The Ravens’ last practice of training camp ended Thursday without incident. No major injuries, no fights, nothing too concerning from a joint practice against the host Green Bay Packers. It has been that kind of summer in Owings Mills, too, with far more good days than bad.
“I do believe we’re in about as good of a place as we can be in right now for where we’re at,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “The guys have done everything they can possibly do to be as far along as they can be, so I feel great about that as a coach.”
But Harbaugh knows he can’t coach them all much longer. After Saturday’s preseason finale against the Packers at Lambeau Field, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and team officials will have until 4 p.m. Tuesday to finalize their initial 53-man roster. Here are six questions that will shape its composition.
How many quarterbacks will they carry?
The Ravens don’t have the roster flexibility to keep three quarterbacks. They also probably don’t have to worry about losing Devin Leary if he’s waived. Statistically, the sixth-round pick has been the least impressive passer of the three quarterbacks the Ravens have played, going 9-for-15 for 61 yards over two games.
Leary’s arm strength makes him a worthwhile developmental prospect, though, and a year on the practice squad should help slow down the game for him. Even if he’s not on the 53-man roster, Leary could help the team’s quarterback depth on game days. Under a new league rule, teams can elevate a practice squad quarterback an unlimited number of times during the season to be their emergency QB3.
How committed are they to Owen Wright and Rasheen Ali?
Wright went undrafted and didn’t touch the ball once as a rookie last season. Ali is a fifth-round pick who had a bad turnover habit at Marshall and nearly fumbled in his first (and so far only) preseason game. If the Ravens waive both, setting their initial roster with just Derrick Henry and Justice Hill at running back — and Keaton Mitchell on the physically-unable-to-perform list — they might not lose either.
Ali’s health could also cloud his evaluation, both in Baltimore and around the league. He returned to practice Tuesday after missing the past week with a stinger, but he was limited in Thursday’s practice against the Packers. If Ali’s not cleared for Saturday’s game, he’d finish the preseason with 10 carries for 26 yards.
Wright has only strengthened his grip on the RB3 spot since Ali’s injury, but that might not be enough to guarantee a spot on the team’s initial 53-man roster. DeCosta is generally reluctant to cut fifth-round picks, especially those with Ali’s athleticism. The decision here could come down to how important a third-string running back is to team officials. With Henry’s durability and Hill’s skill set — not to mention Mitchell’s looming return — the answer might be: not very.
Which wide receivers can contribute in Week 1?
Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor are, for better or worse, the Ravens’ sure-thing wideouts. After that, it gets a little iffy.
Fourth-round pick Devontez Walker has the best deep speed at the position, but he didn’t flash often in camp and doesn’t have a catch in two preseason games. A rib injury has hampered his development, but if Walker was healthy enough to practice Thursday, it’s hard to imagine him starting the season on injured reserve. It’s also hard to know where he could contribute in Week 1.
Tylan Wallace is a proven special teams contributor, both on coverage teams and as a returner, but he has just 67 receiving yards over three seasons in Baltimore. Still, he’s shown good chemistry with quarterback Lamar Jackson in camp and seems like a good bet to make the 53-man roster.
Deonte Harty, like Walker, struggled to stay on the field in camp, limiting his impact in the passing game. But the Ravens signed the Baltimore native this past offseason for his track record as a kickoff and punt returner. Barring a surprise in the competition at either spot, Harty projects to have an important Week 1 role — and, with it, a spot on the initial roster.
Saturday’s game will be the final audition for other Ravens hopefuls. Russell Gage has an impressive resume but, because of injuries, hasn’t done much since signing two-plus weeks ago. Anthony Miller and undrafted rookie Dayton Wade have impressed for stretches — Wade leads the team in receiving yards this preseason — but might not offer the special teams value that warrants a roster spot. Malik Cunningham and Sean Ryan struggled to stand out in camp.
How many inside linebackers do they need?
The Ravens have entered the past two seasons with five on their active roster — two starters and three special teams contributors. In 2021, they went with just four inside linebackers.
DeCosta’s calculus next week could depend as much as on the depth at outside linebacker as the quality at inside linebacker. Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson are locked in as starters. Chris Board is a core special teams member. So is Malik Harrison. But Harrison’s versatile enough to play on the outside, where rookie Adisa Isaac’s new lower-body injury has again thinned the Ravens’ depth at the position.
It’s unclear when Isaac will return to action, though Harbaugh indicated the third-round pick wouldn’t be out long. But if team officials worry that Harrison’s early-season role could leave the team exposed at either linebacker spot, Josh Ross could make the cut. Over his five games and two seasons in Baltimore, he’s played regularly on special teams.
When will Arthur Maulet return?
Harbaugh indicated this month that Maulet, who before undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery was the team’s top slot corner in camp, would likely be sidelined “the first couple weeks of the season.” How the Ravens proceed could have a trickle-down effect on the back end of the secondary’s depth chart.
Under another new NFL rule, teams can place up to two players on injured reserve on cut-down day, affording them more flexibility in their roster management. An IR designation would sideline Maulet until at least Week 5, forcing him to miss games against three teams with proven passing offenses: the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills.
With Maulet unlikely to play early in the season, how will the Ravens backfill their talented backfield? Damarion “Pepe” Williams is an obvious depth candidate, given his special teams experience and ability to line up in the slot and as a deep safety. But strong performances Saturday from cornerbacks Ka’dar Hollman and Bump Cooper Jr. or from safeties Sanoussi Kane, Beau Brade and Daryl Worley could shake up the team’s thinking. None is a high-profile player, either, which could add to the Ravens’ risk tolerance during the waiver process.
Hollman and Worley, as vested veterans, would bypass waivers if released and could return to Baltimore if a spot on the roster or practice squad awaits.
How many recent draft picks will the Ravens cut?
The last thing a GM wants to do is waive a draft pick after just one camp. Under Ozzie Newsome and DeCosta, the Ravens have typically taken a more patient approach. Rash decisions are rare.
But talented rosters can force tough calls. Last year, DeCosta cut cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly, a fifth-round pick. In 2022, running back Tyler Badie was released, though the sixth-round pick soon joined the Ravens’ practice squad. In 2021, cornerback Shaun Wade was traded to New England in late August for draft compensation, while fullback Ben Mason, a fellow fifth-rounder, was waived and then signed with the Patriots’ practice squad.
DeCosta could trim from this year’s draft class, too. Leary is a long shot to make the 53-man roster. Kane, a seventh-round pick, is stuck behind a deep group of veteran safeties. Ali and center Nick Samac, a seventh-round pick whose stock has improved since recovering from an ankle injury, are on safer ground, but Saturday’s preseason finale could change that.
Among returning 2023 draft picks, only offensive lineman Sala Aumavae-Laulu is on the bubble. The sixth-round pick never made a serious bid for either starting guard spot in camp, and he’s graded out poorly as both a run blocker and pass blocker in the preseason, according to Pro Football Focus.
