Daily Caw: Ravens Offseason Grades, Roster Predictions
By Brett Foote
May 28, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith, Sr. (89) catches a punt during training camp at the Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Welcome to the Daily Caw, where we round up all the latest Baltimore Ravens news from around the web. Today we have some Ravens offseason grades, make some predictions as to how many players the team will keep on the final roster at each position, and Maxx Williams is changing up his diet.
Ravens received solid grade by upgrading secondary – Jamison Hensley, ESPN
"Best move: Upgrading the secondary. The Ravens didn’t have the salary-cap room to make a splash with players such as Darrelle Revis, but they did enough to improve the weakest part of the team. Baltimore signed Houston Texans free-agent safety Kendrick Lewis, whose range in the secondary is a much better fit than last year’s starter Darian Stewart. The Ravens also added New England Patriots nickelback Kyle Arrington, who might be the most underrated signing in the division."
Staying healthy key priority for Eugene Monroe – Garrett Downing, BaltimoreRavens.com
"As Monroe looks ahead to the upcoming season, his hope is to stay healthy and avoid some of the bad fortune that hit him last year.“Sometimes it just happens,” Monroe said at mandatory minicamp. “But that’s last year, and no one wants to get hurt, but the main objective for an athlete, for a football player, of training is injury prevention.”"
Rookie TE Williams pays more attention to diet – Clifton Brown, CSN Baltimore
"“Just about every single vet here talked about nutrition,” said Williams, writing on sportsblog.com. “They really stressed the importance of taking care of your body by watching what you eat and staying hydrated. Those things really affect you, especially when it comes down to the fourth quarter and late in practice when your energy is lower and maybe you’re dealing with cramping.“This July I’m really going to buckle down and focus on getting my eating habits right. I’ve never been a big fruit or vegetable guy (I mean, I’d eat it if it was there), but I’m going to start eating more of that. And I’m going to eat chicken and fish instead of red meats and really watch the fats and sugars in my diet. I’m going to try and eat as healthy as I can.”"
Will trends continue with composition of Ravens’ roster? – Jeff Zrebiec, The Baltimore Sun
"History under Harbaugh: The Ravens kept three quarterbacks in each of Harbaugh’s first two seasons as Kyle Boller and Troy Smith joined rookie Joe Flacco on the roster in 2008, and Flacco was backed up by Smith and John Beck in 2009. However, Harbaugh has kept just two quarterbacks in five consecutive seasons.What that means for this year: Flacco has never missed a start and the Ravens have taken advantage of his durability by keeping just two quarterbacks. The Ravens currently have four signal callers on the 90-man roster, but it would be surprising if it’s anybody but Joe Flacco and Matt Schaub on the 53-man to start the season."
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