Tag: 2020 Baltimore Ravens roster

Ravens’ Week 14 snap counts vs Browns: Getting the gang back together

As the season comes to a close, the Baltimore Ravens are still tinkering with their starting lineups and who gets the most snaps.

The Baltimore Ravens improved to 8-5 on the season with a dramatic, frenetic, and thrilling victory over the Cleveland Browns on “Monday Night Football.” The victory keeps them alive in the race for the playoffs and gives them a handy tiebreaker over the Browns, which could come in useful in the season’s final weeks.

The game was not without incident from a personnel point of view, with conspiracy theories abounding regarding the reason for Lamar Jackson’s “break” during the game not least among them. But with the season winding down, the snap counts point to a still-evolving team.

Let’s dive into the Ravens’ offensive and defensive snap counts from Week 14.

Ravens’ Week 12 snap counts vs Steelers: A host of unfamiliar faces

With so many players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, this week’s snap counts look dramatically different for the Baltimore Ravens vs. Steelers

The result was not what the Baltimore Ravens wanted. But given the depleted roster heading into the long-delayed Week 12 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a 19-14 loss was far from a disaster.

The loss drops Baltimore to 6-5 on the season, which means they can no longer win the AFC North. It also drops them two games behind the Cleveland Browns in the division. With a third consecutive loss, a season that started so promisingly is beginning to unravel for the Ravens.

It’s near impossible to make heads or tails of the snap counts this week thanks to so many new faces getting their first playing time due to the COVID-19 outbreak. But for as disappointing as the final score was, getting an in-game look at what the young players can do is something that should help Baltimore in the long-term.

Let’s dive into the Ravens’ offensive and defensive snap counts from Week 12.

Ravens’ Week 10 snap counts vs. Patriots: Injuries beginning to pile up

With injuries beginning to pile up for the Baltimore Ravens, their Week 10 snap counts show some of the changes happening.

The loss on the scoreboard was one of many losses for the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10 after a 23-17 reverse against the New England Patriots. The defeat drops them to 6-3, now three games back from the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers and level with the feisty Cleveland Browns.

But while the result is painful, the team suffered a number of key injuries during the game including a gruesome-looking one to tight end Nick Boyle. The team has already confirmed that he’s done for the year, leaving the Ravens with just a single tight end on the 53-man roster.

Let’s dive into the Ravens’ offensive and defensive snap counts from Week 10.

Ravens’ Week 9 snap counts vs. Colts: A new offensive line stays steady

We take a closer look at the Baltimore Ravens’ snap counts in Week 9 to see who played and what changes the starting lineup made.

The Baltimore Ravens got back to their winning ways with a 24-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. It wasn’t always pretty but the Ravens overcame a lot of hurdles in Week 9 to pick up a statement win, including battling with several new starters on the offensive line and injuries on defense.

At the midpoint of the season, all of those changes ultimately mean a time of uncertainty for Baltimore. Swapping starters at this point is never an ideal situation and it’ll take time for the Ravens to get back up to whatever full speed truly looks like. But at the same time, Baltimore’s snap counts against Indianapolis at least clues us into where the Ravens might be heading in terms of their personnel.

Let’s dive into the Ravens’ offensive and defensive snap counts from Week 9.

Ravens’ Week 8 snap counts vs. Steelers: Changing the lineup

A look at the playing time for members of the Baltimore Ravens offense and defense in their Week 8 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Baltimore Ravens fell, 28-24, to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The Ravens now sit at 5-2 on the year, while the Steelers remain unbeaten and atop the AFC and the AFC North. But the loss will be seen as more costly than just on Baltimore’s current record.

Days after signing a lucrative long-term extension, the Ravens lost left tackle Ronnie Stanley to a season-ending ankle injury. Matthew Judon allowed his emotions to get the better of him as he was ejected from the game for contacting an official. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, one of the young stars of the offense broke ranks to make his displeasure regarding his role known to the watching world. There are worrying cracks beginning to develop on this roster.

Let’s dive into the Ravens’ offensive and defensive snap counts from Week 8.

Ravens’ salary cap implications after trading for Yannick Ngakoue

After trading for DE Yannick Ngakoue, how does the Baltimore Ravens’ salary cap look for 2020? We take a closer look at the financials

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The Baltimore Ravens’ trade for Minnesota Vikings defensive end Yannick Ngakoue is a move that will have lasting repercussions on the rosters of both teams. The Vikings had Ngakoue in their building for less than two months, and appear set to enter a period of rebuilding. For Baltimore, it gives an already fierce defense another dangerous playmaker. The trade also has lasting implications for the Ravens’ salary cap.

Before the trade took place, Baltimore had $4,962,802 in salary cap space, according to Over The Cap. Ngakoue had been playing on a one-year, $12 million deal with the Vikings, which will now count as $4.706 million against the Ravens’ 2020 salary cap. With so little salary cap space remaining after the trade, it points to Baltimore likely either restructuring another player to free up some money or inking Ngakoue to a long-term deal to lower the cap hit.

There are some long-term implications of the Ngakoue trade as well. On just a one-year deal, Ngakoue is effectively a 10-game rental right now. Having given up two draft picks to land him, it seems unlikely Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta is just going to let Ngakoue play out this season and potentially hit free agency. That means a long-term deal is likely in the works, which will have a major impact on the Ravens’ future salary cap numbers.

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Ngakoue has been looking for a new deal for quite some time, having a public feud with the Jacksonville Jaguars over the matter this offseason. Having amassed 37.5 sacks over four seasons in the NFL prior to this year, Ngakoue is among the most productive pass rushers in the league. And with how pass-happy offenses have become, productive pass rushers get paid. A long-term contract will likely set Baltimore back around $20 million a year on average, though the terms could be worked out to make some seasons far cheaper than others.

Currently, the top pass rusher contract belongs to Los Angeles Chargers’ Joey Bosa, who signed a five-year extension this offseason worth $135 million with $78 million guaranteed. It’s unlikely Ngakoue will command quite that dollar amount but he’ll undoubtedly be around those figures whenever a contract extension happens.

Luckily for the Ravens, they’re set to have plenty of cap space in the next few years. As it stands now, before other deals for guys like left tackle Ronnie Stanley are done, Baltimore is slated to have $43.799 million available on the 2021 salary cap, according to OTC. While Ngakoue’s potential long-term deal could eat up a large chunk of that, they should have enough money in the wallet to still be active in free agency if they wish.

This is another calculated risk from Baltimore’s front office, almost a year after trading for former Los Angeles Rams cornerback Marcus Peters. That move worked out splendidly for the Ravens, who will be hoping for more of the same from Ngakoue.

 

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Ravens 3rd QB spot still up for grabs as training camp closes

Who will win the Baltimore Ravens’ third quarterback spot on the 53-man roster? It’s too close to tell with roster cuts coming down.

Final cuts are coming, but that doesn’t necessarily mean all the major roster decisions have been made already. With teams having until 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday to get their rosters down to 53 players, the next few hours will see front offices and coaches making their final cases to keep some players and to cast others aside.

One of the bigger issues affecting the Ravens would seem to be the identity of their third quarterback. The team has spoken quite openly about retaining three signal-callers this season after historically only going with two. That means the team faces a choice between second-year player Trace McSorley and undrafted rookie Tyler Huntley to sit behind Lamar Jackson and Robert Griffin III.

McSorley and Huntley are similar athletes, effectively running the same 40-yard dash times (4.56 at Huntley’s pro day and 4.57 for McSorley at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine). Though McSorley made the 53-man roster last year, he was hardly featured during his first season, playing in a single game in 2019. In that game, he had a single rushing attempt for one yard. McSorley stuck on the roster behind Lamar Jackson and Robert Griffin because, as Harbaugh alluded to earlier this offseason, they didn’t think he would stick on the practice squad and would be poached by another team.

Huntley has seriously turned some heads with his play during Ravens training camp. His senior season with Utah in 2019 was the best year of his college career, completing 73.1% of his passes for 3,092 yards while tossing 19 touchdowns to just four interceptions. He also scored 16 rushing touchdowns in his four seasons with the Utes. Huntley was named to the first-team All-Pac-12 over former Oregon quarterback and first-round pick Justin Herbert last season.

Huntley has taken advantage of an increased workload with Lamar Jackson missing time over the last few days and seems to have impressed onlookers with his play. Jamison Hensley of ESPN suggested the final call could be as close as a coin flip.

With both players eligible for the practice squad, it is likely that they will both be around in the future. But if the Ravens have pre-existing doubts that they’d be able to keep McSorley on the practice squad, then they may feel justified in keeping him on the 53-man roster. We’ve given Huntley a 50% shot of making the team in our look at all of the Ravens UDFAs ahead of cut day but have him on the final 53-man roster prediction.

Either way, both young players will be anxious to avoid a call from The Turk on Saturday afternoon.

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Ravens DB Iman Marshall needs surgery after major knee injury

Second-year defensive back Iman Marshall suffered a “major knee injury” yesterday, according to Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.

The Baltimore Ravens are finally back on the grass in training camp ahead of the 2020 season this weekend. But not every player will be available to them as they look to build on last year’s 14-2 record and AFC North division title.

Second-year defensive back Iman Marshall suffered a “major knee injury” yesterday, according to Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. The injury is thought to be a torn ACL and MCL, which Harbaugh said will require surgery. If that’s the case, Marshall’s season is likely over.

This is a terrible blow for Marshall after a disappointing rookie season in 2019. Marshall spent the first 10 weeks of the season on injured reserve after suffering an undisclosed injury in the preseason. He was activated prior to Week 11 but only appeared in three games before the end of the campaign, playing just four defensive snaps in total.

Baltimore’s cornerback room is arguably the strongest position on the Ravens’ roster, with two All-Pro players in Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey joining long-time veteran Jimmy Smith in the defensive backfield. Still, the loss of Marshall is a blow to the Ravens’ depth, especially with some questions still surrounding the health of Tavon Young who missed the whole of last season with a neck injury. If Baltimore finds themselves in need of a veteran to fill out the roster, Brandon Carr remains a street free agent. Carr spent the last three seasons with the Ravens, starting all 48 games.

In other injury news, wide receiver and key special teams player Chris Moore also suffered a broken finger over the weekend. This is the second year Moore has suffered a broken finger, which will make it harder for him to lock down his spot on the 53-man roster.

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