all bubble players are on equal footing, with certain positions lacking depth and others enjoying an abundance of talent.
Though general manager Ozzie Newsome, coach John Harbaugh, and the remainder of the coaching staff and front office are aware of the number of players at each position, trying to boldly pinpoint a specific number of wide receivers or linebackers isn’t the most accurate way of projecting the roster. In filling out the back end of their roster, the Ravens will look carefully at players’ special-teams abilities in addition to what they bring to their position.
The Ravens must trim the roster from 90 players to 75 on Sept. 1 and will go down to the regular-season number of 53 on Sept. 5.
The numbers in parentheses indicate the total number of players currently on the roster at that given position. Bubble players’ names that are underlined are currently on my projected 53-man roster as of Aug. 17.
QUARTERBACKS (3)
LOCK: Joe Flacco, Matt Schaub
BUBBLE: None
LONG SHOT: Bryn Renner
Skinny: Renner was the hero in the preseason opener, but he still profiles as no more than a candidate for the practice squad.
RUNNING BACKS & FULLBACKS (7)
LOCK: Justin Forsett, Kyle Juszczyk, Lorenzo Taliaferro, Buck Allen
BUBBLE: Fitz Toussaint
LONG SHOT: Kiero Small, Terrence Magee
Skinny: Special-teams play could allow Touissant to steal one of the final roster spots while Magee looks like an intriguing practice-squad candidate.
WIDE RECEIVERS (12)
LOCK: Steve Smith, Breshad Perriman, Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown, Michael Campanaro
BUBBLE: Darren Waller, Jeremy Butler, DeAndre Carter
LONG SHOT: Aldrick Robinson, Daniel Brown, Trent Steelman, Tom Nelson
Skinny: Plenty of competition remains at the receiver position, but it will be interesting to see how many the Ravens will keep, making the next two weeks critical for the second tier of wideouts.
TIGHT ENDS (6)
LOCK: Crockett Gillmore, Maxx Williams, Nick Boyle
BUBBLE: None
LONG SHOT: Konrad Reuland
PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PERFORM LIST: Dennis Pitta
INJURED RESERVE: Allen Reisner
Skinny: With Pitta expected to begin the year on the PUP list, there isn’t much drama here in terms of roster spots, but it will be intriguing to see how quickly Williams can close the gap on Gillmore.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (17)
LOCK: Marshal Yanda, Kelechi Osemele, Rick Wagner, Eugene Monroe, Jeremy Zuttah, John Urschel, James Hurst
BUBBLE: Robert Myers, Jah Reid, Ryan Jensen
LONG SHOT: Leon Brown, Kaleb Johnson, Marcel Jones, Nick Easton, Darryl Baldwin, Blaine Clausell, De’Ondre Wesley
Skinny: It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Ravens take advantage of an injury to stash the rookie Myers on injured reserve, which would open up a spot for the improved Jensen on the 53-man roster.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (10)
LOCK: Brandon Williams, Timmy Jernigan, Chris Canty, Carl Davis, Lawrence Guy
BUBBLE: DeAngelo Tyson, Kapron Lewis-Moore, Christo Bilukidi
LONG SHOT: Micajah Reynolds
INJURED RESERVE: Brent Urban
Skinny: After two years missed due to injuries, Lewis-Moore hasn’t been impressive this summer and now looks like he could be on the wrong side of the bubble without improvement.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS (6)
LOCK: Daryl Smith, C.J. Mosley, Zachary Orr
BUBBLE: Albert McClellan, Arthur Brown
LONG SHOT: Andrew Bose
Skinny: The Ravens could find a way to keep five inside linebackers, but it was telling that Brown, the 2013 second-round pick, didn’t play extensively on defense until the fourth quarter against New Orleans.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS (7)
LOCK: Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, Courtney Upshaw, Za’Darius Smith
BUBBLE: Steven Means
LONG SHOT: Brennen Beyer, Zach Thompson
Skinny: Means’ leg injury sustained in the preseason opener could change the picture at this position, but the Ravens want to be sure to have enough depth behind Suggs and Dumervil.
CORNERBACKS (10)
LOCK: Lardarius Webb, Jimmy Smith, Kyle Arrington, Tray Walker, Rashaan Melvin
BUBBLE: Asa Jackson, Quinton Pointer
LONG SHOT: Cassius Vaughn, Tramain Jacobs, Chris Greenwood
Skinny: Jackson is nursing a knee injury, but his status as the potential return specialist factors more heavily to his standing than his play at cornerback, meaning the surprising Pointer could still grab a spot.
SAFETIES (7)
LOCK: Will Hill, Kendrick Lewis, Anthony Levine
BUBBLE: Brynden Trawick, Nick Perry
LONG SHOT: None
PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PERFORM LIST: Terrence Brooks
INJURED RESERVE: Matt Elam
Skinny: Depth is a concern at safety with Elam likely done for the year and Brooks’ status up in the air for at least the start of the regular season, meaning Newsome should be looking to add depth here.
SPECIALISTS (5)
LOCK: Sam Koch, Morgan Cox, Justin Tucker
BUBBLE: None
LONG SHOT: Justin Manton, Patrick Scales
Skinny: There’s just nothing to see here.
