In just thirteen days, the Ravens’ final roster will be set.
Every year, good teams become great teams not necessarily because of their starters, but because of reserves who give them that extra push.
While the nucleus of Baltimore’s roster is set and there’s plenty of talent to go around, there are still a fair number of questions to be answered. Who will be the next receiver opposite Rashod Bateman? Is that player currently on the roster? Which running backs are kept? Is anyone traded before the season begins?
Rookies Isaiah Likely and Travis Jones have been having a great training camp and are locks to make the final 53. We know which veterans are locks as well. For those who are truly on the bubble, their best is required every day. Time is getting scarcer each day, which is good for the evaluators. If a player is able to raise his level of performance in the face of adversity, that proves he has what it takes to be awarded a roster spot. Those are the kinds of players you want on your team, because delivering results in those circumstances is exactly what you’re aiming for.
Wide receiver, running back, offensive tackle, inside linebacker are all positions that require depth. Tight end, defensive line, cornerback, and safety are all positions where’s the plenty of depth. In other words, “making it” can be a result of need or a result of surplus. In the former, the team is more likely to keep the veteran. In the latter, the team is more likely to keep the younger player. If a team needs a player, they want a sure thing as there’s likely a finite window for them to make a playoff run. If they have a surplus of talent, they’re likely to keep the younger player as they have time to develop him and could likely trade the veteran for draft capital.
The Ravens’ model of being patient, sticking to their board and philosophy, and surrounding young players with excellent coaching has yielded a lot of excitement but also a lot of positions to sort out by August 30.
Three players in particular stand out to me as dark horse candidates to make the final roster and make key contributions throughout the 2022 season.
Shamar Bridges
Wide receiver, 6’4”, 208 pounds
Let’s state the obvious. The Ravens need wide receiver help. That was before Tylan Wallace sustained a “minor knee sprain” in last week’s game versus Tennessee. Now, they’re less than a month away from the season with one more question at the position than when they started camp. Additionally, there’s only four wide receivers who are unrestricted free agents and also played over 50 percent of their team’s snaps last season: Emanuel Sanders, Odell Beckham, Jr., Adam Humphries, and Demarcus Robinson.
Therefore, the most practical solution would be to elevate an in-house candidate. Against the Titans, Shamar Bridges popped. He caught four passes for 62 yards and scored a touchdown. He’s shown big-play ability as soon as he got the chance. Speaking of big, he’s the tallest wide receiver currently on the roster, which boosts his stock as well.
Baltimore’s biggest offensive hurdle is converting red zone trips to touchdowns. They ranked 14th in the league last year, converting only 60.7 percent of their red zone trips to touchdowns. In 2020, they finished 15th in that category, not even reaching the 60 percent threshold. Over the course of 17 games, that’s a lot of points left unclaimed. Bridges’ height and ball skills make him an immediate threat in that part of the field.
Think about the personnel defenses would have to deploy. Put bigger defenders out there to match up with Bridges, and you risk being out-ran by Lamar Jackson, Devin Duvernay, etc. Put smaller defenders out there to guard against the Ravens’ speed, and Bridges’ range takes over.
To me, if his Arizona game this week is anything like his game against Tennessee, Bridges moves from a dark horse to a favorite to make this roster.
Daelin Hayes
SAM linebacker, 6’4”, 257 pounds
After wide receiver, pass rusher was Baltimore’s biggest need this past off season. They drafted David Ojabo, but he won’t be ready for the start of the regular season. Starting SAM linebacker Tyus Bowser is in the final stages of recovery from a torn achilles, but he’s no guarantee to be back for Baltimore’s first game.
Enter Daelin Hayes. He’s had a good training camp and not only plays a position of need, but a position of need where the starter’s health presents a legitimate question of their potential in 2022. Besides, Hayes is under contract through the end of the 2024 season at an approximate average of $1 million per season, so it’s in Baltimore’s interest to keep him. There’s no substantial cap savings to cut him. There’s not enough film on him to trade him. There’s really no downside to keeping him and no reason to let him go.
Ar’Darius Washington
Free safety, 5’8”, 176 pounds
Defensive back is the deepest position on the Ravens. This is a case where keeping a lesser-proven player may end up being the route the team chooses. On the surface, it’s hard to rationalize keeping five safeties. However, with the selection of Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore clearly envisions 3-safety looks and/or involving three safeties on a consistent basis. Plus, their special teams stud Anthony Levine retired in January and his defensive position was safety, so making a like-for-like substitution, as it were, could be an extra reason why Baltimore keeps five safeties. In my opinion, that final spot comes down to either Geno Stone or Ar’Darius Washington.
Stone has had a very good camp and dating back to last year has been steadily improving, but he’s a strong safety. If Chuck Clark gets banged up or needs a rest, the team can look to Tony Jefferson. If free safety Marcus Williams gets banged up or needs a rest, Hamilton is there, but Hamilton is a rookie. While that designation can seem erroneous at times, the last thing you want to do is assume a player at a similar (but different) position can seamlessly make the switch with no drop off in performance.
As far as what value the Ravens would receive in return by letting these players go, they’d get $895,000 in cap savings by cutting or trading Stone and would get $825,000 in cap savings by cutting or trading Washington. However, there’s likely more of a market for Stone than there is for Washington, so if you feel like you want to keep one out of the two and any difference between them is negligible, why not try to recoup a draft pick?
One thing is for sure: whoever does end up making the Ravens’ final roster will have absolutely earned it.
Born in Baltimore, Mike had long been drawn to sports of all kinds. Growing up watching Cal Ripken play ever day gave him a great example for which to attack every endeavor he undertakes.
When the Ravens came to town, though, that’s when Mike found his passion. Since that time, he’s tried to gain every bit of knowledge he could. Now as a high school coach, Mike is able to take his film study and appreciation of the game to a new level.
To engage with Mike on social media, follow him on Twitter @MikeFastNFL.