ExtremeRavens Posted August 26 Posted August 26 GREEN BAY, Wis. — A procession of Ravens officials, including team president Sashi Brown and general manager Eric DeCosta, made their way through the crowded hallway leading to the locker room inside the belly of Lambeau Field late Saturday afternoon. Baltimore had just lost its preseason finale to the Packers, 30-7, with sloppy, mistake-filled performance, but more pressing matters lay ahead for DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh. The deadline for NFL teams to trim their rosters from 90 players to 53 is Tuesday at 4 p.m. With the Ravens’ season opener against the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs less than two weeks away, important decisions need to be made. Injuries also need to be considered when it comes to putting players on injured reserve, spots that do not count against the active roster. And of course practice squad considerations need to be taken into account, with teams allowed to keep up to 16 more players. “There [are] going to be important evaluations,” Harbaugh said. “I think they’re more individual evaluations than any kind of team evaluations at this point, and that’s what we’ll do.” Here’s what Baltimore’s 53-man roster could look like come Tuesday after those evaluations are made. Quarterback (2) Lamar Jackson, Josh Johnson Devin Leary had his worst performance of the preseason Saturday, completing just 6 of 13 passes for 34 yards with two interceptions and a fumble after being strip-sacked. Harbaugh long ago declared Johnson the team’s No. 2 quarterback, and that was likely never changing. A new rule that allows teams unlimited practice squad elevations for emergency third quarterbacks also meant the Ravens were never keeping three. Leary has a big arm but needs a lot of polish, so he’s at best a practice squad project. Running back (3) Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Rasheen Ali Before Saturday, Owen Wright looked to have the edge on Ali to be the No. 3 running back, a position that calls for mop-up duty and more importantly, special teams work. But Wright suffered a broken foot, meaning he’s likely headed for injured reserve. That could clear the way for Ali, a fifth-round draft pick out of Marshall who is athletic but has struggled as a rookie. With Keaton Mitchell likely to start the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list and expected to return later this season, Baltimore will have a decision to make. Do they keep Ali? Do they sign a veteran free agent? Do they opt for undrafted rookie free agent Chris Collier, who had 42 yards on 13 carries against the Packers? Do they simply keep two running backs and elevate one as need be from the practice squad? Ali was not in uniform Saturday and it’s unclear if he’s dealing with an injury after previously missing some time with a stinger. Ravens rookie wide receiver Devontez Walker could be a candidate for injured reserve, which would keep him out of at least the first four games. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Wide receiver (6) Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor, Deonte Harty, Tylan Wallace, Devontez Walker The most intriguing question with this group involves Walker. A rookie fourth-round pick, he struggled to have any impact again Saturday with just one catch for 4 yards. He’s also been dealing with a rib injury, Harbaugh said, so that could potentially make him a candidate for injured reserve, which would keep him out of at least the first four games before he could return and then allow the Ravens to keep another receiver such as Anthony Miller. Otherwise, the top three spots are set between Flowers, Bateman and Agholor, with Harty as a fourth option and the team’s kick returner and Wallace, who had a 48-yard touchdown Saturday, adding special teams value. Tight end/fullback (4) Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar, Patrick Ricard This group was set in stone before training camp started, but undrafted rookie Qadir Ismail has certainly performed well enough to be on the practice squad. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound son of former Ravens receiver Qadry Ismail is a fascinating prospect. He’s proved to be a solid pass catcher and surprised Harbaugh with his blocking ability. Tight end is an important position for Baltimore, and Ismail is someone the Ravens can develop. Offensive line (10) Ronnie Stanley, Andrew Vorhees, Tyler Linderbaum, Daniel Faalele, Roger Rosengarten, Patrick Mekari, Ben Cleveland, Josh Jones, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Tashawn Manning This is another position that’s been complicated by injury, with Nick Samac, who was pushing to be the backup to Pro Bowl center Linderbaum, getting hurt Saturday. Harbaugh didn’t have an update on Samac’s condition afterward, but the rookie seventh-round pick was carted off the field after being helped to the sideline with what looked to be a leg or lower-body injury. Before that, he likely would have made the roster; now he could be headed to injured reserve. That could also mean that Manning, who has shown improvement after spending his rookie year on the practice squad, ends up making the team. Or, the Ravens might decide to keep just nine offensive linemen and sign a veteran free agent to provide depth. Defensive line (5) Justin Madubuike, Michael Pierce, Travis Jones, Brent Urban, Broderick Washington Like the tight ends, this group has been set since the beginning of training camp. The only thing to keep an eye on is if the Ravens decide to cut Urban in a handshake deal the way they did last season. As a vested veteran, he’s not subject to waivers and could then re-sign with Baltimore if the Ravens decide to keep an injured player on the active roster until Wednesday. Outside linebacker (5) Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy, David Ojabo, Tavius Robinson, Adisa Isaac Isaac is another player who could be headed to injured reserve. Just when the rookie returned from a hamstring injury that kept him out nearly the entire summer, he suffered a soft-tissue injury in his other leg. Meanwhile, the versatile Malik Harrison should see a lot of action at strong-side linebacker given his ability to set the edge, so he could be counted here as well. Otherwise, Oweh and Ojabo have looked solid all preseason, Van Noy is a dependable pass rusher and Robinson provides depth and special teams capability. Inside linebacker (4) Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, Malik Harrison, Chris Board Josh Ross’ spot, or lack thereof, will likely depend on how many players the Ravens keep at other positions such as the offensive line or defensive backfield. Without him, Baltimore gets thin quickly if Harrison is more often deployed outside. With him, the Ravens get someone who can play special teams and add depth inside, which they could use. Chris Board, meanwhile, is a special teams ace, and others — such as Yvandy Rigby and Deion Jennings, who both got hurt Saturday — didn’t make enough of a dent in training camp. Cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis has performed well this summer and likely earned a spot on the team. (Kim Hairston/Staff) Cornerback (6) Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, Nate Wiggins, Ar’Darius Washington, T.J. Tampa, Jalyn Armour-Davis With Arthur Maulet suffering from a knee injury that could land him on injured reserve to start the season, that makes Washington the favorite to fill his role in the slot. Armour-Davis, meanwhile, has performed well this summer and likely earned a spot on the team. Ka’dar Hollman could also make it given his special teams ability. Damarion “Pepe” Williams, however, struggled enormously Saturday between getting beat, giving up a touchdown catch that he showed little fight for and missing some tackles. He also doesn’t have the special teams value that Hollman does. Safety (5) Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams, Eddie Jackson, Sanoussi Kane, Beau Brade Washington can and has been playing safety most of the summer, but with Maulet’s injury, he’s more likely to shift into that role. Kane and Brade, meanwhile, have flashed and been physically attacking the ball, so one or both figures to stick around. Because of Washington’s ability to play safety, the Ravens could easily get away with keeping just four. This likely will come down to Kane, Brade and Worley battling for one or two spots — and special teams could be the determining factor. The Ravens really like Worley’s physicality on special teams, but he’s a vested vet and they can play the practice squad game with him like they did last year. Special teams (3) Justin Tucker, Jordan Stout, Nick Moore It was only warm-ups and it included a holder and an extra step, but Tucker hit a field goal from 70 yards Saturday. Then he made a 65-yarder a moment later going the other direction. Stout, meanwhile, has had some booming punts this summer, though has been inconsistent at times. Moore is healthy and locked in at long snapper after missing last season with a torn Achilles tendon. View the full article Quote
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