You can see the light at the end of the tunnel as the Ravens are less than three weeks away from the 2026 season opener in Indianapolis.
But plenty of decisions remain as teams will set their initial 53-man rosters by 6 p.m. Sunday and continue making tweaks to try to optimize depth for the long season.
The latest 53-man projection still considers track record, contract status, draft standing, and positional need in addition to what we’ve seen in training camp and the first two preseason games. Head coach Jesse Minter is expected to again rest established starters in the preseason finale, but we’ll continue to gain a better idea of where players stand by observing the snap distribution and playing time on Friday. Of course, not all bubble players are on equal footing with certain positions lacking established depth and others having so much talent that the numbers could squeeze out someone deserving of a roster spot.
Though general manager Eric DeCosta, Minter, and the rest of the staff are cognizant of the numbers at every position, trying to arbitrarily pick a specific number of wide receivers or outside linebackers isn’t the most authentic way of filling out a 53-man squad. When looking at the bottom of the roster, the Ravens value reserves who contribute on special teams, so they’ll look carefully at other traits in addition to what individuals bring to their offensive or defensive position groups.
The numbers in parentheses indicate how many players are projected to stick on the 53-man roster at each position.
QUARTERBACKS (2)
IN: Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley
WRONG SIDE OF THE BUBBLE: Joe Fagnano
LONG SHOT: Austin Reed
Skinny: No one has elevated his standing more over the last two weeks than Fagnano, who went from barely even getting practice reps behind Skylar Thompson to now having some fans suggest he should unseat Huntley as the backup. I’m not buying that or a great need to keep him on the 53-man roster, but another strong showing in the preseason finale could make it tougher to sneak him through waivers.
RUNNING BACKS (4)
IN: Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Rasheen Ali, Adam Randall
WRONG SIDE OF THE BUBBLE: none
LONG SHOT: Jonathan Ward, Dontae McMillan, Elijah Tau-Tolliver
Skinny: Though any notion of Ali and Randall competing for one spot has been disrupted by both missing preseason action with minor ailments, the depth picture behind Henry isn’t strong enough overall to risk losing either. Ali is too much of a factor on special teams and Randall carries too much developmental upside to choose one over the other at this point.
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TIGHT ENDS (4)
IN: Mark Andrews, Durham Smythe, Matt Hibner, Josh Cuevas
WRONG SIDE OF THE BUBBLE: none
LONG SHOT: Lucas Scott, Ty Pezza
Skinny: The rookies Hibner and Cuevas have flashed enough in the preseason to quiet some of the early-summer angst, but this position group remains a fair question mark with Andrews entering his age-31 season and coming off a disappointing 2025 and Smythe making a total of 13 catches as a blocking tight end the last two seasons. That said, there aren’t real roster decisions to make here.
WIDE RECEIVERS (6)
IN: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Ja’Kobi Lane, Devontez Walker, Elijah Sarratt, LaJohntay Wester
WRONG SIDE OF THE BUBBLE: none
LONG SHOT: Chris Moore, Dayton Wade, Cornelius Johnson, Xavier Guillory, Cortez Braham Jr., Octavian Smith Jr.
Skinny: After a highlight-filled summer, the rookie Lane appears set to open the season as the No. 3 wide receiver ahead of Walker. With no one challenging Wester for the return specialist job this summer, there’s a clear line of demarcation between the top six and the rest of the group vying for a practice-squad spot at best.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (9)
IN: Ronnie Stanley, John Simpson, Jovaughn Gwyn, Ethan Pocic, Vega Ioane, Roger Rosengarten, Emery Jones Jr., Carson Vinson, Andrew Vorhees
WRONG SIDE OF THE BUBBLE: Corey Bullock
LONG SHOT: Diego Pounds, Gerad Lichtenhan, Evan Beerntsen, David Sharpe, Nick Dawkins
INJURED RESERVE: Danny Pinter
Skinny: The season-ending knee injury to Pinter muddied the center waters even more as Gwyn and Pocic remain in a competition, according to Minter. That Bullock was a roster holdover from last year and hasn’t made any kind of meaningful push for the job probably doesn’t bode well for his chances of sticking on the 53-man roster as the top nine look mostly set at the moment.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (5)
IN: Travis Jones, Calais Campbell, Broderick Washington, Aeneas Peebles, Nnamdi Madubuike
WRONG SIDE OF THE BUBBLE: John Jenkins, Rayshaun Benny, C.J. Okoye
LONG SHOT: David Olajiga, Dion Wilson Jr., Aaron Graves
Skinny: This group prompts the most interesting roster possibilities, which begin with the status of Madubuike and whether he could be an option for short-term IR. The bet for now is Baltimore delaying that decision as long as possible and working out a handshake agreement with Jenkins to be able to keep Peebles on the 53-man roster, but Benny, Okoye, and Olajiga are also interesting prospects.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS (4)
IN: Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, Teddye Buchanan, Jay Higgins
WRONG SIDE OF THE BUBBLE: Dominic DeLuca, Carl Jones Jr.
LONG SHOT: Jamon Johnson, Reid Williford
Skinny: It remains to be seen when Buchanan will be fully ready to contribute after being activated from the physically unable to perform list less than two weeks ago, so depth is at least a short-term concern. However, DeLuca — who’s had a good summer as an undrafted rookie — and Jones are very likely to get through waivers and be options as practice-squad elevations if the Ravens need special-teams help.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS (5)
IN: Trey Hendrickson, Tavius Robinson, Mike Green, Zion Young, Ethan Burke
WRONG SIDE OF THE BUBBLE: Adisa Isaac
LONG SHOT: Kaimon Rucker
Skinny: I’d still expect the Ravens to keep Isaac — the oft-injured 2024 third-round pick — over the undrafted Burke if the goal is to maximize the odds of keeping both since Isaac would very likely be claimed elsewhere. However, Burke has had a good summer, and Baltimore certainly loves its rookie free agents, leaving one to wonder if Isaac could just be considered a sunk cost after two lost seasons.
CORNERBACKS (7)
IN: Nate Wiggins, Marlon Humphrey, Chidobe Awuzie, T.J. Tampa, Chandler Rivers, Keyon Martin, Bilhal Kone
WRONG SIDE OF THE BUBBLE: Robert Longerbeam
LONG SHOT: Amani Oruwariye, Marquise Robinson, Lardarius Webb Jr.
Skinny: There is young inventory behind the top three of Wiggins, Humphrey, and Awuzie, which makes for some tough calls on talented but unproven players. Martin and Rivers bring depth at the nickel with Kyle Hamilton expected to man that spot, but Tampa and Kone are outside options who need to continue improving, especially when considering the post-2026 contract status of Humphrey and Awuzie.
8SAFETIES (4)
IN: Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks, Jaylinn Hawkins, Keondre Jackson
WRONG SIDE OF THE BUBBLE: K’Von Wallace
LONG SHOT: Silas Walters
Skinny: A strong summer on both defense and special teams eliminated what little doubt lingered about Jackson’s place on the roster. The frequency with which Minter uses three-safety alignments is an argument for keeping a fifth safety, but signing Wallace or a comparable veteran to the practice squad feels like the compromise measure to being able to keep another young corner in the picture.
SPECIALISTS (3)
SAFE: Tyler Loop, Ryan Eckley, Nick Moore
WRONG SIDE OF THE BUBBLE: none
LONG SHOT: none
Skinny: Loop will remain under a microscope until he proves to be trustworthy in high-leverage situations, which means he simply needs to continue making kicks until those opportunities present themselves. The rookie Eckley was one of the top performers on the field in Minnesota.
