The Ravens opened their preseason Friday night with an offensive flop.
Quarterback Josh Johnson went 4-for-12 for 62 yards, Devin Leary went 6-for-10 for 37 yards, and Emory Jones’ fumble on his first and only drop-back led to a game-winning 49-yard field goal by Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott as time expired.
The Ravens’ 16-13 loss was their third straight in the preseason, an atypical slide for an organization that last year watched its preseason winning streak end at 24 games. Here’s a look at the risers and fallers from Friday’s game.
Risers
Nate Wiggins
The first-round pick’s hot start to camp had cooled off over the past week or so. Maybe he just needed a bigger stage or a new receiving corps to measure himself against. Wiggins had three pass defenses — all on the Eagles’ opening drive, all against projected second- or third-string wide receivers — and helped force an incompletion in the second quarter.
Wiggins’ night wasn’t perfect. He was the closest man in coverage on the Eagles’ lone first-half score, a 7-yard touchdown pass to running back Will Shipley, and cameras appeared to catch him cursing in frustration afterward. But Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr seemed plenty comfortable deploying Wiggins and cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis in single-high coverage shells against Philadelphia’s outside wide receivers.
“I think they kind of went at [Wiggins] a bit, which was good to see,” coach John Harbaugh said. “When you’re a corner — a corner of his caliber — he wants that, so I think he was excited about that. He came up and made that hit later, so he played a good game.”
If Wiggins’ shoulder injury is minor, his performance should help his case for early-season playing time. But, even with cornerback Arthur Maulet (knee) sidelined by arthroscopic surgery, it’s hard to know where he fits in the rotation. Brandon Stephens and Marlon Humphrey are established starters, and Armour-Davis might be ahead of Wiggins on the depth chart.
Trenton Simpson
No Raven played more defensive snaps over the first three quarters than the second-year inside linebacker. No one had more tackles (11), either. Simpson had better get used to that kind of workload. Predecessor Patrick Queen rarely came off the field last season, and even with Roquan Smith anchoring the middle of the defense, the Ravens will ask a lot of Simpson.
The next step for the 2023 third-round pick — and the defensive line in front of him — is making stops closer to the line of scrimmage. Several of his tackles as a run defender came at least 4 yards downfield.
“A lot of great stuff,” Harbaugh said of Simpson’s performance. “Trenton is a guy that ... he just loves football. He wants to be great at everything he does. I promise you, he’s not happy with the way he played. He thinks he can play a lot better. He’ll be looking to improve between now and next week, but that’s a good start for him. He’s never going to be afraid. He’s always going to fly around and throw it in there, so he’s our kind of guy.”
Justin Tucker
The Ravens’ first “dynamic” kickoff under the league’s new rules was not very dynamic: Tucker blasted the opening kickoff into the end zone for a touchback, and the Eagles took over at their 30-yard line. His last kickoff wasn’t great, either, with Shipley fielding the ball at the 9 and returning it 24 yards.
But his second and third attempts were quite promising. After hitting a 46-yard field goal to open the game’s scoring, Tucker dropped a kickoff with good hang time at the 6, inside the “landing zone.” Eagles kickoff returner Kenneth Gainwell brought it back to the 25. Tucker’s next kick was even better, landing at the 1. Shipley returned that to the 25-yard line, too.
Ar’Darius Washington
In Washington’s first extended look since suffering a chest injury in Week 2 last season, the fourth-year defensive back plunged right back into the action. He played most of the first half, finishing with three tackles, including a nice run fit on a 1-yard carry by Shipley, and broke up a short pass over the middle to tight end Albert Okwuegbunam.
Maulet’s injury opens the door for Washington to get slot snaps, and his versatility — he can line up as a deep safety — could give him the edge over safety Eddie Jackson in certain situations.
Fallers
The quarterbacks
Johnson and Leary did little to quiet the calls for a surer thing behind Lamar Jackson. The Ravens had just 11 first downs and averaged a woeful 3.4 yards per play, finishing with 164 yards overall. Johnson and Leary avoided interceptions, but other than a late touchdown drive that Leary led, that was about all they did well.
Johnson’s play in camp has stabilized after a rough opening stretch, but the Ravens’ first-half offense struggled in obvious passing situations. The Eagles didn’t even need to heat Johnson up to throw him off his game. According to TruMedia, Johnson finished 2-for-9 for 26 yards and took a sack when he wasn’t blitzed.
“It’s preseason,” Harbaugh said of Johnson’s performance. “I think if you watch all of the preseason games, you’re going to see the same things. I thought he handled it well, made some really good throws. The timing and that sort of thing, yes, that’s tough to evaluate, because the guys aren’t all out there. It’s not always going to look real great, but I thought he handled himself really well and made some really good throws. [He] protected the football like you want him to do and got us in the right plays, made some decisions on which plays to get us into, which is part of our offense, so that’s kind of where it’s at.”
Daniel Faalele
Faalele did not make a great first impression at right guard. The hulking third-year lineman, who until this summer had lined up at tackle for most of his career, looked slow to react inside. He allowed a pressure after taking too long to pass off a stunt to rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten. Faalele was also called for a false start, a point of emphasis for Ravens offensive linemen all training camp.
Faalele’s strength and size can still be an asset for the Ravens in the run game, but he can’t be the weak link in their passing game, especially with Jackson needing protection.
Run defense
Of the Ravens’ rotational defensive linemen, only Broderick Washington (25 defensive snaps) played more than a handful of series. Still, the unit’s early-game execution in short-yardage situations was lacking. The Eagles converted four of their first five carries on third and fourth downs, moving the chains on third-and-2, third-and-3 and fourth-and-1 (twice). Overall, the Eagles had 37 carries for 145 yards and a touchdown.
Rasheen Ali
The fifth-round pick’s first touch Friday was an inauspicious one. After stepping in front of wide receiver Dayton Wade on a first-quarter kickoff return, he lost the ball as he was tackled at the Ravens’ 36. Officials ruled the ground had caused the fumble, but the play did little to assuage concerns about Ali’s ball security. He had 10 fumbles over his Marshall career.
Overall, Ali finished with 10 carries for just 26 yards. That stood in stark contrast to Owen Wright (seven carries for 33 yards), who probably has the inside track to win the Ravens’ RB3 spot. Ali, who’s been otherwise reliable as a receiver coming out of the backfield, also had a drop in the second half.
Devontez Walker
The fourth-round pick didn’t play a ton of snaps Friday, but he did get 18 total, including eight drop-backs. Walker wasn’t an obvious focal point of the offense. He was targeted just once, on a third-and-9 pass early in the third quarter, and Leary’s pass didn’t give him much of a chance. If Walker struggles to get on track this month — his camp production has been inconsistent — the Ravens’ preseason passing attack could lack for explosive downfield targets.
