The Baltimore Ravens enter the third week of their organized team activities looking to steadily improve and prepare for training camp and the preseason. However, there are a number of players currently on the roster that need to impress now while they have the chance.
Impressing in OTAs can lead to more reps with the first team units, a shot at competing for a starting job or simply keeping their spot on the roster. Those that fail to impress now could begin to ride the roster bubble or be pushed down the depth chart when training camp begins.
With contact not permitted during OTAs, this list is about the skill position players. The players in the trenches can’t really showcase what they can do until contact is allowed. Still, there are plenty of players who need to make a positive showing for the coaching staff as OTAs wind down.
RB, Kenneth Dixon
Dixon has been absent in the OTA practices the media has been permitted to see so far. For a guy that has already had issues staying on the field due to injuries and suspensions in previous years, this is a continuation no one wants to see.
With the addition of running backs Mark Ingram and Justice Hill, Dixon is already looking at an uphill battle to make the final roster. But not being on the field gives the other running backs more time to impress and potentially push Dixon out.
It’s not as if Dixon isn’t talented, because he definitely is. But if the Ravens can only keep three running backs this year, using a roster spot for a guy that can’t stay healthy is unwise.
WR, Miles Boykin
The Ravens have not had a lot of luck drafting wide receivers and even less luck keeping them healthy. While Boykin and Marquise Brown are both sitting out of OTAs due to injuries, it’s Boykin that really needs the reps right now to impress.
Baltimore’s wide receiver room is as full as it has ever been. Though it’s extremely unlikely Boykin is in danger of not making the 53-man roster, there are plenty of snaps up for grabs right now. The Ravens really only have two jobs settled in Brown and Willie Snead. If Boykin can get on the field and step up, he legitimately has a shot at a major role on Baltimore’s offense as a rookie.
QB, Lamar Jackson
I applaud Jackson for using his offseason to put in work on his biggest weakness: his mechanics. However, early results haven’t been great.
Though Jackson has made a few positive throws, the overall consensus seem to be rather mediocre. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic noted Jackson still has accuracy issues and several of his passes were wobbly balls. Jackson himself wasn’t very happy with his play in OTAs, saying his first day “sucked.”
A lot is riding on Jackson developing into a better passer immediately, with owner Steve Bisciotti saying the quarterback won’t be running as often this season. Jackson is in the midst of learning a new offense, which doesn’t help things any. But the Ravens did quite a bit this offseason to surround Jackson with more talent and it would be nice to see him become more consistent ahead of training camp.
TE, Hayden Hurst
Hurst has already started making positive strides during OTAs. Hurst has added a bunch of weight and has talked about being “on a mission,” according to BaltimoreRavens.com writer Clifton Brown.
But as a former first-round pick last year, Hurst has a lot of pressure on his shoulders right now. A stress fracture in his foot last year required surgery to insert a screw. The injury caused Hurst to miss four games and never quite look like he was healthy the rest of the season.
But now Hurst is saying he’s feeling better with the screw removed and getting more confident on the field. He’s already getting some positive remarks in practice, running routes well and hitting on a big play Thursday. He’ll have to continue stepping up in OTAs and impressing the coaching staff to start living up to his draft status.
CB, Jimmy Smith
Smith did not have a good season last year. From his four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy to just poor play the rest of the season, Smith looked like a shadow of his former self in 2018. Sadly, injuries and suspensions have forced Smith to miss 13 games over the last three years and if his play on the field doesn’t improve, it’s hard to see Smith returning next year.
Even this season, Smith is in danger of losing his starting job. Marlon Humphrey played well last year and has earned a starting spot in 2019. But there should be a competition between Smith and Brandon Carr for the other starting job this season. While Smith at his best is worthy of Pro Bowl consideration, Carr has been reliable and pretty productive in his own right.
The hope is Smith wasn’t 100% last year following his Achilles tear in 2017 and he returns to form this year. But he’s going to have to show it starting in OTAs for folks to believe he still has it in him.
WR, Jordan Lasley
The former fifth-round pick from the 2018 NFL draft has to begin stepping up quickly or he’ll find himself as a possible cut. Lasley failed to be active for a single game last season and could already be falling behind fellow 2018 NFL draft pick Jaleel Scott, who has caught a few early touchdowns in practice.
Lasley has the physical traits any team would want from a wide receiver. He’s got good size at 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds with a 4.5-second 40-yard dash. The problem for Lasley has just been turning those physical traits into separation on the field and actually catching the football.
Lasley is slightly handicapped with Baltimore installing a new offense right now. But with such a big competition at wide receiver, Lasley needs to see his name being praised following practices or he’ll be forgotten about.
S, DeShon Elliott
Elliott looked promising last year before a fractured forearm ended his season prematurely. Now nearly a full year later, Elliott could be getting lost in a very deep secondary.
The Ravens replaced Eric Weddle with Earl Thomas this offseason, giving Elliott no respite on the roster. Baltimore also has Tony Jefferson and Anthony Levine cemented into their respective jobs. That leaves Elliott and Chuck Clark potentially fighting for just one roster spot.
Elliott doesn’t have the draft status as a sixth-round pick last year to justify making room for him unless he impresses. He flashed a bit last year in training camp but will need to step it up starting in OTAs to build up enough positive practice film to warrant keeping around.
