Team culture and player development make for another contender.
Tuesday, July 23, 2024: You will never see Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta or anyone in his department going through drills at the annual scouting combine. But after an offseason with seemingly more free-agent losses than usual, it seems that way, as the Ravens open their 29th season having to fill more holes, get more youth and find more depth than usual.
Aa perennial strength of this organization is its team and locker-room culture and player-development philosophy, which have led to 15 playoff appearances and seven division titles in 28 full seasons. It proved itself out yet again last year when a healthy quarterback and timely play on both sides of the ball left the team one game short of a third Super Bowl appearance.
Can the Ravens mitigate all their losses, negotiate the league’s second-toughest schedule, and do that again? As camp opens, here’s my best guess about how the initial 53-man active roster will look after the cutdown deadline.
Offense
QUARTERBACKS (3) – Lamar Jackson, Josh Johnson, Devin Leary: No controversy in this room, not with a two-time league Most Valuable Player, the youngest to accomplish that since the 1970 merger. The aging Johnson has played all over the league in a solid, serviceable fashion, and Leary could win the third job… or, again, there might not be one. But we all know how the injury bug can sometimes sweep this team.
RUNNING BACKS (4) – Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Patrick Ricard, Rasheen Ali: Long-ago Oriole fans might remember that when Frank Robinson was traded here from Cincinnati, the Reds regarded him as an “old 30.” That’s Henry’s age, but he still has the bulk, athleticism, and speed, not to mention that wicked stiff arm. Hill has been an underrated change-of-pace back and return specialist, while Ricard contributes both blocking and running. Young speedster Keaton Mitchell won’t be back until November, but the league’s best running game can only be helped by that.
WIDE RECEIVERS (6) – Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers, Nelson Agholor, Devontez Walker, Tylan Wallace, Deonte Harty: John Harbaugh is a head coach who likes to have multiple options at multiple positions and he certainly has them in this room, with possible return contributors in Wallace and Harty, the dynamic former Bill and Saint. Bateman is armed with a new contract, and Flowers had one of the finest rookie seasons in team history. Agholor has a tendency to pop up where the defense least expects him. This group did a great job getting yards after the catch last year, which is an important factor.
TIGHT ENDS (3) – Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar: As much as football is a game of speed and youth, there’s no need for change among the league’s best tight end corps. Andrews should be fully healthy and put up numbers that surpass Travis Kelce’s, while Likely can get open and make contested catches. Kolar can block and get the ball as well. This is as solid – maybe spectacular – a tight-end group as the league has these days.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9) – Ronnie Stanley, Andrew Voorhees, Tyler Linderbaum, Ben Cleveland, Roger Rosengarten, Patrick Mekari, Daniel Faalele, Sala Laulu, Josh Jones: This was it: the team’s stated priority in the offseason, and it is a proper priority, given how the line is the key to the whole team, giving time of possession to the offense and rest to the defense. Plus, with Kevin Zeitler and Morgan Moses gone, it was important for Voorhees to have served his redshirt year and for Cleveland to develop. Rosengarten is a promising tackle who played for a national championship last year… but of course, the whole thing could hinge on Stanley’s often-troublesome ankle.
Defense
DEFENSIVE LINE (6) – Michael Pierce, Justin Madabuike, Travis Jones, Broderick Washington, Brent Urban, Josh Tupou: New defensive coordinator Zach Orr doesn’t have to worry that Madabuike is the only three-technique of this bunch, for he believes in deployment versatility all over the unit. Washington and Urban can knock down passes all over the field, and Pierce is a fearsome run stuffer. Jones is a steady high-round draft pick who has seen his playing time steadily increase, and Tupou is familiar with the AFC North Division landscape.
LINEBACKERS (8) – Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson (inside), David Ojabo, Odafe Oweh (outside), Kyle Van Noy, Adisa Isaac, Malik Hamilton, Tavius Robinson: The Ravens will be counting on healthy seasons from Oweh and Ojabo, not to mention development from Robinson and Simpson; the latter is taking the place of former first-rounder Patrick Queen, who made an Ed Hartwell-type move to Pittsburgh to get his limelight somewhere else. Isaac has to work through an injury in camp, but the pass-rush-by-committee last year produced the second 60-sack season in Ravens history (2006). After initial hype, Harrison has been steady within the system, and no one has to mention the contributions Smith has made.
SECONDARY (11) – Marcus Williams, Kyle Hamilton, Eddie Jackson (safeties), Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens (cornerbacks), Nate Wiggins, Daryl Worley, Ar’Darius Washington, Beau Brade, Arthur Maulet, T.J. Tampa: The safety corps is the real highlight here, despite Stephen’s improvement and Humphrey’s strong start to camp. Signing Jackson from the Bears is a typical Ravens pre-camp move, and retaining Worley was, too. Covering the middle of the field has contributed to the front seven’s pass rush, a rush that Hamilton is not shy about joining. This unit will also have a lot of speed and special-teams contributions, although Maulet got picked on a lot last year in key situations and usually came out the better for it. A fourth-round pick, Tampa will miss most of camp after hernia surgery. But, of course, hopes are high for any first-round pick, and the hype around Wiggins is already well-documented.
Specialists
SPECIALISTS (3) – Justin Tucker (kicker), Jordan Stout (punter), Nick Moore (long snapper): The fickle finger of free-agent fate didn’t spare this room, as snapper Tyler Ott headed off for Washington, but the previous chemistry between Tucker and Moore is indisputable, and punter/holder Stout had a reasonably good season in both roles. The Ravens used a draft pick on a punter for the third time in their history, and Stout rewarded them with a 41-yard net average, only seven touchbacks, and 26 of 57 punts inside the coffin corner as he took over for the legendary Sam Koch.
