Category: 53-man roster

Has Roger Rosengarten done enough to win the Ravens starting right tackle job?

There were no shortage of stellar performers for the Baltimore Ravens today, and rookie Roger Rosengarten was certainly one of them.

There was no shortage of stellar performers for the Baltimore Ravens today, and rookie Roger Rosengarten was undoubtedly one of them. While the starting offensive line isn’t set in stone yet, we do have a pretty good idea now about who the first-choice five will be.

There will be three new starters, one of which is right tackle. Rosengarten has taken the new opportunity and grabbed it by the scruff of the neck. In Saturday’s preseason win over the Atlanta Falcons, Rosengarten looked dominant, consistently winning his one-on-one battles during the snaps he was in.

This builds on a solid first preseason game. The video below gives you a chance to judge for yourself.

The Ravens took Rosengarten out of the University of Washington, where he anchored a line that led the way for college football’s most high-octane offense.

Rosengarten has drawn praise from all corners this summer. From reporters in the media to the coaching staff to observers on social media, the rookie right tackle has turned heads.

That starting spot is well-earned.

WATCH: Ravens QB Emory Jones connects with Dayton Wade on a 56-yard TD

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Emory Jones connects with Dayton Wade on a 56-yard TD vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Ravens are letting rookie quarterback Emory Jones get the majority fo the snaps on Saturday after he only played one snap in the preseason loss to the Eagles.

Jones is looking to bounce back from a strip stack fumble, and went a long way towards solidifying a practice squad role with this 56-yard dime to rookie wide receiver, Dayton Wade.

Long before Anthony Richardson was the star signal-caller at Florida, Emory Jones held the position down. Jones’s best season in Gainsville came in 2021 when he threw for 2,734 yards and 19 touchdowns with a 64.7% completion rate.

After leaving Florida, Jones stopped at Arizona State and Cincinnati.

Wade had four catches for 27 yards on five targets in his debut.

Ravens seem to have made their decicison on starting offensive line for 2024 season

The Baltimore Ravens seem to have made their decicison on starting offensive line for 2024 season

Retooling the offensive line has been the highest priority this off-season. Even though John Harbaugh has talked about not having made a final decision on his starters, the Week 1 depth chart seems to have been finalized.

Against the Falcons on Saturday afternoon, Baltimore had Josh Jones (LT), Andrew Vorhees (RG), Patrick Mekari (C), Daniel Faalele (RG), and Roger Rosengarten (RT) as the starters.

When the Ravens line up to face the Chiefs in the NFL season opener, the expectation is that Ronnie Stanley will be at left tackle, and Tyler Linderbaum will be inserted at center.

The Ravens could shift Patrick Mekari to the starting right tackle spot, but all indications are that Rosengarten will win that job as a 2024 second-round pick. Voorhees will enter the lineup after missing the 2023 season with a torn ACL, while Faalele becomes one of the biggest offensive guards in the NFL after shifting over from the offensive tackle position.

This isn’t set in stone, and we’re about ten days from the 53-man roster cutdown and a little under a month away from the season opener, but this lineup looks to be the most efficient group.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Watch: Anthony Miller makes first highlight reel play as a Raven

Anthony Miller’s best days in the NFL came with the Chicago Bears (2018-2020), where he caught 134 balls for 1,564 yards and 11 touchdowns

Sunday saw the Baltimore Ravens sign free agent wide receiver Anthony Miller, who hadn’t played in the NFL since 2021 when he was with the arch-rival Pittsburgh Steelers.

His best days came with the Chicago Bears from 2018 to 2020, when he caught 134 balls for 1,564 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Miller is a long shot to make the team, but he’ll have a chance if he keeps making plays like the one in the video below.

It’s just a beautifully thrown deep ball by Lamar Jackson here, and Miller does an excellent job corralling it as he slides into the end zone. It will be interesting to see what kind of role Miller plays in the preseason game versus Atlanta on Saturday.

This could allow Miller to play his way into a 53-man active roster consideration.

At age 29, Miller may still have some good football in front of him. However, his last three gigs in the league (Kansas City, Indianapolis, and San Francisco) were only practice or off-season squad.

Of course, he’ll have to work hard and turn some heads, but this is a good start.

Ravens pass rusher David Ojabo is finally healthy enough to stack practices, get reps

According to Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr, David Ojabo is finally fully healthy enough to practice regularly. 

According to Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr, David Ojabo is finally fully healthy enough to practice regularly.

Ojabo, the Ravens’ second-round draft pick in 2022, has only played in three NFL games due to having suffered a torn Achilles and a ruptured ACL.

He did not feature in the preseason-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but Orr believes his return is coming soon.

“He’s finally healthy enough to stack days in practice,” said Orr.

“All he needed to go was get the reps, and he’s getting great reps out here, so I’m excited for him.

“We know what type of talent he is. He’s strong, big, he’s fast, athletic, he’s mean. He’s everything you look for in an outside linebacker.”

While Ojabo might possess all the tangible assets required to succeed in the National Football League, health, simply put, has eluded him.

Orr summed it up perfectly: “God willing he stays healthy, he’s going to have a great year for us.”

 

Ravens pass rush coach Chuck Smith believes Odafe Oweh will finally reach that pinnacle

Other than Rashod Bateman, no Ravens player has been under the “is this the year he breakout?” microscope more than Odafe Oweh.  

Is this the year that Odafe Oweh will finally break out and live up to his status as a first-round NFL Draft pick?

Baltimore Ravens Pass Rush Coach Chuck Smith thinks so, as he predicts Oweh to become an “A-list rusher” in 2024.

Oweh has only started 13 games throughout his three-year career, with six coming in 2022. He’s also never topped five sacks in a single season.

Maybe this is the year that the 31st overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft starts stuffing stat sheets?

“He’s getting there,” Smith said after practice on Monday. “He’s going to be an A-list rusher. I’m excited for him.”

“He’s buying in, like he always has. He’s a good dude and no one deserves (more) to finally reach that pinnacle than Odafe, and I think he’s going to go 100% to reach that goal.”

Other than Rashod Bateman, no Ravens player has been under the “Is this the year he’s going to break through?” microscope more than Oweh.

On the Ravens depth chart, Oweh is currently listed as one of the two starting outside linebackers (Kyle Van Noy is the other).

Trenton Simpson is listed as the starting weakside inside linebacker (or “will position), while Roquan Smith is listed as the middle linebacker (or “mike” position)

Ravens rookie linebacker Joe Evans gets ringing endorsement from Kyle van Noy

Kyle van Noy described Joe Evans as: “That’s Mr. Iowa right there. He’s an Iowa Hawkeye if I’ve ever seen one.”

Ravens OLB Kyle Van Noy is one of the team’s leading stars and veteran leaders on defense. So his words carry a lot of weight, and that’s good news for undrafted free agent Joe Evans and his hopes of making the final cut this summer.

Van Noy described Evans as: “That’s Mr. Iowa right there. He’s an Iowa Hawkeye if I’ve ever seen one.”

Now, most people outside the Midwest/traditional Big Ten country would hear that and assume he’s a punter. Nationally, the Iowa Hawkeyes brand is punts and extremely low-scoring games.

There is a reason that fans wear t-shirts that read: “Live. Laugh. Punt.”

However, there is much more to Iowa Hawkeyes football than games with baseball-style final scores. It’s toughness, relentlessness, and playing a physical style of football that doesn’t translate to the stat sheet.

Van Noy has noticed this in Evans, praising his effort and ambition in the preseason opener and during training camp in general.

“Big Joe just loves his passion for the game,” said Van Noy.

“He didn’t complain once. I was proud of him. Not only is it an interview for this place, it’s an interview for 31 other teams. He wasn’t perfect, and to play as many snaps as he did, and his pass rush, he was all over the place.”

Evans, who aims to make the squad an edge rusher, recorded the second-most run defense snaps in the NFL during Week 1 of the preseason (31), according to Ravens Nation Live.

He led the Hawkeyes, one of the best defensive teams in the nation last season, in sacks.

According to Van Noy, Evans’s passionate play and high motivation are winning over his teammates.

“It’s awesome; he is the team favorite right now,” KVN added.

Evans’ winning over the locker room can only help his chances of passing the final round of cuts and making the 53-man roster.

Kyle Hamilton exits Ravens training camp practice with leg injury

Kyle Hamilton exits Baltimore Ravens training camp practice with a leg injury

The injuries are starting to pile up in the Ravens’ secondary, and Kyle Hamilton is the latest defender forced to exit practice.

According to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, the All-Pro safety exited the practice about 25 minutes early with an apparent leg injury.

Hamilton joins Nate Wiggins (shoulder) and Arthur Maulet (knee) as players who are banged up in the Baltimore secondary along with Trayvon Mullen, who returned to practice on Sunday, and Sanoussi Kane, who is dealing with a stinger.

In an intriguing preseason matchup, Baltimore will travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons this week.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Details on how much time Ravens rookie CB Nate Wiggins will miss with a shoulder sprain

Ian Rapoport reports that Nate Wiggins suffered a sprained shoulder and the Ravens rookie is listed as day to day

Nate Wiggins had an up-and-down debut against the Eagles on Friday night, breaking up three passes before exing with a shoulder injury.

After a Saturday scan and some early concern about his prognosis, Ian Rapoport reports that Wiggins is listed as day-to-day with a shoulder sprain.

The Ravens and Chiefs kick off the season at 8:20 p.m. on Thursday, September 5 (NBC/Peacock), meaning Wiggins has over three weeks to heal up and get prepared for a critical role in the Baltimore secondary.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Trenton Simpson shined in preseason debut as Ravens starting linebacker

Trenton Simpson had a game high 11 tackles and shined in preseason debut as Ravens starting linebacker

Trenton Simpson played 46 defensive snaps as a rookie but nearly matched that output in one preseason contest against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday night at M&T Bank Stadium.

With Roquan Smith resting, the former Clemson star linebacker had the bright lights to himself, shining to the tune of a team-high nine tackles in the first half and 60 defensive snaps overall.

“The more you see at this position, the more you learn,” Simpson said. “The faster you can play.”

Simpson finished with 11 tackles on the night and brought an aura and physicality to the Ravens’ defense that should complement Roquan Smith’s attacking style of play.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]