The Ravens will play their second preseason game Aug. 16 at Dallas, giving those on the roster bubble another big chance to state their case for inclusion on the initial 53-man roster.
Coaches do much of their evaluations on the practice fields and in the film rooms throughout the course of the summer, but they also want to see how such players perform against live competition when the lights come on. The Ravens play their third and final preseason game at Washington on Aug. 23, and then the initial roster must be set three days later.
Going into the Dallas game, here are three bubble players trending well, and three who might not be, less than two weeks before the final roster cutdown:
STOCK UP
C/G COREY BULLOCK — Bullock spent all last season on the practice squad, and head coach John Harbaugh said he has seen “dramatic improvement” from the Maryland native who played one year at Maryland after transferring from North Carolina Central.
Bullock was the starting center in the preseason opener against Indianapolis, and when the offense splits into two large groups during practice periods, Bullock of late has been among the top reserves with the starters.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken praised Bullock’s work ethic while on the practice squad last year, and he said this week that Bullock is “playing a really high level right now. I’m excited for him and for us.”
The Ravens figure to keep tackle Joseph Noteboom and guard Ben Cleveland as top offensive line reserves, and rookie fifth-round tackle Carson Vinson probably makes the team as well. (Third-round pick Emery Jones still has yet to begin practicing and at this point could start the season on the Non-Football-Injury list.) There might be room for just one more interior offensive lineman, and it appears Bullock has risen to the top of that group.
DB REUBEN LOWERY — With a large draft class and relatively little roster turnover, the odds appear to be especially long for any undrafted rookie to make the initial roster this year. Yet the Ravens have kept an undrafted rookie in 20 of the past 21 years, and if they do so again this year, Lowery has a good chance to be that guy.
An undrafted defensive back out of Tennessee-Chattanooga, Lowery has floated all over the Ravens’ secondary this spring and summer, and the ball seems to find him. In one practice last week, he made a nice diving play to break up a sideline route and later jumped a floater from Cooper Rush for an interception. Harbaugh noted that Lowery has played all five secondary positions, and the Dean’s List student with a mechanical engineering degree seems to have no trouble grasping the concepts.
The Ravens have lost both sixth-round rookie cornerbacks — Bilhal Kone and Robert Longerbeam — to season-ending injuries, so that could further open the door for Lowery, who projects as either a safety or a slot corner. Ultimately, as with most bubble defensive backs, his ability on special teams will determine his roster status.
WR/PR LaJOHNTAY WESTER — There is no guarantee sixth-round draft picks make the 53-man roster, and Wester’s biggest job this past month was to convince the Ravens that he could be the answer to the team’s middling punt return unit of last season. The Ravens cycled through four returners with little in the way of results, and when they selected Wester — who had played at Florida Atlantic and then at Colorado for one season — they touted his return ability.
Wester’s performance against the Colts in the preseason opener might have clinched his roster spot. Not only did Wester produce an electrifying 87-yard touchdown return, but he also had an impressive 17-yard return in which he aggressively fielded the ball and quickly got upfield. That was a striking contrast from last season, when Ravens returners frequently were tentative and let punts bounce, costing them valuable field position.
The most important thing on returns, special teams coordinator Chris Horton has preached over and over again, is simply securing the ball. As long as Wester consistently does that, the job will be his, because the Ravens now have already seen the impressive upside.
STOCK DOWN
RB RASHEEN ALI — With Derrick Henry and Justice Hill entrenched as the team’s top two running backs, Ali entered training camp competing with Keaton Mitchell for the No. 3 running back job. Throughout the summer, and in the preseason opener against the Colts, Mitchell has shown burst and speed that looks to be back to pre-ACL-injury levels. That’s a good sign for the Ravens, maybe not so much for Ali.
Mitchell was held out of practice this past week for an undisclosed injury, though Harbaugh downplayed any injury concerns. And Mitchell was unlikely to play much if at all against Dallas. Ali should get plenty of opportunities as both a running back and a kick returner.
To his credit, Ali has been healthy and available this summer — which not the case last summer as a rookie — and he produced a 69-yard kickoff return against the Colts. On the ground, Ali ran nine times for 37 yards. But with Mitchell showing 2023 form, Ali might get caught in a numbers game.
It seems unlikely the Ravens would keep four running backs, plus fullback Patrick Ricard, on the 53-man roster. To do that, they would short-change themselves at another roster spot, keeping one fewer edge rusher or offensive lineman or defensive back, for example.
G GARRETT DELLINGER — The Ravens don’t like to cut rookie draft picks, but with the ascension of Bullock up the depth chart, Dellinger, a seventh-round pick out of LSU, will have a hard time finding a spot unless the Ravens opt to keep 10 or 11 offensive linemen. That seems prohibitive given needs elsewhere.
And even if they do keep a 10th lineman and another backup in the interior, Nick Samac and Darrian Dalcourt, who were practice squad players a year ago, both might be higher on the depth chart than Dellinger.
QB DEVIN LEARY — The Ravens are unlikely to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, but Leary’s play in the preseason opener might give the Ravens pause about even keeping him on the practice squad. Leary completed just three of 12 passes for 43 yards and threw an interception against the Colts, while facing primarily second- and third-teamers.
Leary, a sixth-round pick last year who had played four years at NC State and then one at Kentucky, had drawn high praise from Ravens quarterbacks coach Tee Martin. Cooper Rush is entrenched as the team’s top backup. Leary at this point is essentially competing against himself for the practice squad spot he held last year, and he probably needs to show more than he did against the Colts.
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