After holding on for a 13-12 win against the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 17 in their second preseason game, the Ravens have just a handful of practices and one more preseason game before they must trim the 90-man roster to 53.
The Ravens will hold two practices at their Under Armour Performance Center facility in Owings Mills this week, then head to Green Bay for a joint practice with the Packers before the teams meet at historic Lambeau Field in the preseason finale Aug. 24.
The roster must be cut to 53 players three days later, by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27.
In truth, the Ravens’ braintrust has already made up their minds on most of the 53-man roster spots, but the final week can make the difference; just ask defensive lineman Michael Pierce, whose effort in the preseason finale when he was an undrafted rookie likely earned him a roster spot.
Here are three players whose stock is trending upward, and trending downward, with roughly a week left before cutdown day:
STOCK UP
QB JOSH JOHNSON
If there were any doubt before — and that’s debatable — Johnson cemented himself as the clear No. 2 signal-caller on this roster with his performance against Atlanta. Johnson went 11-for-11 for 120 yards and a touchdown in a little less than one full half against the Falcons. He was efficient and on target, and other than disruptions because of tenacious pressure or a bad snap, Johnson had the Ravens’ offense moving.
His best throw might have been a 31-yarder down the middle to Tylan Wallace, and that came after he hit Malik Cunningam on an out route for 13 yards on fourth-and-2.
Head coach John Harbaugh this summer has repeatedly praised the 38-year-old Johnson, even while others have questioned whether Johnson was the best option to lead the team in the short term in the event of an injury to Lamar Jackson. Against Atlanta, Johnson showed that he still has that in him.
OLB DAVID OJABO
Ojabo was perhaps the biggest story coming out of the Falcons game, given that he was finally back on the field and made a big impact. More than once, he was in Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke’s face, at times rushing off the edge or winning on a spin move inside.
The Ravens needed to see this from Ojabo. Granted, they’ll need to see a lot more, and they will need to hope that a player who has missed 29 of 34 career games because of injury can stay on the field. But this was a big step forward for Ojabo.
WR DAYTON WADE
Whether he makes the Ravens’ 53-man roster or not, Wade will always have his 56-yard touchdown catch against Atlanta on tape. Wade absolutely burned Falcons cornerback Anthony Johnson and then caught a perfectly placed ball from Emory Jones for the Ravens’ longest play from scrimmage this preseason.
Wade still has a longshot route to the roster, with four locks at wide receiver in Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor and Devontez Walker (unless Walker’s rib injury leads to a stint on IR). Deonte Harty and Tylan Wallace have key special teams value, and veterans such as Anthony Miller and Keith Kirkwood bring more NFL experience than Wade, an undrafted rookie who played collegiately at Western Kentucky and then Mississippi.
Any undrafted rookie wants to get noticed for the right reasons, and Wade did that against Atlanta.
STOCK DOWN
OL MALAESALA AUMAVAE-LAULU
A year ago, ‘Sala’ was touted as a potential Week 1 starter at left guard, but then John Simpson won the competition and Aumavae-Laulu didn’t play a snap all season. This year, the Ravens must replace three starters up front, including both guards, and after two preseason games, it appears that Aumavae-Laulu has never really been in contention.
‘Sala’ came on midway through the third quarter against the Falcons, working at right tackle. On the one and, that goes to Harbaugh’s mantra of “the more you can do,” with Aumavae-Laulu trying to show he can play both guard and tackle. On the other hand, he’s considered no better than the third option at right tackle and hasn’t been in the guard picture at all.
The young linemen struggled against the Falcons, but by all indications, Andrew Vorhees will win the vacant left guard spot, Daniel Faalele will start at right guard and either Patrick Mekari or rookie Roger Rosengarten will start at right tackle. Ronnie Stanley is set at left tackle and Tyler Linderbaum at center. Ben Cleveland, who has been working at both guard and center, is a likely reserve, as is either Mekari or Rosengarten.
That might leave just two roster spots for a group that includes veteran Josh Jones, who can play both guard and tackle; Tashawn Manning, who was on the practice squad all of last season but has come on this summer; Aumavae-Laulu, seventh-round rookie center Nick Samac and a handful of others.
QB DEVIN LEARY
This year, the NFL has tweaked its No. 3 “emergency quarterback rule” so that a team’s third quarterback can come from the practice squad, leaving less reason for a team to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. The top job this summer for Leary, the Ravens’ rookie sixth-round pick, has been to convince Ravens’ decision-makers that he’s a better option at backup quarterback than Josh Johnson. He hasn’t done that.
Leary went 3-for-5 for 24 yards against the Falcons, with his two incompletions well off the mark down the left sideline. He played in the final minute of the first half and then again late in the second half after Emory Jones had thrown a 56-yard touchdown pass that gave the Ravens a 13-6 lead. In the preseason opener, Leary went 6-for-10 for 37 yards against the Eagles. He also scored on a 1-yard sneak in that game for the team’s only touchdown.
Leary has made some good throws in training camp, but based on their performance against Atlanta, the gap between backup Josh Johnson and Leary appears to be widening.
WR DEVONTEZ WALKER
Walker, the rookie fourth-round pick out of North Carolina, has been dealing with a rib injury that has prevented him from getting any traction in the wide receiver competition. Walker played just six offensive snaps against the Falcons. In two preseason games, he has no catches on two targets in 25 offensive snaps.
Walker’s roster status should be safe, as the Ravens don’t cut fourth-round rookies. But the lack of health and impact play from him this summer has created the opportunity for other receivers such as Anthony Miller, Keith Kirkwood and Dayton Wade, who had a 56-yard touchdown catch against Atlanta, to make a stronger case for a roster spot.