The Ravens hoped to end the 2023 preseason by starting another winning streak, but Anthony Brown was sacked on fourth down in the closing seconds and Tampa Bay held on to beat the Ravens, 26-20, at Raymond James Stadium on Aug. 26.
As they have done throughout the preseason, the Ravens sat nearly every starter, including quarterback Lamar Jackson. But backup Josh Johnson gashed the Bucs’ starting defense on the Ravens’ opening drive. Johnson went 4-for-4, including a 24-yard touchdown to Laquon Treadwell for a quick 7-0 lead.
The Buccaneers answered with two consecutive touchdown drives, one led by Baker Mayfield and one by backup Kyle Trask. Mayfield, who has been named the Bucs’ starter, threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin, who got loose against rookie cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly.
Trask then capped a 12-play, 94-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end David Wells that gave the Bucs the lead for good at 14-7.
The teams traded field goals throughout the next two periods, with Justin Tucker hitting from 39 and 44 yards. Chase McLaughlin’s third field goal of the game gave the Bucs a 23-13 lead before Ravens backup running back Owen Wright scored on a 2-yard run with 9:17 left.
Wright powered that drive with five carries, including a 38-yarder that was the Ravens’ longest run of the preseason, as well as a 9-yard catch that set up his touchdown run. Wright, an undrafted rookie who played collegiately at William & Mary and Monmouth, probably didn’t do enough to win a roster spot but finished with 12 carries for 89 yards in his best showing of the preseason.
McLaughlin’s fourth field goal boosted Tampa’s lead to 26-20 with 2:19 left, but Brown and the Ravens threatened again after Brown lofted a 47-yard pass to former Maryland receiver Dontay Demus Jr. The drive ended, though, when Brown was sacked with 19 seconds left.
Here are five observations after the preseason finale for the Ravens, who finish with a 1-2 record and now turn their attention to the roster, which must be cut from 90 players to 53 by Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 4 p.m.:
1. John Harbaugh’s betting on his offense being ready.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson didn’t take a snap in preseason action, and neither did Odell Beckham Jr., Mark Andrews, or most other offensive starters. The Ravens did have two joint practices with Washington to get a small feel for the starting offense against outside competition, but they won’t have another chance until Sept. 10 against Houston, when the scores start counting for real.
The sit-it-out approach was not shared by all; Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers, among other quarterbacks, got at least some action in preseason games.
But Harbaugh still remembers running back J.K. Dobbins being carted off with a torn ACL in the final preseason game at Washington two years ago. He has clearly shifted his preseason calculus and decided the risk of injury to his top players isn’t worth the reward of a preseason series or two.
If the Ravens’ new offense under Todd Monken sputters out of the gate this season, questions will arise about whether any preseason action would have helped, but Harbaugh is betting the offense will be ready and, more important, healthy.
2. David Ojabo’s quiet summer underscores lingering concerns about the edge.
The hope coming into training camp was that David Ojabo and his high school teammate, Odafe Oweh, were ready to be unleashed and wreak havoc on opposing offenses. Granted, it still could happen, but Ojabo has been quiet this summer, and Tyus Bowser’s injury adds to concerns about the edge rush group with the season approaching.
Ojabo is still adjusting to the NFL after missing nearly his entire rookie season recovering from a torn Achilles. In last year’s regular-season finale, Ojabo flashed his potential with a strip-sack of Joe Burrow, and defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald has seen the potential of Ojabo since they worked together in Ojabo’s final season at Michigan.
Ojabo got more run against Tampa Bay more than most others near the top of the depth chart, but he didn’t have much impact. Ojabo played the entire first half and finished with one tackle. In three preseason games, Ojabo totaled two tackles, no sacks and no quarterback hits. Occasionally he got sucked inside against the run, and his moves haven’t worked often enough against NFL tackles.
Ojabo’s presence is especially important since Bowser remains sidelined by an offseason knee injury. Bowser is on the Non-Football Injury list and has not begun practicing. It seems increasingly likely that he will begin the season on the NFI list, which means he would be sidelined for at least the first four games.
The Ravens have added veteran Jadeveon Clowney to the group, and that could help take some of the pressure off Ojabo. But until Bowser comes back, and probably even after he comes back, the Ravens are counting on Ojabo to be a focal point of an imposing edge rush.
3. Keaton Mitchell might be this year’s undrafted rookie winner.
Keaton Mitchell has been dealing with a shoulder injury sustained against Washington on Aug. 21, so he wouldn’t have been 100 percent for this game anyway. Mitchell didn’t play, leaving running back duties in the hands of undrafted rookie Owen Wright and veteran Melvin Gordon.
Gordon finished with three carries for 9 yards, and the fact that he was playing in the second half of the final preseason game doesn’t bode well for his roster chances. The Ravens have three locks at running back in J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, and if the team opts to keep a fourth back, it appears Mitchell has beaten out Gordon and Wright for that spot.
Mitchell, the son of former Raven Anthony Mitchell, ran for 1,452 yards and 14 touchdowns for East Carolina last fall. He had some of the Ravens’ best runs of the summer, flashing good vision and quick burst to turn the corner. He has also returned kicks. With Dobbins, Edwards and kick returner Devin Duvernay all set to hit free agency next year, Mitchell offers long-term potential.
The Ravens have kept at least one undrafted rookie free agent on the initial 53-man roster in 18 of the past 19 years. Tight end Travis Vokolek, outside linebacker Malik Hamm and wide receiver Sean Ryan have had their moments this summer, but it seems Mitchell is the most likely to make it 19 out of 20.
4. Josh Johnson has added intrigue to the backup QB discussion.
For the early part of training camp, it appeared that Tyler Huntley was well ahead of Josh Johnson for the No. 2 quarterback job. But in the past two preseason games, Johnson has looked like the poised veteran in command while Huntley has been nursing a sore hamstring.
Playing with none of the Ravens’ top five receivers, Johnson carved up the Buccaneers’ starting defense on the Ravens’ opening drive. He went 4-for-4, including a 24-yard touchdown pass to Laquon Treadwell. Johnson played three series against Tampa Bay, going 6-for-9 for 95 yards. Anthony Brown went the rest of the way and finished 12-for-21 for 171 yards. Brown also ran six times for 41 yards, but he lost a fumble in the Tampa Bay red zone.
Huntley is still expected to be the team’s No. 2 quarterback, but would Johnson’s play the past two weeks convince the Ravens to keep three quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster? Would it possibly lead them to keep Johnson over Huntley, which would save about $1.5 million in cap space? That still seems unlikely.
More likely, the Ravens will try to keep Johnson on the practice squad, and should Huntley’s injury linger into the season, Johnson can be a game-day callup as Lamar Jackson’s backup. Give Johnson credit though: The 37-year-old continues to be the consummate pro and has played his way into this conversation.
5. The Ravens got through the preseason schedule with no major injuries. That’s the biggest win.
John Harbaugh’s approach certainly paid dividends in the sense that no starters suffered any significant injuries in preseason games. In fact, training camp overall was devoid of major injury headlines. The most significant was Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey opting for a foot procedure that should be fully recovered early in the regular season.
No starter was carted off with the season essentially over before it began, as with Dobbins two years ago. Yes, the cornerback group is dealing with a litany of injuries, but of that group, only Damarion “Pepe” Wlliams, who had ankle surgery, is expected to be out through the first month of the season. And at linebacker, Tyus Bowser’s availability remains uncertain as he recovers from an offseason knee injury.
But Lamar Jackson is healthy again after missing the end of last season. Odell Beckham looks fully recovered from his knee injury. Patrick Ricard is on the field again after hip surgery, and Rashod Bateman is working back up to speed from his foot injury. By the time the Ravens line up against Houston on Sept. 10 in Week 1, they should have every offensive starter healthy and ready. Forget any preseason streak. That is the biggest win of the summer.
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