The Ravens have a new streak on their hands. After a 26-20 loss Saturday night to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium, the Ravens have followed an NFL-record 24 straight preseason wins with a two-game losing skid.
Fourth-string quarterback Anthony Brown finished 12-for-21 for 171 yards, but he fumbled in the red zone in the first half and couldn’t complete a go-ahead drive in the game’s final minute. Running back Owen Wright led the Ravens with 12 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown, while wide receiver Dontay Demus II had two catches for 86 yards. Inside linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips had a team-high eight tackles.
Now Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and team officials have just three days to figure out their 53-man roster. By 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Ravens will have trimmed their 90-man roster. With plenty of uncertainty on the roster’s margins, here’s how they could put together their team and 16-man practice squad. Players are grouped by where they’re expected to play, not by their listed positions.
Offense (25)
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Quarterback (2): Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley
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Practice squad: Josh Johnson
Huntley, still limited by a hamstring injury, was only an observer at practice this past week. His athleticism and accuracy — plus the two weeks he has to get healthy for Week 1 — may give him the leg up on the 37-year-old Johnson, who followed a lights-out game against the Washington Commanders with another impressive start (6-for-9, 95 yards and a touchdown). If the NFL’s new emergency-quarterback bylaw gives Johnson an opportunity elsewhere after roster cuts, Anthony Brown could be back as the Ravens’ practice squad QB.
Running back (4): J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell
Practice squad: Owen Wright
Mitchell returned from a minor shoulder injury Monday to participate in both practices this past week, but he was held out of Saturday’s game. Even if the undrafted free agent projects as only a complementary piece, his cheap rookie contract could be an asset; of the Ravens’ leading running backs, only Hill is signed beyond this season.
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Melvin Gordon III had a fine camp but finished the preseason with just 17 carries for 59 yards (3.5 per carry). The 30-year-old spent part of last season on the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad and could have a similar role in Baltimore. Still, spots for veterans are scarce. That could open the door for Wright, an undrafted rookie who flashed his speed Saturday.
Wide receiver (6): Rashod Bateman, Odell Beckham Jr., Zay Flowers, Devin Duvernay, Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace
Practice squad: James Proche II, Tarik Black
On paper, this is the most talented wide receiver corps in franchise history. If the Ravens keep six here, Wallace’s preseason production and special teams value make him the obvious candidate. Proche had a disappointing summer, but he fits well in the locker room and had a solid 2021 season. Black, despite a quiet preseason, had the strongest camp of the Ravens’ undrafted rookie receivers.
Tight end/fullback (4): Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar, Patrick Ricard
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Practice squad: Ben Mason, Travis Vokolek
Vokolek’s bright preseason dimmed Saturday, when he was held to one catch. The undrafted rookie has good size for the position (6 feet 6, 260 pounds), but he’s an average athlete and old for a first-year NFL player. Would he provide enough offensive and special teams value to warrant a roster spot elsewhere if he’s waived? Mason rarely popped during camp, but he’s still developing on offense and could be a capable special teams player.
Offensive tackle (4): Ronnie Stanley, Morgan Moses, Patrick Mekari, Daniel Faalele
Practice squad: David Sharpe
No surprises here. Faalele, who might be a year away from a starting role, built on his solid summer with a solid start Saturday, holding up well at right tackle and left tackle. Sharpe has spent most of the past two seasons on the Ravens’ practice squad and has starting experience.
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Interior offensive line (5): John Simpson, Tyler Linderbaum, Kevin Zeitler, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Ben Cleveland
Practice squad: Tashawn Manning
Simpson got the night off Saturday and will start at left guard in Week 1, coach John Harbaugh said. Aumavae-Laulu might be in line for a starting job next season, but he hasn’t looked ready for first-string reps this summer. In his three preseason appearances, the sixth-round pick lost badly on pass-blocking repetitions and struggled at times as a puller. That could force the Ravens’ hand at guard. Cleveland was better suited for former offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s smashmouth schemes than Todd Monken’s more diverse looks, but he’s played like the far safer option in pass protection.
Owings Mills native Sam Mustipher has starting experience at center and could be an important insurance policy if Linderbaum’s unavailable. If the Ravens keep only nine linemen, though, would they prefer to keep Cleveland and have the versatile Mekari as a potential replacement inside, or would they prefer to keep Mustipher and use Mekari as a swing tackle? There are risks either way.
Manning, an undrafted rookie who lined up exclusively at right guard over the first two games, hadn’t allowed a pressure in 23 pass-blocking snaps entering Saturday.
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Defense (25)
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Defensive line (4): Justin Madubuike, Michael Pierce, Broderick Washington, Travis Jones
Practice squad: Angelo Blackson
Brent Urban was released and promptly re-signed after last year’s initial roster trimming. He’ll almost certainly have a spot in this line’s rotation, but he’s a vested veteran who gives DeCosta another flexible puzzle piece. Blackson played in 15 games last season for the Chicago Bears, but the Ravens might not enter the season with six defensive linemen on their roster, as they usually do.
Outside linebacker (5): Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo, Jadeveon Clowney, Tavius Robinson, Tyus Bowser (non-football-injury list)
Practice squad: Jeremiah Moon, Malik Hamm
Bowser started camp on the NFI list and hasn’t been cleared to practice, sidelined by what Harbaugh called an “agitated knee.” If Bowser remains on the list through Tuesday’s cuts, he’d miss the Ravens’ first four games — but DeCosta would open a spot on the initial roster. Harbaugh declined to comment on his status Saturday.
Moon spent his rookie season on the Ravens’ practice squad and has been active in the preseason. Hamm, an undrafted rookie and Baltimore native who missed Saturday’s game with an injury, should earn a spot on the practice squad after a strong camp.
Inside linebacker (5): Roquan Smith, Patrick Queen, Malik Harrison, Trenton Simpson, Del’Shawn Phillips
Practice squad: Kristian Welch, Josh Ross
With Smith and Queen inactive in the preseason, and Simpson banged up for much of camp, it was Phillips, not Welch or Ross, who started next to Harrison. He continued his impressive camp, leading the Ravens with 21 tackles over his three games. The team stocked up on inside linebackers last season, but with the NFL’s new kickoff rules, Welch and Ross could be relegated to practice squad spots. Neither impressed in the preseason.
Cornerback (8): Marlon Humphrey, Rock Ya-Sin, Brandon Stephens, Ar’Darius Washington, Jalyn Armour-Davis, Ronald Darby, Damarion “Pepe” Williams, Kyu Kelly
Practice squad: Tae Hayes
The Ravens can never have too many cornerbacks, especially with the state of their room. Humphrey’s Week 1 availability is unclear after minor foot surgery. Williams will be sidelined until October by an ankle injury and has to make the initial roster before he can be placed on injured reserve. Ya-Sin missed most of training camp with a knee injury but should be full go for the season opener. Armour-Davis was limited in camp, too, and didn’t make his preseason debut until Saturday. Darby’s less than a year removed from a torn ACL.
Kevon Seymour has played himself into a Week 1 role, but because he’s a vested veteran, the Ravens could release him without exposing him to waivers. After a space-clearing roster move — say, moving Williams to IR — Seymour could then be re-signed. Same goes for Arthur Maulet, who has starting experience in the slot but missed most of camp and all of the preseason with a hamstring injury.
Kelly had an uneven camp, but his preseason struggles came mostly against star receivers. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, he was seldom targeted in the second half of the Ravens’ loss to the Commanders and allowed just one catch on three targets for 6 yards Saturday. (Safety Geno Stone was charged with allowing the 6-yard touchdown catch to wide receiver Chris Godwin.) The Ravens almost never cut draft picks, and they have the flexibility to keep the fifth-rounder.
Safety (3): Marcus Williams, Kyle Hamilton, Geno Stone
Practice squad: Daryl Worley, Jeremy Lucien
The Ravens have enough flexibility in their secondary to get away with having just three full-time safeties. But if they can keep Worley on their practice squad, they’d definitely feel a lot better.
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Special teams (3)
Specialists (3): Justin Tucker, Jordan Stout, Tyler Ott
Practice squad: None
Tucker went 4-for-4 on field goals in the preseason, connecting from 60, 44, 43 and 39 yards, and 7-for-7 on extra points, a credit not only to the NFL’s best kicker but also Stout, his holder, and Ott, his new long snapper.
jonas.shaffer@thebaltimorebanner.com
Jonas Shaffer
jonas.shaffer@thebaltimorebanner.com
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Jonas Shaffer is a Ravens beat writer for The Baltimore Banner. He previously covered the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun. Shaffer graduated from the University of Maryland and grew up in Silver Spring.
