It’s a new year and a new Baltimore Ravens team. We’re winding down the offseason with all the major events – from free agency to the draft – in the rearview mirror. Organized team activities and mandatory minicamps are also finished for the Ravens which means training camp is up next.
This marks another great opportunity to take a look at the 91-man roster as it stands and what the 53-man roster could look like.
We’ll start with the offense and break down each position group with who I think makes the final cut.
QB (2):
Lamar Jackson, Robert Griffin III
Both Jackson and Griffin are locks to make this team, barring injuries. The question ahead of training camp is whether sixth-round pick Trace McSorley can make the cut.
Though Baltimore says it has big plans for McSorley, I just can’t justify the roster space. I don’t think he’s a better backup quarterback than Griffin. I don’t think he’s going to be better than any specific defensive or special teams player to warrant the roster spot. He is the ideal candidate for the practice squad, however.
RB (3):
Gus Edwards, Mark Ingram, Justice Hill
This was a really tough decision but when looking over what each player does well and what the Ravens are going to want to do with their run game, I really only needed three players.
Edwards finished the season as the starting running back and has been running with the first team in OTAs. Ingram was brought in specifically to bolster the depth chart and provide some leadership and reliability. Hill was drafted as a change-of-pace back.
While I think Kenneth Dixon could find a spot on the roster, I still think he has an uphill battle to do it. Baltimore can make do with just three running backs and stash a few more on the practice squad in case of injury like it has done in recent years.
I also think Dixon might be worth more as a trade option right now. He has some experience and showed he was a capable rusher late last season. If he’s healthy, there might be a few teams interested in giving up a conditional late-round pick in exchange for a very talented running back.
WR (7):
Marquise Brown, Willie Snead, Jordan Lasley, Jaleel Scott, Miles Boykin, Chris Moore, Michael Floyd
This is where the roster gets tricky. Baltimore has rarely needed to keep so many wide receivers for pretty obvious reasons. But after investing quite a bit of draft equity in the last two years, the wide receiver corps is shaping up quite nicely.
With Snead and Moore being the only holdovers from last season, I can pretty confidently put them on the 53-man roster. The four draft picks from 2018 and 2019 are on here, as well. That gave me just one more spot I felt was necessary for a big-bodied, sure-handed veteran to play on the outside.
Between Floyd and Seth Roberts, I went with Floyd her,e but this is going to be one of the tougher competitions of training camp. Both have some deep speed and both have good size. The difference here for me was Floyd has better hands, topping out at five drops in a single season compared to Roberts’ 10 in 2016.
OL (9):
Ronnie Stanley, Orlando Brown Jr., Marshal Yanda, James Hurst, Ben Powers, Matt Skura, Alex Lewis, Jermaine Eluemunor, Bradley Bozeman
I had a hard time figuring out who I should cut from this group, so I ended up keeping a few extra guys for depth and competition. Stanley, Yanda and Brown Jr. are all cemented in their starting jobs. But there’s going to be a big competition at center and left guard taking place at training camp.
At left guard, Powers, Lewis and Hurst should all be competing for the starting job. Eluemunor is also in the mix according to coach John Harbaugh.
“We did want to give Eluemunor a number of reps in there, because he has looked pretty good,” Harbaugh said following Thursday’s minicamp practice.
While Skura started all 16 games at center last year, Bozeman is likely his top competition this year. But don’t count Bozeman out at left guard where he started a game last season too.
That type of versatility is found all over the offensive line and is a positive for Baltimore. It’ll allow them to rotate players around for injuries and to develop young players for the future too. But it forced me to keep nine players for just five starting jobs on this 53-man roster prediction.
TE (3):
Nick Boyle, Mark Andrews, Hayden Hurst
The Ravens have five tight ends on their 91-man roster but let’s be real here, we already know who’s going to make the cut. Baltimore invested draft picks in Hurst and Andrews last year, making them the future of the position for the Ravens. Then Baltimore re-signed Boyle to a three-year deal in the offseason.
Boyle is the blocker of the group while Andrews is clearly the top receiving option from this unit. Hurst battled a foot injury last year but looks to be a good mix of the two as a competent blocker and sure-handed receiver.
With so many wide receivers on the roster and no one of note behind this trio, there’s not much of a reason to keep anyone else.
