ExtremeRavens Posted Friday at 10:30 AM Posted Friday at 10:30 AM The Ravens’ preseason game Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium will be more reunion than revenge for Cooper Rush. “It will be different over on that sideline,” the backup quarterback said. “It will be something new, but looking forward to it. [I’ve made] a lot of good relationships over the years there, and it will be good to catch up with some guys. It will be cool.” Rush spent the first seven years of his NFL career with the Cowboys before signing with Baltimore in free agency this offseason. He’ll also likely get more than the four pass attempts he had last week against the Indianapolis Colts, though coach John Harbaugh was coy about how exactly he’ll divvy up the reps between Rush and third-stringer Devin Leary (with Lamar Jackson and most of the regular starters not playing). Rush also isn’t worried about showing his former team — with whom he compiled a 9-5 career record as a starting quarterback, filling in mostly for an injured Dak Prescott — what its missing out on. “I’ve been really trying to show [my] current team I’m doing well,” he said. “Those preseason games do help guys in my position.” While Rush is already all but assured the role as Jackson’s backup, here’s a look at the 13 Ravens players with the most at stake heading into the critical second game of the preseason. Center Nick Samac The 2024 seventh-round draft pick out of Michigan State spent last season as Pro Bowl selection Tyler Linderbaum’s backup but was a healthy scratch for all 17 games. He has more competition this year, with Maryland alum and second-year guard Corey Bullock having started at center last week against the Colts. Then there’s rookie seventh-round guard Garrett Dellinger, another player the Ravens view as a natural center. Guard/center Corey Bullock Bullock put together a nice performance in the preseason opener, and another strong effort this week could move him to the front of the line of contenders for the backup job to Linderbaum. With Linderbaum having dealt with a neck injury in the past, whoever is playing behind him matters. And given Bullock’s and Dellinger’s experience playing guard, that kind of versatility could give one of them the edge over Samac. Guard Darrian Dalcourt The Ravens love to keep 10 offensive linemen. Five of those spots will go to left tackle Ronnie Stanley, left guard Andrew Vorhees, Linderbaum, right guard Daniel Faalele and right tackle Roger Rosengarten. Veteran Joseph Noteboom also figures to make it as a swing tackle, while Ben Cleveland should as a reserve guard and as part of the field goal block unit. Another spot goes to Samac or Bullock at backup center. That leaves just two remaining spots, one of which could go to third-round rookie tackle Emery Jones Jr. But with Jones yet to practice because of a shoulder injury, that could increase the chances for Dalcourt if the former St. Frances standout outperforms some others. Guard Garrett Dellinger Baltimore likes positional versatility in at least some of its offensive linemen, and Dellinger can perhaps provide that with experience at guard and center. Last week, he played 28 snaps, or 45%, against the Colts and it’s likely that he’ll get a similar amount of reps against the Cowboys. A solid performance could go a long way in solidifying a spot for the LSU alum. Defensive tackle C.J. Okoye The 6-foot-6, 370-pound Okoye is tantalizing because of his size alone. His play is starting to draw some attention, too. Last week, the 23-year-old Nigerian from the NFL’s International Pathway Program had three tackles, including a thundering hit on Colts quarterback Daniel Jones. “He’s really learning,” Harbaugh said. “[He’s] making good use of all that size he has. He’s come light-years.” Okoye is still perhaps a longshot to make the 53-man roster with Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones and Broderick Washington all ahead of him and veteran John Jenkins and sixth-round rookie Aeneas Peebles also in the mix, but he’s an intriguing player worth watching. Ravens defensive lineman C.J. Ravenell, shown forcing Colts quarterback Riley Leonard into an interception, can make a stronger case for a roster spot with another big game against the Cowboys on Saturday. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Defensive tackle C.J. Ravenell Like Okoye, Ravenell, in his second season out of Missouri Western, had a solid performance against the Colts. In particular, his fourth-quarter pressure up the middle on quarterback Riley Leonard helped spark an interception by linebacker Jay Higgins IV. The 6-5, 300-pound Ravenell was already on the radar of coaches last year and spent his rookie season on the practice squad. With the Ravens likely keeping five defensive linemen at most on the 53-man roster, that last spot will be between a few players. Linebacker Teddye Buchanan The prevailing thought coming into training camp was that Buchanan, a fourth-round rookie, would share if not push fellow inside linebacker Trenton Simpson for the starting job. But Buchanan struggled mightily against the Colts, often looking lost in pass coverage and slow in run defense, the latter a tough obstacle to overcome given his lack of size. While it’s possible, if not likely, that Buchanan still finds a home on the 53-man roster, another poor performance could put him on shaky ground. Linebacker Jay Higgins IV While Buchanan struggled against the Colts, Higgins, an undrafted rookie out of Iowa, put together a solid game with three tackles, two pass breakups and the aforementioned interception in 33 defensive snaps. The Ravens have a long history of finding undrafted gems and developing them into solid players (especially at inside linebacker), and Higgins could be next in line. Outside linebacker Adisa Isaac Like the offensive line, outside linebacker is a numbers game. Typically, the Ravens keep five at the position and the top four spots this year will go to Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy, Tavius Robinson and rookie second-rounder Mike Green. That means Isaac, a 2024 third-round pick whose rookie year was stunted by a hamstring injury, will be one of at least two players possibly fighting for one spot. He got off to a good start with four tackles, including one for loss and a sack, on 28 defensive snaps against the Colts. He also played 10 special teams snaps. Outside linebacker David Ojabo Ojabo, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, was finally healthy in the offseason for the first time after a litany of injuries over the past few years. Against the Colts, he had two tackles, including one for loss, and a memorable unblocked sack of Anthony Richardson that resulted in a pinkie injury for the quarterback. It’s possible that Baltimore could decide to keep six outside linebackers instead of five. That would mean both Isaac and Ojabo would be on the roster, but the oft-injured 2022 second-round pick can’t afford to treat it that way. Defensive back Reuben Lowery There almost isn’t a day that goes by that Lowery, an undrafted rookie whiz-kid out of Tennessee-Chattanooga, doesn’t make at least one nice play on the ball during practice. He has also caught the attention of Harbaugh, who said that Leary has been better than expected. Against the Colts, Lowery didn’t do anything that jumped off the page, but he did have four tackles on 42 defensive snaps and logged three special teams snaps. He also has some positional versatility at safety or nickel. Running back Rasheen Ali Speaking of numbers games, it seems unlikely that the Ravens would keep four running backs on the active roster with Derrick Henry, Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell. But given Mitchell’s injury history, there could be a need. The better Ali plays, the tougher he makes the decision. If he doesn’t play much this week, that could be an indicator that the Ravens are hoping to tuck the 2024 fifth-round pick away on the practice squad. Quarterback Devin Leary The Ravens already know that Rush will be the No. 2 quarterback. For Leary, this week will be about showing that he’s capable of being a third-string, likely practice squad quarterback. Against the Colts, he was dreadful, completing 3 of 12 passes for 43 yards with an interception. He was also sacked once. Harbaugh didn’t mince words about the passing game needing to be better, and while he didn’t call out Leary buy name, he didn’t have to. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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