The Baltimore Ravens are right in the thick of their organized team activities. It’s the first chance for the entire roster to get on the field and in front of coaches. For many, making an impact on the coaching staff here in OTAs could be what saves their jobs. For others, it’s a chance to prove they’ve improved this offseason.
Here are nine players who need to step up their games in OTAs.
OLB, Tyus Bowser
Bowser is just one of Baltimore’s young defenders that have failed to pan out. Now in his third season, Bowser needs to find the right role for him on the defense and start getting on the field — the 15.65% of defensive snaps he saw last year isn’t enough.
With Za’Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs leaving in free agency, Bowser has a golden opportunity to see the field more now. But with the additions of Pernell McPhee and Shane Ray, Bowser doesn’t have anything locked up.
Where Bowser can really make the best impact in OTAs is by playing fast, knowing his assignments and being aggressive.
OLB, Tim Williams
Williams is in the same spot as Bowser. His roster spot is anything but guaranteed right now and he’ll have to make a real case for why he deserves to stick around. Williams was a favorite pick last year to break out after spending a season on the sidelines learning but he didn’t pan out.
This year, Williams will need to begin breaking out in OTAs if he wants to truly compete for any major playing time. It would be great to see Williams becoming more of a three-down linebacker who can stuff the run, stop screens and even drop back into coverage if needed.
Williams can also break out solely as a pass rusher. He was expected to offer that early in his career but hasn’t really shown up in that regard. Though there’s no contact in OTAs, Williams can begin to impress by knowing what his assignments are and showing a great first step off the snap.
DE, Chris Wormley
Wormley is in a great spot starting OTAs but he needs to keep it up. With Brent Urban leaving in free agency and as the only defensive end officially on the roster, Wormley is expected to be the starter for Baltimore’s defense. However, it’s Wormley’s job to lose at this point.
As we’ve seen at outside linebacker, the Ravens aren’t afraid to dip into free agency to find more competition for a starting job. If Wormley falters, Baltimore could either look to rearrange their defensive line a bit or find more talent in free agency.
QB, Lamar Jackson
Jackson is in no danger of losing his job but that doesn’t mean he can muddle through OTAs either. Though Jackson had an impressive rookie season, he needs work on throwing the football. Jackson has spent the offseason trying to improve his mechanics in an effort to throw more accurate passes.
But the proof is in the pudding. With no contact allowed at OTAs, Jackson will have his best chance to show he can be consistent and more accurate with the football. If he still falters now, it’ll likely only get worse when defenders are allowed to get in his face at training camp, in the preseason and eventually in the regular season.
C, Matt Skura
Skura was able to avoid major competition for the starting center job last year. With John Urschel and Ryan Jensen gone, Baltimore practically handed Skura the job with little to no battling for it. He wasn’t awful during the regular season but it was clearly a spot that could be improved.
With Bradley Bozeman in his second year, he’ll be formally entering the competition with Skura. That means Skura needs to cement himself at the top of that depth chart early and often, which starts in OTAs.
LG, James Hurst
Much like Skura, Hurst is in a tough spot. He lost his starting right tackle job to Orlando Brown Jr. last year. When he moved over to left guard towards the end of last season, he didn’t look great there either.
Now Hurst has Alex Lewis and Ben Powers fighting for that starting job. Even Bozeman could be in the running if the coaches like him more there. That added competition means Hurst has to be looking over his shoulder already. A good start in OTAs would set Hurst up well for training camp but any positive showings from the rest are going to make things harder for him.
WR, Chris Moore
Moore played 39.28% of the offensive snaps last season and only came up with 19 receptions for 196 yards and a touchdown. Moore has tons of potential but hasn’t managed to fully tap into it yet. Now he’s in a more crowded wide receiver room and his job is far from safe.
Moore has gotten a huge boost as the team’s kickoff returner — a job he’s done very well. But that might not be enough any longer to keep a roster spot if he can’t make a bigger impact on the field on offense. He was one of the faster receivers the Ravens had on the roster but now has a whole bunch of peers that are as fast or faster than him to compete with.
Moore is going to have to show up early and often in OTAs and training camp to ensure he stays on the roster. He’ll have to prove to the coaching staff that he’s improving as a receiver and worth keeping around or they could look elsewhere for a kickoff returner and free up his roster spot.
S, Earl Thomas
Thomas has the starting job locked down, so no worries there. But the Ravens invested quite a bit of money to replace and hopefully improve on Eric Weddle. Thomas is coming off a broken leg last year and is 30 years old. That has serious potential for being a bad investment if Thomas never returns to the same form.
Thomas can quiet any concerns quickly though. If he’s out there making calls in the secondary, moving around well and mentoring the rest of the defense, he’ll be off to a great start.
RB, Kenneth Dixon
As I’ve pointed out before, Dixon has an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster. Gus Edwards won the job last year, Mark Ingram was brought in during free agency and Justice Hill is Baltimore’s fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft. That leaves Dixon on the outside looking in.
But Dixon can begin making a case for a roster spot during OTAs. If he runs hard, shows good patience and vision, he’ll make a strong case for why the Ravens need to keep a fourth running back on the roster. But more importantly, Dixon needs to stay perfectly healthy. Missing any time will be a repeat of previous years for him and more than enough reason for Baltimore to move on from him.
