For the Ravens’ joint practice at Green Bay on Aug. 22, Ravens players took part in the Packers’ time-honored tradition of riding kids’ bikes to the field. By the end of the third quarter of the Ravens’ preseason finale two days later, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh looked ready to jump on a bike and get out of Lambeau Field as fast as possible.
With nearly every starter sitting out, the Ravens stumbled to a sloppy, turnover-filled 30-7 loss to the Packers that ended the 2024 preseason.
Now the focus shifts to the final roster cutdown; after months of meetings, OTAs, minicamp and training camp practices, the 90-man roster must be trimmed to 53 by Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 4 p.m.
Against the Packers, the Ravens took their only lead when Tylan Wallace caught a 48-yard touchdown pass from Josh Johnson. The Packers simply lost Wallace, who ran all alone in the middle of the field and then outraced everyone to the pylon in the right corner of the end zone for a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter.
From that point on, the Ravens’ offense sputtered, especially with sixth-round rookie Devin Leary at quarterback.
Later in the second quarter, Leary was strip-sacked by Arron Mosby, who came unblocked off the edge when tackle Josh Jones collapsed inside. Packers safety Anthony Johnson Jr. scooped up the ball and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown and 20-7 Packers lead.
Leary finished 6-for-13 for 34 yards and was intercepted twice, including once by former Ravens linebacker Kristian Welch.
On the first play of the second half, one of Leary’s six completions went to backup tight end Riley Sharp, but he fumbled when he was hit, and the Packers recovered at the Ravens’ 27-yard line. Six plays later, the Packers scored on a fourth-down, 7-yard pass from quarterback Sean Clifford to receiver Malik Heath for a 27-7 Packers lead.
Here are five quick observations of the game for the Ravens, who finish the preseason at 1-2:
1. The starting offensive line appears to be set. It will be tested immediately.
The Ravens rested nearly every starter, but for the second straight preseason game, Andrew Vorhees started at left guard, Daniel Faalele at right guard and rookie second-round pick Roger Rosengarten at right tackle.
Harbaugh said earlier this week that he had a “pretty good idea” what that starting group would look like and those three have been running with the first unit for most of the past few weeks. The fact that Ben Cleveland played extensively after the starters against Green Bay suggests he hasn’t jumped to the first unit, and super-sub Patrick Mekari is still an option at right tackle in place of Rosengarten, though he has been dealing with an injury the past week and didn’t play against Green Bay.
Vorhees, Faalele and Rosengarten have a combined total of zero NFL regular-season snaps at their positions, and their collective debut could come against a rugged Kansas City defensive front. (Faalele has played tackle in his two-year NFL career but never guard.)
The starting offensive line didn’t get a lot of push against the Packers. With those first-unit players on the field, the Ravens did not register a first down in the first quarter and netted 10 yards on their first six rushes.
Granted, the Ravens will have All-Pro Ronnie Stanley at left tackle, and he is rested and ready after sitting out all three preseason games. They also expect to have Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum back; he’s missed most of August with a soft-tissue injury but Harbaugh said Linderbaum is “on schedule,” and the team had been pointing him toward Week 1.
The Ravens say they have a pretty good idea what they have up front. Against the Chiefs, they will know quickly whether that’s good enough.
2. Owen Wright’s injury shows the worst side of preseason, and now the Ravens’ RB3 is TBA.
Running back Owen Wright entered spring as a longshot to make the 53-man roster. He spent all of last season on the practice squad as an undrafted rookie, and then watched the Ravens draft another running back, Rasheen Ali, in the fifth round this spring.
Throughout the course of the spring and summer, though, Wright competed hard for the job. He outperformed Ali, who has been slowed by injury the past few weeks, and all indications suggest Wright was in position to claim the job as the No. 3 back. He only enhanced that position against Green Bay with three kickoff returns that averaged 30.3 yards.
But Wright, who had three carries for 10 yards, left the field on a cart, and Harbaugh announced after the game that Wright suffered a broken foot. It’s a brutal break for Wright, and it throws into question the third running back.
Ali, who has been dealing with a stinger for the past couple of weeks, did not play against the Packers and could begin the season on injured reserve. Wright certainly will as well. Chris Collier and John Kelly took over at running back against the Packers, but based on the summer’s body of work, neither appears likely to take over as the No. 3 back.
With Derrick Henry and Justice Hill entrenched as the top two backs, the No. 3 back will primarily have a special teams role, and the Ravens can scour other roster cuts to find that player. Don’t be surprised if the Ravens’ initial 53-man roster includes just two running backs (not counting fullback Patrick Ricard). That would allow them to keep another player elsewhere.
When the Ravens face the Chiefs in the season opener, their RB3 probably isn’t in the organization right now.
3. It’s been an underwhelming summer for the Ravens’ rookie draft class.
The Ravens drafted nine players in April, and as usual, the top pick has commanded a lot of attention. Cornerback Nate Wiggins, selected at No. 30 overall, has looked the part. His speed is apparent, and he has drawn rave reviews on the Owings Mills practice fields this summer. He had good coverage on two incompletions in limited duty against the Packers.
Second-round pick Roger Rosengarten slowly worked up to speed, but he might go to Kansas City as the starting right tackle.
Beyond that, though, this draft class has shown little this summer, with several picks slowed by injuries. The Ravens are loyal to their draft picks, but it seems unlikely they will all survive the roster cutdown, and for the ones that do, it’s fair to question whether they will make any meaningful contributions early in the season.
Third-round linebacker Adisa Isaac missed most of spring and summer workouts with a problematic hamstring injury, then once he returned to the field, he was injured in the second preseason game against Atlanta.
Fourth-round wide receiver Devontez Walker (ribs) and fourth-round cornerback T.J. Tampa (sports hernia surgery) both have been limited. Walker finished the three preseason games with one catch for 4 yards and doesn’t yet look ready to take on a role in the offense. Tampa has slowly and steadily been working back from his surgery but did not play a snap in the preseason.
Fifth-round running back Rasheen Ali has been sidelined by a stinger the past couple of weeks and had seemingly fallen behind Owen Wright on the depth chart. Sixth-round quarterback Devin Leary did nothing this summer to wrest the backup job from Josh Johnson and had a forgettable afternoon in Green Bay in the preseason finale.
Seventh-round center Nick Samac had been coming on of late, but he left the Packers game on a cart, and seventh-round safety Sanoussi Kane missed extensive time with a stinger.
It’s unrealistic to expect an entire draft class to make an immediate impact, but Day Two and Day Three picks often contribute on special teams right away. With the way the summer has gone for this draft class, it’s possible just two of the Ravens’ April picks will be in uniform at Kansas City.
4. The next 72 hours will be agonizing for those on the bubble.
Wide receiver Tylan Wallace said that last year, he sat in his car in the parking lot of the Ravens facility as 4 p.m. on roster cutdown day neared. When the 4 p.m. deadline came and went and his phone didn’t ring, only then did he realize he had made the 53-man roster.
Wallace’s status should be a bit safer this year, even before his 48-yard touchdown catch against the Packers. He has proved to be a special teams standout in his career and has made a case for his own inclusion as a receiver.
For others on the bubble, it will be a long 72 hours. To be sure, general manager Eric DeCosta, Harbaugh and their braintrust already have a good idea what that roster will look like, but moves to IR, the sudden running back issue or 11th-hour acquisitions could still provide a twist.
This waiting might be most dramatic for undrafted rookies, each of whom set out this summer to buck the long odds and make the team. The Ravens have kept at least one undrafted rookie on the initial 53-man roster in 19 of the past 20 years, and a couple of those players have at least worked their way into the conversation.
One is former Maryland safety Beau Brade, who led the Ravens in tackles against both Atlanta and Green Bay. Ar’Darius Washington didn’t play against the Packers, which suggests he has firmed up a roster spot as a backup safety behind Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson.
If the Ravens keep a fifth safety, Brade could be in competition with Kane, the seventh-round rookie, and veteran Daryl Worley, who is well liked in the organization. Given the Ravens’ desire to maintain secondary depth, and place a premium on special teams, it’s possible they will keep an extra safety or cornerback – especially if they initially keep just two running backs.
The Ravens’ cuts will probably begin Monday, with those final calls to turn in the playbook coming by Tuesday afternoon. After a long week and long game in Green Bay, it’s going to be a long weekend for those on the bubble.
5. Now all eyes point to Kansas City.
When the Ravens kick off the 2024 season at Arrowhead Stadium in a highly anticipated rematch of last season’s AFC championship game, their starters will play in their first game action since that day back in January.
The Ravens opted to rest nearly every starter this preseason, a strategic shift from Harbaugh after he watched starting running back J.K. Dobbins go down with a season-ending knee injury in the preseason finale in 2021.
Ravens quarterback and reigning league Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson said after a Week 1 win last year that the team had “a little hiccup” at the beginning of that game, grinding to a 7-6 halftime lead in the first game action for most starters, as well as the first game for new offensive coordinator Todd Monken. (They ultimately pulled away to win 25-9.)
Speaking after practice last week, Jackson said he expects no such stumble out of the gate this time.
“I’ve been with my guys since Day One … building chemistry, and I feel like we’ve been looking pretty good, so I think we’ll be ready,” he said.
Perhaps just as significant, Harbaugh said he also expects Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum and All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews to be ready. Linderbaum has been out most of August with a soft-tissue injury, and Andrews has not practiced since he was in an auto accident last week. (Andrews was not injured, according to the statement from the team, and has been seen on the field with teammates before preseason action.)
The Chiefs game also will be the first regular-season game for new defensive coordinator Zach Orr, and the first regular-season game action for nearly every defensive starter other than Trenton Simpson, who put in yeoman-like work across three preseason games. (Simpson led the team with 19 preseason tackles and was still on the field well into the second half against the Packers.)
“The bottom line,” Harbaugh said after the Packers game, “is we play the Chiefs in 12 days.”
The country will be watching. The preseason is over. Real football is back.
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