Injury Updates on Mark Andrews, Tyus Bowser
Clifton Brown & Ryan Mink, BaltimoreRavens.com
While Harbaugh was more definitive on Andrews’ status for the season opener, he didn’t have as much concrete information on the status of outside linebacker Tyus Bowser.
Bowser hasn’t practiced yet this offseason as he’s been dealing with a knee issue. He was doing some work on a side field, not in uniform, during the early portion of practice.
“I’m a little more vague on that one,” Harbaugh said. “I’m hopeful that he’ll get back here first game, second game, third game – somewhere in there. But we’ll just have to see. It’s with the doctors and Tyus.”
Bowser is currently on the NFI list. If he remains on that list once the initial roster is set tomorrow at 4 p.m., Bowser is required to sit out the first four games. That would free up a roster spot, however.
Projecting Ravens’ 53-man roster: Not many tough decisions beyond cornerback group
Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic
Quarterback (2)
In: Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley
Out: Josh Johnson, Anthony Brown
This is a tougher call than people might think, and it’s complicated by Huntley missing the past couple of weeks with a hamstring injury. There is support in the building for Johnson as the No. 2, given his experience and steadiness. Even dating back to the minicamps, the Ravens have given Johnson every opportunity to win the job. Did he do enough? That depends on who you ask. Before he tweaked his hamstring, Huntley was more consistent in practice and the offense looked better in the preseason opener with him at the helm. Huntley’s decision-making isn’t always sound, but his athleticism and speed have to be honored by defenses. He is extremely close with Jackson, too, and the starter/backup dynamic is important. It seems unlikely that Huntley, who is only 25, would pass through waivers with teams still looking for No. 2 and 3 quarterbacks. A safer bet would be the Ravens keeping Huntley on the 53 and trying to get Johnson back on the practice squad. As for keeping three, Baltimore needs the roster spot elsewhere. Having an emergency third quarterback is a luxury. Keeping around an extra healthy corner feels like a necessity.
Offensive line (9)
In: Ronnie Stanley, Morgan Moses, Kevin Zeitler, Tyler Linderbaum, John Simpson, Patrick Mekari, Daniel Faalele, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Ben Cleveland
Out: Sam Mustipher, David Sharpe, Tashawn Manning, TyKeem Doss, Jaylon Thomas, Jake Guidone
Reserve/NFI list: Andrew Vorhees
The Ravens traditionally keep an extra offensive lineman because it’s hard to find quality ones elsewhere if depth becomes an issue. It’s also difficult to pass them through waivers. If they keep 10, it wouldn’t be surprising. They’re certainly giving it strong consideration. For now, Stanley, Moses, Zeitler, Linderbaum and Simpson are the starters, and Mekari, Faalele and Aumavae-Laulu are the reserve locks. That leaves one or two spots for Cleveland, Mustipher and Sharpe. The Ravens are one of the few teams with some offensive line depth, and teams have at least inquired about their willingness to deal from it. Getting a late Day 3 pick back for a guy like Cleveland could loosen the logjam. Cleveland looked like the odd man out early in camp, but he’s played decent in games, has guard/tackle versatility and the Ravens invested a third-round pick in him. Plus, Faalele has shown enough this summer that the Ravens should be comfortable with him as the swing tackle, allowing Mekari to backup at center and lessening the need for Mustipher.
Baltimore Ravens 53-man roster projection ahead of Week 1
Gordon McGuinness, PFF
OFFENSIVE LINE (8)
The interesting question here is whether sixth-round pick Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu has done enough to make the final roster. The former Oregon Duck produced just a 27.9 PFF grade on 112 snaps this preseason. He’s a prospect who needs time to develop, but keeping him potentially means letting Ben Cleveland go — and it almost definitely means the Ravens need to risk Tashawn Manning signing with another team.
CORNERBACK (9)
The injury that will keep Marlon Humphrey sidelined for at least the opening week of the regular season forces the Ravens’ hand a little. Washington produced a 76.4 PFF coverage grade as their primary slot cornerback this preseason and looks to have won that job.
2023 NFL Preseason Week 3 rookie grades: Broncos’ Marvin Mims Jr. impresses
Chad Reuter, NFL.com
Clemson · ILB
Grade C+
Simpson showed special teams acumen by beating blocks and downing a punt on the six-yard line in the first quarter of the Ravens’ 26-20 loss to the Buccaneers. He adeptly stuck with RBs running routes in the second half. Simpson chased down a back on an RPO, but he was a step late to the ball at times, like when he was blocked on a 21-yard Patrick Laird run midway through the fourth quarter. Simpson put a big hit on Laird on the next play, holding him to a one-yard gain on a reception. He should be a valuable interior blitzer, as he showed when he forced quarterback Kyle Trask into a quick, inaccurate throw on third down in the fourth quarter.
Ranking How Every NFL Offense Will Fare in 2023
Sheil Kapadia, The Ringer
12. Baltimore Ravens
Perhaps no offense in the NFL is set to experience a more significant makeover from a scheme perspective than the Ravens after they replaced offensive coordinator Greg Roman with Todd Monken in hopes of injecting life into an inconsistent passing game.
Historically, when Lamar Jackson has been on the field, the Ravens have generally found ways to be productive. Over the past three seasons, when you look at EPA per play, they’ve performed like the sixth-best offense in the NFL with Jackson and the 31st-ranked offense without him. His durability, though, has been an issue. Jackson has missed 10 regular-season games over the past two seasons.
Jackson’s availability isn’t the only concern. The Ravens signed Odell Beckham Jr. in the offseason, but he will turn 31 in November and didn’t play last season as he recovered from the ACL tear he suffered in the Super Bowl in February 2022. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman has appeared in just 18 games over his first two seasons, and Zay Flowers, the Ravens’ first-round pick, has never played a snap in the NFL. On paper, this could be the best wide receiver group that Jackson has ever played with, but it’s far from a sure thing.
Jackson’s legs set a relatively high floor for the Ravens offense. He could go down as the most dynamic running quarterback in NFL history and is still only 26 years old. The offensive line should be good, and we know that Mark Andrews will be one of the NFL’s most productive tight ends. I see a high ceiling with this unit, but they’re experiencing a lot of change for one offseason, and I’m not sure it’ll be a smooth transition. Throw in the durability concerns with Jackson, and I can’t quite put them in the same class as the top-tier offenses.