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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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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 02: Quarterback Trace McSorley of Penn State looks on during day three of the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 2, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 02: Quarterback Trace McSorley of Penn State looks on during day three of the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 2, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Keeping McSorley

We’ve already seen Griffin get hurt this preseason with a random flick of the wrist resulting in a broken bone in his hand via the unforgiving helmet of a teammate. Jackson, for all his unworldly and breathtaking abilities, is indeed mortal, and his high-flying acrobatics could conceivably find him getting banged up at some point. Having a quarterback on the roster who is well-versed in this new offense and is mobile enough to keep the train on the tracks without having to alter the offensive scheme too much is, obviously, a plus.

McSorley is also a gamer. Penn State fans offer blind allegiance to McSorley, and will praise his work ethic, dedication and preparation every chance they get, if you want to hear it or not. He battled gamely against powers like Ohio State and Michigan, and was beloved by teammates and coaches. McSorley is a leader, and it’s just hard to rationalize that you can make your team better by getting rid of talented people with leadership skills.

Related Story. Takeaways from Ravens win over the Packers. light

The touchdown pass McSorley threw to Chris Moore against the Green Bay Packers was a real beauty. It was delivered quickly, in the right spot against tight coverage and was a catchable throw. Yes, Moore made an excellent catch-and-run on the play, but that’s what he is paid to do. What McSorley is paid to do is deliver the goods. He did on that play.

Look, this is the Baltimore Ravens we’re talking about. Though each season in the National Football League lives in a vacuum, it’s not unreasonable to make an educated guess that the Ravens will play tough defense, have good special teams and try to establish the run. Between that and nearly giving me a stroke in the fourth quarter of each game in the team’s history, that’s what the Ravens do.

Having that third quarterback who can come in smoothly in case of a catastrophic run of injuries to that position is the kind of thing that can keep a season from crumbling apart quickly. A trick play or two from McSorley during the season could also mean the difference between 9 wins and 10 — or playoffs, or not playoffs.

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