Ravens roster projection: Rookies will need to make an immediate impact

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta entered the NFL draft Thursday with one of the league’s most well-regarded rosters. He left Saturday with one of the league’s most well-regarded classes.

Satisfied? Not really.

“We’re not finished, for sure,” DeCosta said after finalizing the team’s nine-man class. “I’m not going to sit up here today and say, ‘Oh, the team is set. We’ve got this great team.’ We have a lot of work to do, and there’s a lot of different ways to do that. We have a lot of different opportunities between now and September to build the team.”

The Ravens have already started to assemble their class of undrafted free agents, headlined by Maryland safety Beau Brade. And starting Tuesday, teams can sign free agents without having them count toward next year’s compensatory-pick calculation. (The Ravens are currently projected to be awarded four picks in the 2025 draft.)

But for now, here’s where the Ravens’ projected roster stands.

Quarterback

Starter: Lamar Jackson

Backups: Josh Johnson, Devin Leary

On the bubble: Malik Cunningham

Coach John Harbaugh said Saturday that Johnson remains the team’s backup quarterback, while Leary will “probably be the third quarterback this year in some way or fashion and grow into the job as we go.” Whether there’s space for Leary on the 53-man roster is another matter. Under a new rule change, teams can now elevate a practice squad quarterback each week to serve as their emergency quarterback an unlimited number of times during the season. Harbaugh said before the draft that Cunningham is “definitely developmental” as a quarterback — but also as a wide receiver. Cunningham’s worked out this offseason with quarterback trainer Quincy Avery, and his growth this offseason could determine where he ends up at training camp.

Running back

Starter: Derrick Henry

Backups: Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell, Rasheen Ali

On the bubble: Owen Wright

DeCosta said there was a “pretty strong chance” the Ravens would draft a running back, and they did. Ali, who ruptured a biceps tendon at the Senior Bowl, is a good bet to make the team. Henry and Hill are the team’s top two backs, but Mitchell will likely start the season on injured reserve as he recovers from the season-ending knee injury he suffered in December.

Wide receiver

Starters: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman

Backups: Nelson Agholor, Devontez Walker, Deonte Harty, Tylan Wallace

On the bubble: Sean Ryan

The Ravens’ top four receivers have a good mix of skills, but can the group be better than last year’s? That’ll depend on Flowers’ growth in Year 2, Bateman’s chemistry with Jackson, and Walker’s development. Odell Beckham Jr. won’t be easily replaced. Harty had 150 receiving yards last season with the Buffalo Bills, but it’s his ability as a returner that should secure his roster spot. Wallace, when healthy, has been a regular special teams presence. And Ryan spent his rookie season on the practice squad and has good size.

Tight end/fullback

Starters: Mark Andrews, Patrick Ricard

Backups: Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar

On the bubble: Scotty Washington

Not much has changed with one of the Ravens’ most well-rounded rooms. Andrews and Likely are an elite receiving tandem who could see more time together in “12″ personnel looks (one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers) next season. Ricard, after a brief offensive line dalliance last year, is focused once more on his fullback and tight end responsibilities. And Kolar continues to broaden his skill set with more work as an in-line tight end. Washington joined the Ravens’ practice squad in November and signed a reserve/future contract after the season.

Offensive tackle

Starters: Ronnie Stanley, Daniel Faalele/Roger Rosengarten

Backups: Patrick Mekari, Josh Jones

On the bubble: None

Rosengarten’s skill set better aligns with coordinator Todd Monken’s offense than Faalele’s, but don’t overlook the 2022 fourth-round pick. Faalele was better in Year 2 than he was in Year 1, and he should improve in Year 3, too. Rosengarten’s development this offseason will be interesting. He has years of experience at left tackle and, if he’s not starting, could develop into a better swing tackle option than Mekari and Jones. Rosengarten could also play inside, according to Harbaugh; if the second-round pick is struggling at tackle in camp, would the Ravens consider cross-training him as a candidate for a starting guard position? Stanley’s injury history and Faalele’s inconsistent play lend this group some instability, but there’s good flexibility behind them.

Interior offensive line

Starters: Andrew Vorhees, Tyler Linderbaum, Ben Cleveland

Backups: Josh Jones, Sala Aumavae-Laulu, Nick Samac

On the bubble: TyKeem Doss, Tashawn Manning

Linderbaum is the only sure thing here, and Cleveland is the only returning lineman who started multiple games at guard last year. Jones started Week 1 at left guard for the Houston Texans last season, but he has just 63 snaps of total experience at the position, according to Pro Football Focus. The rest of the depth chart is littered with unknowns. Can Vorhees be a serviceable starter after missing all of last year while recovering from a torn ACL? How much has Aumavae-Laulu improved since an unimpressive preseason? Samac is a good insurance policy for Linderbaum, especially with backup center Sam Mustipher’s departure, but there’s room for another piece on this line. Guard Dalton Risner, who started 11 games at left guard last season for the Minnesota Vikings, is likely the top free agent at the position available. According to PFF, his projected contract would be worth $5.5 million annually.

Defensive line

Starters: Justin Madubuike, Michael Pierce, Broderick Washington

Backups: Travis Jones, Brent Urban

On the bubble: Bravvion Roy, Rayshad Nichols

Franchise-tagging Madubuike and then getting an extension done was the biggest news of the offseason, but the Ravens also managed to extend Pierce and bring Urban back in free agency. That means the Ravens are running it back with the same group that helped lead the league in sacks. They’ve got good starters backed up by solid, experienced players who were regular parts of the rotation last season. Even Roy and Nichols, who are on the bubble, have experience in the Ravens’ system, with Roy arriving in Baltimore in 2020 and Nichols in 2022. While the Ravens could use some long-term depth here, considering Pierce and Urban are in their 30s, they’re pretty much set for this season.

Outside linebacker

Starters: Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh

Backups: David Ojabo, Tavius Robinson, Adisa Isaac, Malik Harrison

On the bubble: Malik Hamm

Coming into April, the Ravens had a lot of question marks at outside linebacker. Oweh and Ojabo looked like the best options for starters. Oweh took a huge jump last season but still hasn’t reached the potential the Ravens think he has. Ojabo is coming off an ACL injury and still needs to prove himself. Then Van Noy, who had nine sacks in 14 games, re-signed with the Ravens on April 4. Twenty-two days later, the Ravens drafted Isaac, Oweh’s former Penn State teammate. They also re-signed Harrison, who can play inside or outside linebacker and was reliable until he was injured at the end of the season. Robinson also earned himself some playing time last year as a rookie, and Isaac will look to do the same this year. Hamm was sidelined for most of his rookie year on injured reserve.

Inside linebacker

Starters: Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson

Backups: Malik Harrison, Chris Board

On the bubble: Josh Ross

Simpson has enormous shoes to fill with Patrick Queen’s departure (to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers) in free agency, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to. It was a very small sample size, but Simpson’s performance against the Steelers in the final game of the regular season was impressive. Simpson will also have the benefit of Smith, a force multiplier on defense, playing by his side. Harrison’s versatility adds a lot of flexibility to the Ravens’ linebacker rooms. Board has primarily played special teams in recent years, but he has defensive experience. Ross is in the final year of his rookie contract. He’ll be fighting for his next contract, but defensive snaps could be scarce if Simpson proves as durable as Queen and Smith.

Cornerback

Starters: Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, Nate Wiggins

Backups: Arthur Maulet, T.J. Tampa

On the bubble: Jalyn Armour-Davis, Damarion “Pepe” Williams, Ka’Dar Hollman, Trayvon Mullen, Christian Matthew, Tre Swilling

Barring injury, the Ravens are returning a really good starting pair in Stephens and Humphrey, with a solid rotational player in Maulet. Before the draft, though, there was a steep drop-off from Maulet to the team’s other reserves. The Ravens closed that gap this past weekend, while also providing more elite talent to compete with Stephens and Humphrey. While Ravens officials didn’t commit to saying Wiggins would start right away, they did say he would be on the field. If he earns a starting position in camp, the Ravens could slide Humphrey inside to nickel back while bumping Maulet into a reserve role. Wiggins needs to put on weight, but he could work his way up the depth chart over the course of the season. Tampa, whom the Ravens think is a second-round-caliber player, could also fight for snaps. Last year, the Ravens regularly used five cornerbacks (Stephens, Humphrey, Maulet, Ronald Darby and Rock Ya-Sin), so Armour-Davis, Williams and others could be left to fight for reserve or special teams roles.

Safety

Starters: Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams

Backup: Ar’Darius Washington

On the bubble: Sanoussi Kane

With Hamilton and Williams patrolling the back end, the Ravens’ secondary is formidable. But what happens if one or both are injured, as both were at different points last season? Last year, Geno Stone played so well that he earned a regular role in the rotation, with Hamilton often slipping into the nickel back position. But Stone is now playing for the division rival Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens will have to hope Washington can remain healthy — he missed most of last season with a pectoral injury — and Kane proves to be a bargain for a seventh-round pick. Stone was, so there’s hope. Washington, meanwhile, went undrafted and has stuck on the Ravens’ roster despite a few injuries. He has more experience and familiarity with the system than Kane and would probably be the favorite for the third safety spot, but if Kane comes ready for camp, there could be a battle for the backup role. If the Ravens need another veteran presence, a reunion with Daryl Worley would make sense.

Specialists

Starters: Justin Tucker, Jordan Stout, Nick Moore

This list hasn’t changed from the one going into last year — except that Moore didn’t end up playing in 2023. Instead, the Ravens signed long snapper Tyler Ott to fill in for Moore while he was recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. Ott departed in free agency, and Moore will return. Meanwhile, both Tucker and Stout are coming off good years.

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