I’m not going to do a traditional “who’s on the Ravens’ 53” analysis in this piece. Instead, a couple of thoughts on who should be in/out, and some miscellaneous.
Offensive Tackle
Wow, after all of this time the Ravens 2022 season seems completely dependent on how much of the old Ronnie Stanley we are going to see. And we just don’t know. There’s no reasonable Plan B here, as there’s no way that Ju’Wuan James is the answer, and Patrick Mekari is not on the Ravens’ radar for that spot. We are left with one thing – hope that Stanley can play, and play well-enough. The balance of the tackle slots are clearly set (Moses, and Faalele).
Running Back
I liked Tyler Badie enough going into the draft that he was on my list of running back targets for the later rounds. But in my mind, if Dobbins can play, Badie is no more than the fourth back on this team. He should be well behind Hill, who’s special teams play is top notch. Hill also demonstrated a real propensity for blitz pick-up during the preseason. And I saw plenty enough burst to boot, even though the Ravens line was unable to create much opportunity.
If and when Gus Edwards returns, I can’t foresee Badie on the Ravens’ 53 (barring other injuries). For this season, he winds up on the practice squad at that point.
Tight End
This is not a discussion about Isaiah Likely. The Ravens’ have three healthy locks going into the season, with Andrews, Likely and Boyle. Kolar winds up on the PUP for four weeks. Then there’s Josh Oliver, who offers more upside than he was given a chance to show last year, with good athleticism. Four tight-ends on the active roster (not including Pat Ricard) wouldn’t shock me, and Oliver could be on the opening day roster under those circumstances.
Wide Receiver
The Ravens obviously are not going to keep six wide-outs. It’s almost impossible to identify anyone who would be worthy of that sixth spot. She’mar Bridges? Next question.
Spare me the talk of any of the undrafted free agents – none of them showed enough to be on an NFL roster at this point.
The question, really, is whether the Ravens go with four. Let’s face it, we’ve seen nothing from Tylan Wallace – almost literally. Is he really that much better than, say, Benjamin Victor? Perhaps. But if the Ravens released Wallace I’d be surprised if he didn’t make it back to the Ravens’ practice squad. This is how you could sneak a fourth tight end onto the roster.
Interior Line
I still believe that the best football player among Powers, Phillips and Cleveland is Ben Cleveland. But he just can’t seem to stay healthy. He was the most dominant of the three during the first two pre-season games and I’m a bigger fan than most of the pundits. On the other hand, Phillips looks like a jack-of-all trades but master-of-none. I don’t think Phillips warrants starter time at this point.
Colon has no chance to make this team.
Defensive Line
I really liked what I saw from Isaiah Mack. He’s probably not going to make it through waivers. I’d rather see the Ravens keep Mack as a seventh defensive lineman and go slimmer at interior linebacker (perhaps keeping just three of them). Mack showed some propensity to push the pocket and did a strong job against the run.
For what it’s worth, I prefer Mack as a player over Urban, but Mack will play pure interior while Urban will be outside. With Travis Jones potentially out for one or more games, Mack has a slightly better chance to make the squa.
By the way, I also liked what I saw from Rayshad Nichols. He’s a guy I’d like to see on the practice squad. Aaron Crawford could wind up on IR.
Interior Linebacker
There’s plenty of debate regarding the fourth linebacker spot here: Welch or Ross? Welch is clearly the better special teamer. Ross is the better linebacker, but Ross’s weakness is his speed – or lack thereof. And like the rest of this group, he can’t cover backs. Could he be claimed? Maybe, though the speed issue could scare away teams. I don’t see Ross as the next Zachary Orr. If I was forced to choose I’d probably prefer Ross over Welch, who I see as a real liability on defense. But I’d lose no sleep if neither one was on the Ravens’ 53.
Outside Linebacker
This is really ugly. There are only two legitimate NFL players in this group in my view – Oweh and Houston. Hayes showed me nothing when he played, but he’ll make the team by default. Means has plenty of energy but not much else. Between the undrafted free agents, Moon was clearly the superior player over Wiley (who had a tough time holding the edge) and should wind up on the practice squad. If the Ravens make any move to add a player from a waiver wire claim or a signing, this is the position I’d focus on.
Safeties and Corners
The toughest decision – for me – is at safety. The top three positions are obvious locks (Clark, Williams, and Hamilton). That leaves Jefferson, Stone, and Washington. For my money – and this is another view that is not in-line with the pundits – I prefer Washington over Stone. Washington is much better as a cover match-up than Stone, and also seems more decisive in his reads. Although he’s small, he’s shown a clear willingness to throw his body around. And he could cover against the slot.
This is not a knock against Stone. When calculating the Ravens’ 53, Jefferson seems like a lock to ultimately make the team (he may get cut on Tuesday but brought back on Wednesday), it seems to come down to these two players as it’s hard to see six safeties on the squad.
The corner position seems fixed. No controversy there though I think Stephens’ per-season play illustrated that he’s just not a reliable cover man at this point. Fuller will be the third, and we can (should) see quite a bunch of Pepe Williams in the slot (a player I loved pre-draft). Lets hope that Armour-Davis is not the new Iman Marshall, because he has a lot to offer.
Ravens’ 53 – Position Count
Offense
QB – 2
RB – 4
FB – 1
TE – 4
OT – 4
IOL – 6
WR – 4 or 5
Total Count = 25/26
The swing slot here is between wide receiver and tight end.
Special Teams
Specialists – 3
Defense
DL – 7
OLB – 4
ILB – 3
Corners – 6
Safety – 5
Total Count = 25
The swing slot here is between defensive line and interior linebacker.
