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The pros and cons of Ravens keeping Trace McSorley

By Darin McCann

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 08: Trace McSorley #7 of the Baltimore Ravens attempts a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of a preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 08, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 08: Trace McSorley #7 of the Baltimore Ravens attempts a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of a preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 08, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – AUGUST 08: Trace McSorley #7 of the Baltimore Ravens throws a pass in the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars during a preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 08, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – AUGUST 08: Trace McSorley #7 of the Baltimore Ravens throws a pass in the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars during a preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 08, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images) /

Trace McSorley: Should he stay or should he go?

Either the Baltimore Ravens need to keep Trace McSorley on their 53-man roster, or they simply can’t waste a roster spot on a third-string, trick-play quarterback.

As we close down to the pop of another metaphorical roster bubble, one name that has generated plenty of discussion for a final spots is rookie quarterback Trace McSorley. The Penn State alum was drafted by the Ravens via the sixth round, and the comparisons were immediately being made to New Orleans Saints jack-of-all-trades Taysom Hill.

McSorley, to hear it, had the physical skills to take over at quarterback from Lamar Jackson and Robert Griffin III if they went down to injury, or he could be a special teams ace. You could almost imagine the glee of John Harbaugh, Greg Roman and the entire Ravens staff contemplating the many ways they could utilize McSorley’s skills in this brand-new, groundbreaking offense.

Of course, there’s also the reality of the number “53” to consider. When the season starts, the team is permitted to have 53 men on its active roster — and it doesn’t matter if you like 53, 56 or 65 guys. Tough choices have to be made, and for the majority of Harbaugh’s tenure in Baltimore, the choice has been to roll with two quarterbacks.

But, a-ha! Last year was one of those years the team kept three quarterbacks, with now-starter Lamar Jackson playing that utility role until he took over from Joe Flacco. Is this the new reality in Baltimore? Or was last year simply one of transition?

Let’s examine the case of Trace McSorley…

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