The (very) few remaining questions about the Ravens roster have been answered — for now.
Every NFL team had to cut their roster to 53 players by 4 p.m. Tuesday.
That deadline created little intrigue for Baltimore. Coming into camp, most positions on the Ravens roster were filled. Besides three starting jobs on the offensive line, most of the competitions were for backup spots.
None of those players likely feel all that safe now, though. Rosters continue to shift leading up to — and extending into — the season. Players in the bottom third of an NFL roster are constantly proving they belong.
General manager Eric DeCosta will be poring over the list of players cut by other teams — maybe to find depth at edge rusher or running back? — and working to finalize the practice squad. That work never ends.
“For now, it’ll be just if anything changes, if anything becomes available, we’ll have a conversation other than just talking,” Harbaugh said about his and DeCosta’s approach. “We have a plan in place. Everything is written firmly in chalk — it can be erased at any moment and change.”
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Here’s an initial analysis on the 53 players on the Ravens roster, by position. Rookies are italicized.
Offense
Quarterbacks (2): Lamar Jackson, Josh Johnson
When a team has the reigning MVP returning, it’s hard to feel bad about the position. This team’s fortunes rise and fall with its quarterback, and if Jackson has a year like last season (minus the AFC championship), this team has a good chance. At his best, Jackson can make up for weaknesses in other areas. But if Jackson has a down year, or, worse, is injured, it’s hard to have much faith in Johnson. He’s a good veteran leader, but he’s just that — a veteran. He has little upside at this point. Despite keeping just two quarterbacks on the roster, the Ravens will have to focus on developing one or two of their rookie signal-callers — Devin Leary and Emory Jones — on their practice squad, or begin thinking about rebuilding behind Jackson.
Running backs (3): Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Rasheen Ali
With the biggest free agent addition, Henry, in the backfield, the Ravens offense is looking dynamic. Henry adds power, speed and agility, and he can be a workhorse if needed. However, the Ravens will be better off if they can ease his burden by giving Hill a significant share. Hill came on at the end of last season, and coaches speak highly of his progress. The biggest question is how the third running back spot will develop. Will Ali hold onto it? Will they look elsewhere? And will Keaton Mitchell return from injury with the same explosiveness?
Wide receivers (6): Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers, Nelson Agholor, Devontez Walker, Tylan Wallace, Deonte Harty
The Ravens are banking on a big year from Bateman, especially as they look to replace Odell Beckham Jr., their second-most productive receiver last year. Flowers had a solid rookie year that ended with a disastrous goal-line fumble in the AFC championship, but he says the mishap is fueling him to have a better year. Agholor will most likely play a similar role as last year, a veteran who is a significant part of the rotation. Wallace and Harty have the ability to contribute on special teams. After a productive preseason, Wallace looks to be the next one on the depth chart, but there isn’t a huge gap between him, Walker and Harty at the moment.
Tight ends/fullback (4): Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar, Patrick Ricard
This group had one of the most set lineups coming into the season. Andrews is one of Jackson’s favorite targets. Likely’s performance in Andrews’ absence last year guarantees him a role. The Ravens have been trying to develop Kolar into a blocking tight end. And no one is beating Ricard out at fullback.
Offensive line (10): Ronnie Stanley (OT), Roger Rosengarten (OT), Patrick Mekari (OL), Josh Jones (OG/OT), Andrew Vorhees (OG), Tyler Linderbaum (C), Daniel Faalele (OG/OT), Ben Cleveland (OG), Nick Samac (C), Sala Aumavae-Laulu (OG/OT)
Stanley stayed healthy through the preseason, which means he has left tackle on lock as long as he continues to avoid injury. Rosengarten took most of the reps at right tackle, but Mekari could rotate in with him as the rookie gets used to the NFL level. The Ravens have made it clear they like Mekari as their versatile sixth man, but with three very inexperienced potential starters, he may need to anchor a spot if one of them can’t step up in the regular season. Jones had a decent preseason until he whiffed badly on a block in the third game, but the Ravens need a backup with Stanley’s injury history and the question marks around Rosengarten.
Linderbaum is key to this interior, which struggled to generate a push up the middle without him in the preseason. Vorhees took basically every rep at left guard, through he graded out poorly according to Pro Football Focus. Faalele switched to guard and was the most prominent player on the right side. Both Vorhees and Faalele have to prove themselves during the regular season. Cleveland provides another option at both guard and center. And Samac can also step in should Linderbaum get hurt. But outside Linderbaum, the interior has a lot of uncertainty around it.
Defense
Defensive line (5): Justin Madubuike, Michael Pierce, Travis Jones, Broderick Washington, Brent Urban
This lineup was pretty much set before training camp arrived. Sure, Jones had an outstanding camp and Washington had a mediocre camp, but that probably won’t change the plans much. Last year, they rotated players constantly throughout the season. This is an experienced, reliable and talented group.
Outside linebacker (5): Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy, Tavius Robinson, David Ojabo, Adisa Isaac
While there’s talent here, there’s also a lot of uncertainty. Will Oweh take that final step and break out like the Ravens are expecting? Can Ojabo build on his impressive end of camp and stay healthy? Will Isaac ever return? Can Van Noy replicate what he did last year? Will Robinson’s progression continue in his second year?
Inside linebacker (4): Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, Malik Harrison, Chris Board
Smith is an every-down force, and Simpson said he would like to play a similar role as Queen, who also played basically every snap. Preseason made it look like, barring injury, it will be that duo out there. Harrison is a solid backup at inside linebacker who can also contribute at outside linebacker depending on where he’s needed. Based on how many inside linebackers were injured in preseason, it’s smart to carry another. Board was one of the few healthy options left, and he can contribute on special teams.
Cornerback (5): Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, Jalyn Armour-Davis, Nate Wiggins, T.J. Tampa
The Ravens bulked up at this position in the offseason and ended up with a lot of good players. They were always going to have to cut here. Damarion “Pepe” Williams was the biggest surprise on cutdown day, although even that wasn’t a shock. He had a rough performance in the final preseason game and got outshined through camp. The Ravens’ secondary depth was tested last season, but even if Humphrey and Stephens stay healthy, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Armour-Davis and Wiggins rotate in. Tampa has a lot of catching up to do following his hernia surgery.
Safety (6): Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams, Eddie Jackson, Ar’Darius Washington, Sanoussi Kane, Beau Brade
Safety depth has already been tested. Hamilton has suffered numerous minor injuries through camp, resulting in Washington and some of the cornerbacks lining up in the slot. It was pretty clear Washington would make the team after the Ravens held him out of the final preseason game. Jackson provides experience, while Kane and Brade add special teams prowess.
Specialists (3): Justin Tucker, Jordan Stout, Nick Moore
There were no questions here. Even when the Ravens signed punter Jack Browning, it was clear Stout was going to be the guy. If there were any questions at all, he silenced them in the game against the Packers. He also adds valuable kickoff experience should Tucker get hurt.
