As usual, the Baltimore Ravens’ roster composition might be greatly impacted by injuries and late-season arrivals. Even yet, it does not seem like there are many important positions available outside of the offensive line as the players prepare for their final sessions before training camp begins next month, a three-day required minicamp that begins this week.
Josh Johnson, a 38-year-old quarterback, will be Lamar Jackson’s primary backup, according to coach John Harbaugh’s repeated statements, and Devin Leary’s sixth-round selection does not alter that. It appears like the Ravens are taking a long-term approach to Leary, realizing he still has a lot of growing to do.
Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, and fifth-round rookie Rasheen Ali are Baltimore’s top three running backs on the depth chart, with Keaton Mitchell unlikely to make a comeback from a knee injury anytime soon. Nelson Agholor, Rashod Bateman, and Zay Flowers make up their top three wide receivers. Charlie Kolar, Isaiah Likely, and Mark Andrews are also examples of such at tight end.
The top five interior lineman for the Ravens return and are well-established in their positions on defense. Trenton Simpson, a second-year inside linebacker, would need to perform incredibly poorly during training camp in order to miss out on Patrick Queen’s starting job. Although there are still jobs to be won in the secondary, there is not much space for others to start due to the return of seasoned corners Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, and Arthur Maulet, as well as safeties Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton, and the addition of first-round choice Nate Wiggins.
Every summer, Harbaugh pushes his players to prove they deserve their spots, and there are always surprises. That procedure will essentially continue at this week’s required minicamp, which is set to take place from Tuesday through Thursday. This week’s practices will not result in any final judgments, but they will help the Ravens’ depth chart become more clear, especially for the jobs below.
Final one or two wide receiver spots
Malik Cunningham, Deonte Harty, Tayvion Robinson, Sean Ryan, Dayton Wade, Tylan Wallace, and Isaiah Washington were the rivals.
The favorites: Harty, Wallace
Only one or two spaces remain on the roster for the eight other receivers, including rookie fourth-round selection Devontez Walker, who will slot in behind Flowers, Bateman, and Agholor. Who stays around will be largely determined by special teams. The front-runners to take Devin Duvernay’s place as the starting return man are Harty and Wallace. Wallace should have an advantage over Harty in what may eventually turn into a competition for a single roster place because of his strong performance in other special teams capacities. Do not write off Ryan, who showed promise in the summer and has a full season to play in Baltimore’s offense, or Cunningham, the former quarterback who seems perfectly at home as a wide receiver. It is possible that the Ravens will sign a different experienced receiver before
Starting right tackle
The rivals include Roger Rosengarten, Patrick Mekari, Josh Jones, and Daniel Faalele.
The favorite: Rosengarten
Joe D’Alessandris, the offensive line coach, has juggled so many things up front during structured team practices that it is difficult to even determine who will start. Faalele, Jones, and Ben Cleveland have all been observed at guard and tackle. A rookie selected in the second round, Rosengarten has alternated with the ones. Mekari is a dependable starting option for the Ravens at all five spots. However, Baltimore will not be in a rush to shift him out of the sixth offensive lineman position because of his immense value in it.
Jones has played some of his finest football on the left side, according to Harbaugh’s comments from this offseason, so replacing Morgan Moses with him is definitely unlikely. Rosengarten and Faalele remain. During OTAs, Faalele had moments of difficulty. Rosengarten was identified by the Ravens as the player they wanted well in advance of Day 2 of the draft, indicating that they thought he was ready to start playing right away. The rookie will not only be given a starting position; rather, he will be given every chance to advance up the depth chart.
Both starting guard spots
The competitors: Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Ben Cleveland, Daniel Faalele, Josh Jones, Patrick Mekari, Andrew Vorhees
The favorites: Cleveland and Vorhees
If experience is more important to the Ravens than anything else, they should start Jones at left guard since they know he can play there and then give Cleveland, who has started seven games in his career, first choice at right guard. But Cleveland has a lot to prove this summer, beginning with his capacity for continuous good practice and health. With a lot of support in the building, Vorhees, a seventh-round pick in 2023, redshirted his first season while recovering from knee surgery. It seemed like a matter of time till he moves up to a leading position.
Last year’s sixth-round selection Aumavae-Laulu is the wild card. His talent piqued the interest of the Ravens to the point where he worked with the ones during last year’s training camp. Then, oddly, he was not given the chance to play in Baltimore’s Week 18 matchup against Pittsburgh, even though many of the team’s starters were benched. At the team facility, there is some support for Faalele’s move inside.
Third outside linebacker
The competitors: Malik Hamm, Adisa Isaac, David Ojabo, Tavius Robinson
The favorite: If healthy, Ojabo
Malik Harrison is likely to continue playing outside on first downs and clear-cut running scenarios. Who will join Kyle Van Noy and/or Odafe Oweh on the field for passing downs, or at least spell them periodically, is the question. The 2022 second-round pick, who has only played in five games in his first two seasons, is the player the Ravens would most like to see return from a knee injury, but he will not be fully cleared to play until later in training camp. He still has a lot to demonstrate.
The 2024 third-round selection Isaac has been sidelined since rookie minicamp due to a hamstring problem, which has prevented him from demonstrating his abilities. This summer, Tavius Robinson and Hamm might find their way into the mix. The Ravens may add extra competition since they have made it nearly a tradition to sign a veteran pass rusher in the latter part of the summer.
Third inside linebacker
The competitors: Chris Board, Josh Ross
The favorite: Board
Board was re-signed by the Ravens mostly due of his special teams skills. Board spent his first four NFL seasons with Baltimore before spending one year each with Detroit and New England. But he is a seasoned veteran who has participated in major games previously. In his two seasons with the Ravens, Ross has not yet played a defensive snap. First, he needs to make an impression on special teams. Harrison can also play inside for Baltimore, where he has starting experience. Yvandy Rigby and Deion Jennings are also worthy of discussion because the Ravens have a history of keeping an undrafted free agent at inside linebacker.
Reserve cornerback roles
Competitors included: Arthur Maulet, Christian Matthew, Bump Cooper Jr., Jalyn Armour-Davis, Ka’dar Hollman, Trayvon Mullen, Tre Swilling, T.J. Tampa, Ar’Darius Washington, and Damarion Williams.
The favorites: Armour-Davis, Maulet, Tampa
After using a first-round pick on Wiggins and a fourth-round pick on Tampa, the Ravens turned this from a problem area to one of the team’s deeper positions. Under the assumption that Humphrey and Stephens are fit, four cornerback locks remain. Maulet is also almost a lock, having performed well for one of the league’s top defenses the previous season. Thus, there is not much room for mistake for players like Hollman, a free agent this offseason, Ar’Darius Washington, a fourth-year pro who can play safety and in the nickel, and Armour-Davis and Damarion Williams, who are projected as fourth-round picks in 2022.
It might depend on Armour-Davis and Williams’ capacity to maintain their health and play regularly throughout the summer, which has not been simple for either of them. Mullen’s health has declined since joining the Ravens as well. Before his most recent injury last season, Armour-Davis was starting to contribute on special teams, which will play a role in this.
No. 3 safety
Beau Brade, Sanoussi Kane, Tre Swilling, Jordan Toles, and Ar’Darius Washington are the rivals.
The favorite: Washington
It is conceivable, though unlikely, that the team’s third safety for the regular-season opening on September 5 is not available right now. To play meaningful snaps, the Ravens need at least three reliable safeties. Zach Orr, the defensive coordinator, will be able to employ Hamilton in various matchups and shift him about as a result. For this reason, Geno Stone—who left in free agency the previous season—was extremely significant. Although Stone has not been replaced by the Ravens yet, there are still a number of skilled veteran safety up for grabs in free agency. Eric DeCosta, the general manager, should include one of them because it makes too much sense. The Ravens like Washington, but they have favored to use him in nickel situations. More likely, it appears, if they produce
Primary return man
The competitors: Deonte Harty, Justice Hill, Tylan Wallace, Damarion Williams
The favorite: Harty
The new kickoff return regulations, among other things, may have an effect on the kind of returners the Ravens desire out there. The most explosive option among them is Harty, a former All-Pro returner who signed with his home team in mid-April. He has, nevertheless, previously experienced some ball security problems. As Duvernay’s injury replacement the previous season, Wallace played admirably and helped the Ravens defeat the Rams with an overtime punt return touchdown. During OTAs, the Ravens gave a number of players, including a few of the undrafted free-agent backs and receivers, reps in the return game. During the first several days of training camp, that “tryout” approach will probably continue, but Baltimore
(Photo of Tylan Wallace: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
