Mink: When counting the numbers, the Ravens have been hit hardest at wide receiver. When looking at severity, the inside linebackers took a hit with L.J. Fort's season-ending knee injury. But I think if the Ravens are going to make a move to add another free agent – or trade for someone – it would be at offensive tackle. It seems the biggest weakness on the team is at the No. 3 swing tackle spot. Right now, it appears Tyre Phillips, Michael Schofield and Patrick Mekari are the top options.
Head Coach John Harbaugh expressed confidence in the team's inside linebacker depth. Second-year undrafted linebacker Kristian Welch, who played in 10 games mostly on special teams as a rookie, will take on a larger role alongside Chris Board as the Ravens' backups behind Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison.
Downing: This one is still wide open. The Ravens have shuffled a few players through this position, but nobody has really seized the job at this point. Third-year lineman Ben Powers seems to have the edge right now, as he's taken most of the first-team reps in the preseason. Rookie Ben Cleveland and second-year lineman Tyre Phillips both have potential, but they've dealt with injuries this summer that have kept them from gaining ground in the competition. Cleveland and Phillips both missed the preseason game last week. Few position battles truly go down to the wire in the preseason, but this seems to be a spot that won't be determined until after the final preseason game Saturday.
Mink: James Proche is making the team regardless. He's just been so good in practice that it outweighs the fact that he hasn't had much production in preseason games. Miles Boykin is much tougher to figure out. Part of it would seemingly depend on how healthy Boykin is at this point, as well as the expected timetables for Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins and Rashod Bateman. Harbaugh had no "definitive" updates on any of their statuses.
If the Ravens feel short-handed at wide receiver for Week 1, then keeping Boykin makes sense – if he's healthy. He's good insurance if Watkins were to have any health problems. I think it has less to do about Boykin's blocking and more about who's ready to take the field.
Downing: The addition of the veteran offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler seems like the perfect fit for this offensive line. Zeitler won't make many headlines because of his position and the fact that he's an all-business guy, but he's exactly the kind of player the Ravens were looking for at that right guard spot. He'll help offset the loss of Orlando Brown Jr. and solidify the right side of the line.
I also love the additions at outside linebacker with rookie Odafe Oweh and the veteran Justin Houston. Oweh seems like a great fit among the outside linebackers, and the first-round pick is constantly learning from the veterans like Houston and Pernell McPhee. He's soaking up knowledge, while also showing off his eye-popping athleticism in practice. Houston has also made a quick impact and you can see that each day after practice. Houston seems to run his own tutoring session, spending an extra 20-30 minutes with some of the younger players like Oweh and Daelin Hayes. The mix of younger and older additions at outside linebacker seems like it's going to make a big difference in the pass-rush department.
