Baltimore Ravens: The defensive line roster battle

The Baltimore Ravens have a pretty intense battle on their hands in terms of the defensive line. When we look at competition, there is a lot to think about.

The Baltimore Ravens’ defensive line has shown some serious talent in the last two preseason games, which is a great thing for the coaching staff to see.

The downside is that it will be hard to keep all of those players and some tough decisions will have to be made in the next few weeks.

Here’s a look at what the roster battle boils down to:

Locks: Brandon Williams, Michael Pierce, Brent Urban, Chris Wormley and Bronson Kaufusi

The starting lineup is already in prime form, as the Baltimore Ravens will march out Williams, Pierce and Urban in the front.

Williams, after signing his massive offseason deal, brings incredible speed to the front and will be a dominating force this year. The Ravens run defense will be the strength of the entire team. Williams is a big reason for that. 

Pierce was another undrafted hero for the Ravens last season. He is going to give teams a fit when trying to run up the middle. Pierce is a player that could become a dominant force up front for the Ravens. 

Then there’s Urban, who has shown off a high-motor this preseason. The 6’7″ defensive end looks ready to take the next step and could be a surprise contributor for the Ravens.

Wormley and Kaufusi are locks based off of upside and where they were previously drafted. Both have been quiet, outside of Kaufusi’s sack against the Dolphins, but the staff will give these two time to fill in the rotation.

Bubble: Carl Davis, Willie Henry and Pat Ricard

Davis, Henry and Ricard are all fighting for spots on the roster, and there’s even a chance all three can make the team.

Davis saw early time in his rookie season. He missed all of 2016 with an ankle injury. He has slowly come on, including two tackles against the Dolphins. The  Ravens will likely give him one more year to show he can produce.

Henry was part of the historic fourth round the Ravens had in 2016. In that fourth round the Ravens drafted Tavon Young, Chris Moore and Alex Lewis as well. Henry was the only one of this bunch that didn’t touch the field the whole season. Consider it a learning curve year, as he’ll likely spell Brandon Williams and provide depth.

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Ricard has the toughest chance out of the group to make the team as an undrafted free agent. However, he’s doing all he can, including working as a fullback. Ricard has a great work ethic and it’s hard to root against the guy.

Prediction:

The Ravens have been decimated by injuries and that opens things up for players that normally wouldn’t make the team.

I have all eight defensive linemen on the 53-man roster so far, as it will be too difficult for the front office to part with any of them right now.

Sure, a trade or injury could come up, but it looks like the Ravens have special group on the defensive line.