Pundits Predict Ravens' Initial 53-Man Roster
After three weeks of practice and the Ravens' Friday preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, The Baltimore Sun’s Brian Wacker and The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec released their latest 53-man roster projections. The two have minor differences in who they predict to make the final roster spots.
Running back No. 3
Wacker: Owen Wright
"Only one of them is making the roster, though, and with Henry and Hill expected to get nearly all the carries during the regular season, special teams will be the difference. Wright provides more versatility as someone who's been in the offense for a year and thus could contribute more in the backfield."
Zrebiec: Rasheen Ali
"It's indisputable that Wright, the second-year undrafted free agent, has outplayed Ali, the rookie fifth-round pick, in both practices and Friday's game. There's time for Ali to close the gap. Let's face it: If the competition is close, the nod usually goes to the guy the Ravens invested a draft pick in."
Final offensive line spots
Wacker: 10 OL
"What was once an intriguing group with openings at both guard spots and right tackle seems much less so a few weeks into camp and after the first preseason game. Friday night provided coaches a much better sense of the unit, more so than at any other position."
Zrebiec: Nine OL, Samac "on the bubble"
"This remains tough to handicap because the Ravens are still trying to figure out their five starters. It's also possible a veteran gets added in the coming weeks. … There's a case to be made that he should be the front-runner to start at right guard. Aumavae-Laulu may need to beat out Manning, a second-year undrafted free agent, to secure a spot. That's not a given. Manning has some fans in the building. That Samac has been behind Dalcourt, an undrafted free agent, at different points this summer feels a bit ominous for the rookie center."
Inside linebacker No. 4
Wacker: Cut Josh Ross
"Again, there doesn't appear to be a lot of drama among this group. Josh Ross has at best an outside chance at cracking the roster. The 55 snaps Ross got against the Eagles were largely out of necessity, though Pro Football Focus did grade him respectably with a 64.4 mark."
Zrebiec: Keep Josh Ross
"If the Ravens feel they're going to have Harrison play exclusively on the outside, and we could be headed in that direction, they'll need one other guy and that's presumably Ross, who's in his third year with the organization. Ross could make the team on his special teams ability alone. But this could be a position where the Ravens go a little short, because if they use a lot of dime locks, they may only have one inside linebacker on the field at different times."
Safety No. 4
Wacker: Ar'Darius Washington
"Rookie seventh-rounder Sanoussi Kane played 20 snaps and had two tackles and missed another against the Eagles and suffered a stinger in the game. But it's an uphill battle for him to make the 53-man roster anyway, especially when the Ravens boast one of the league's best safety duos in Hamilton and Williams, a veteran in Jackson and the versatile Washington."
Zrebiec: Sanoussi Kane (Washington kept at corner)
"Washington, who the team also likes to line up in the nickel, figures to factor at safety as well. There is still room for one more, and Kane is probably a front-runner for that spot. Special teams will play a huge factor in some of the roster decisions here."
Nate Wiggins Wow's Pundits in First Preseason Game
It took just the first defensive drive of Friday's preseason game for first-round cornerback Nate Wiggins to catch the attention of the NFL world as he batted away multiple passes from Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett. Many pundits shared how impressed they were with Wiggins after the game.
PFF’s Ben Cooper: "Player of the Game: Nate Wiggins. What a showing it was for Ravens first-round pick Nate Wiggins, who played an impressive 43 snaps before departing with a shoulder injury. He faced six targets on the night and forced an astonishing four incompletions — more than the entire Eagles defense."
NFL.com’s Nick Shook: "The Ravens' 2024 first-round selection made his debut Friday night and filled his first action with a handful of highlights. Philadelphia was clearly interested in challenging Wiggins, and the Clemson product did not wilt under the pressure, stringing together an impressive early sequence in coverage that included blanketing an Eagles receiver on a fade down the sideline and delivering a quality pass break-up to stall an Eagles drive. Wiggins carried that momentum into the second half, where he added a couple more examples of excellent coverage against an array of different pass catchers."
Pressbox’s Bo Smolka: "In a span of four plays on the Eagles' opening series, Wiggins broke up three passes, including a fourth-down pass intended for Joseph Ngata. On a deep pass, Wiggins stayed with John Ross down the right sideline, and he might have had an interception if he had turned around and spotted the underthrown ball. But Wiggins shut down the Eagles' opening drive."
The Baltimore Sun’s Childs Walker: "The rookie wasted no time making an impression in his M&T Bank Stadium debut, essentially wiping out the Eagles' first drive by himself. … Wiggins isn't going to produce at that clip, but he showcased the skill set that had the Ravens so excited in April, hanging step for step with wide receivers on the outside, attacking the ball and playing with the arrogance required at the sport's ultimate mano-a-mano position."
The Baltimore Banner's Jonas Shaffer: "The first-round pick's hot start to camp had cooled off over the past week or so. Maybe he just needed a bigger stage or a new receiving corps to measure himself against. Wiggins had three pass defenses — all on the Eagles' opening drive, all against projected second- or third-string wide receivers — and helped force an incompletion in the second quarter."
Baltimore Beatdown’s Joshua Reed: "It is a rare feat for a cornerback to record more than a couple of pass breakups in a single game let alone one half or one drive, but Ravens first-rounder Nate Wiggins proved that he isn't like most players at his position; he is truly special."
Should Ravens Consider Signing QB Ryan Tannehill?
Offensively, the Ravens left plays on the field than they would've liked against the Eagles as backup quarterbacks Josh Johnson and Devin Leary finished a combined 10-of-22 passing for 82 yards.
Head Coach John Harbaugh said a few times there were incorrect routes run and it's uncommon to have the passing offense dice up the opposition. But Ravenswire’s Dustin Cox considered a possible addition to the quarterback room in adding former Tennessee Titan Ryan Tannehill.
"The veteran can win a few games with a talented team such as the Ravens if Jackson were to go down," Cox wrote. "The primary question at this point is Tannehill's asking price and whether or not he is content as a backup or would rather wait it out and see if another team comes calling later in the season due to an injury to their starting quarterback."
According to overthecap.com, the Ravens have $5.29 million in cap space. Traditionally, they enter the regular season with a few million or more for necessary in-season moves and flexibility for a possible trade deadline move. Also, the team has shown no sign of prioritizing another quarterback, instead focusing on adding talent at other areas.
