The Ravens extended their preseason win streak to 21 games with a 23-10 win against Tennessee on Aug. 11, but for players on the roster bubble, the final score didn’t matter nearly as much how they performed in game situations.
Coaches have had weeks of OTAs, minicamp and training camp to evaluate these players, but they also want to see players in the pressure of NFL competition.
The Ravens have to cut the roster from 90 to 85 players by Aug. 16, and then from 85 to 80 by Aug. 23. The final roster cutdown to 53 players takes place on Aug. 30.
The Ravens are back in action on Aug. 21 at Arizona in Week 2 of the preseason, but here are three players on the roster bubble whose stock is rising, and three whose stock is falling, after the preseason opener:
STOCK RISING
WR SHEMAR BRIDGES
With the Ravens’ top three receivers sitting out the game, and Tylan Wallace leaving early with a knee sprain, the door was open for other receivers to step up, and Bridges seized the moment. The undrafted rookie from Division II Fort Valley State used all of his 6-foot-4 frame to grab a 14-yard touchdown catch that put the Ravens ahead for good late in the first half, and he also elevated for a contested, 38-yard catch down the left sideline in the third quarter. Bridges finished with four catches for a team-high 62 yards.
Every year, it seems, an undrafted rookie receiver flashes on the training camp practice fields and then vanishes once the games begin. Bridges had a strong opening week of training camp practice — including his blocking ability — and that strong start translated to game action. With several in the receiver group nursing injuries, Bridges has forced himself into the discussion for a roster spot.
RB MIKE DAVIS
Davis was signed this offseason as a veteran insurance policy with J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards still rehabbing from ACL injuries. Dobbins returned to practice last week, and his return will likely squeeze one of the running backs off the 53-man roster. (Edwards is considered a longshot to be ready for Week 1.) Assuming Dobbins has no setbacks and is ready for the regular season, Davis, Justice Hill, Tyler Badie, Corey Clement and Nate McCrary are competing for two, or at most three, roster spots.
Davis, who ran 138 times for 503 yards for Atlanta last year, got the first reps with the starting offense against Tennessee and bounced outside for a 4-yard touchdown for the game’s first points. Davis finished with five carries for 22 yards, and he looked assertive and comfortable running behind a line featuring several backups.
The Ravens could have a tough decision to make with this group. Hill has had a strong camp and has been one of the team’s best special teams players when healthy. Badie is a sixth-round draft pick, and the team is reluctant to cut rookie draft picks. Dobbins’ progress — or lack of it — could dictate whether the team opts to have four running backs in uniform for Week 1. If they do, Davis looks like a fit.
OLB STEVEN MEANS
The eight-year veteran is competing for a spot in a Ravens outside linebacker group that grew even more shorthanded when Vince Biegel suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in practice on Aug. 4. Tyus Bowser and David Ojabo remain sidelined as well as each recovers from a torn Achilles.
Means finished with three tackles, including a sack, and frequently put pressure on Titans quarterbacks in his 27 defensive snaps. Assuming Bowser returns by Week 1 — and he was noncommittal when speaking to reporters after the Titans game — the Ravens still need a fourth outside linebacker behind Bowser, Odafe Oweh and Justin Houston. Daelin Hayes has had a quiet camp after a strong spring in OTAs, and the Ravens added three-year veteran Trent Harris to the mix, but Means made a strong case for himself.
STOCK DOWN
C TRYSTAN COLON
Rookie center Tyler Linderbaum is working through a foot injury, and his status for Week 1 is uncertain. In theory, that would help Colon’s chances of making the team. Except against the Titans, the Ravens used guard Ben Powers as the No. 2 center behind temporary starter Patrick Mekari. Colon did play 51 snaps against the Titans, and he has appeared in 14 games, with three starts, since originally signing as an undrafted rookie out of Missouri in 2020.
Powers is still the likely starter at left guard, but the Ravens also have Tyre Phillips and Ben Cleveland competing for that spot. If Powers proves capable of being a backup option at center, with Phillips or Cleveland able to fill in for Powers at guard, Colon would have a tough path to the roster.
OLB JEREMIAH MOON
The undrafted rookie from Florida has benefited from the lack of depth at outside linebacker. With Tyus Bowser and David Ojabo sidelined all summer, and Vince Biegel suffering a torn Achilles earlier this month, Moon has had plenty of reps on the practice field and against Tennessee.
At 6-foot-5 and 247 pounds, Moon has given Ravens linemen some fits coming off the edge. But against the Titans, Moon took a bad roughing-the-passer penalty when his forearm came across the face of Titans quarterback Logan Woodside. Moon finished with one tackle and one quarterback hit in 39 snaps against the Titans, but head coach John Harbaugh has little tolerance for bad penalties. For an undrafted player, that’s not the way to convince him you should stay on the team.
T DAVID SHARPE
The Ravens continue to search for possible solutions at left tackle should Ronnie Stanley not be available by Week 1. After losing Stanley for the entire season after Week 1 last season, they are being cautious with the All-Pro tackle and he remains on the Physically Unable to Perform list. In his absence, Ja’Wuan James started at left tackle against the Titans — his first work at that position since high school — and Harbaugh sounded encouraged by what he saw from him.
Sharpe could presumably in the discussion as well, and he played in five games for the Ravens last year. But Sharpe has been sidelined much of the past week by an undisclosed injury and didn’t play against Tennessee. Coaches like to say that the best ability is availability, and Sharpe hasn’t had that lately. With James, rookie Daniel Faalele, Jaryd Jones-Smith, Tyre Phillips and super-utility lineman Patrick Mekari also options, Sharpe can’t make the case for himself from the training room.
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