The Baltimore Ravens are just three days away from the start of the team’s annual training camp held at the Under Armour Performance Center.
This year’s training camp represents somewhat of a return to normalcy after last year’s debacle. COVID-19 restrictions are limited and it almost feels like a normal NFL summer again.
The Ravens are one of the many NFL teams set to kick off their training camp this Tuesday. And they’ll have plenty of competition for playing time toward the bottom of their roster.
With a roster as well-rounded and talented as the Ravens, there are bound to be a few difficult cuts that the team is forced to make. After all, there are only 53 spots to go around.
The position battles up and down the roster have been well documented. From wide receiver to pass rusher, the Ravens will have their fair share of competitions to keep an eye on this summer.
Aside from those positions, you’ll have your usual list of players on the bottom of the roster looking to make a name for themselves and earn a roster spot.
Some will make it. Others won’t.
However, among the many cuts the Ravens will have to make, there always seems to be one or two that catch everyone off guard.
Who might fit that criterion this year? We take a look at four potential surprise cuts the Ravens could make.
4. Miles Boykin, WR, Ravens
Miles Boykin’s roster status has been discussed at length this offseason. But why not talk about him one more time for good measure before training camp begins?
A third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Boykin has failed to make the impact the Ravens hoped he would despite receiving ample opportunities.
The former Notre Dame standout has started 24 of 32 games but has just 32 career catches to show for it. He was part of the NFL’s worst passing offense last season and the Ravens placed an emphasis on upgrading over him at wide receiver.
They seemingly did just that signing Sammy Watkins in free agency and adding Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace in the 2021 NFL Draft. All three players figure to have a role in Baltimore’s offense.
The same could be said for Marquise Brown and Devin Duvernay — two holdovers from a year ago. Where that leaves Boykin is unknown.
Most assume that Boykin will still hold on to a roster spot as the sixth wide receiver simply due to his blocking and red-zone abilities. But that’s far from a guarantee.
2020 sixth-round pick James Proche II represents his biggest competition and could push Boykin for a roster spot if he impresses this summer.
Boykin getting released would hardly be a shock, but it would still come as a slight surprise which is why he lands on this list.
3. Ben Bredeson, OG, Ravens
The Ravens loathe cutting draft picks early in their careers — more on that later — but they could make an unfortunate exception to their rule for guard Ben Bredeson.
The Ravens bolstered their interior offensive line depth in the offseason signing Kevin Zeitler, drafting Ben Cleveland, and moving Bradley Bozeman over to center.
Suddenly, the interior offensive line has a chance to be a true strength of the offense as opposed to the inconsistent mess that it was late last season.
Behind the projected starters are the versatile Patrick Mekari and homegrown talents such as Ben Powers and Tyre Phillips (who also should see time at offensive tackle).
Then there’s Ben Bredeson. A 2020 fourth-round pick, Bredeson was an afterthought as a rookie only playing 48 total offensive snaps despite countless injuries to Ravens offensive linemen.
Baltimore seemingly gave every young offensive lineman a chance to start except for Bredeson. And heading into the summer, he finds himself slightly buried on the depth chart once again.
Mekari, Powers, and Phillips should all be roster locks. That likely leaves Bredeson competing with the likes of veteran Michael Schofield and former undrafted free agent Trystan Colon-Castillo for the final backup interior role — if there is one.
Schofield has 69 career starts under his belt and could be a dark horse to make the roster while Colon-Castillo was thrust into a difficult situation last year and held his own.
The Ravens don’t want to cut ties with a fourth-round pick so soon, but a poor showing in training camp might force their hand.
2. Justin Ellis, DT, Ravens
The Ravens have what is likely the oldest defensive line in football, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still an effective unit.
Calais Campbell was a Pro Bowler last season, and even though he’s lost a step, he remains a crucial piece of the Ravens defense when healthy. The same is true for Brandon Williams and Derek Wolfe.
But one forgotten veteran of the defensive line is backup nose tackle Justin Ellis.
Ellis has been with the Ravens since the middle of the 2019 season and he’s played his role quite well serving as a key rotational defensive lineman.
The veteran nose tackle played 34 percent of defensive snaps in 2021, which was amazingly more than the aforementioned Williams. Ellis is an important part of the defensive line rotation, but that might not prevent him from getting the ax this summer.
Ellis is a good player, but he will turn 31-years-old in December, and the Ravens are looking to get younger along the defensive line. That could open up a roster spot for someone like Aaron Crawford.
An undrafted rookie a year ago, Crawford appeared in just one game in 2020, playing 21 defensive snaps in a Week 12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Baltimore is hopeful that he could eventually take over Ellis’ role as a reserve nose tackle.
Perhaps that comes as soon as this summer. A strong training camp from Crawford could push Ellis out of the picture.
1. Ben Mason, FB/TE, Ravens
Remember when we talked about how the Ravens loathe cutting draft picks? This would surely make general manager Eric DeCosta uneasy.
The Ravens clearly had a plan for fullback Ben Mason when they selected him in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The problem is, it’s been three months and it’s still unclear what that plan for him is.
Is he primarily a fullback? Is he primarily a tight end? Is he a hybrid of both? How does he fit in on the Ravens offense? None of those questions have been answered.
The result is a fifth-round pick who is seemingly fighting an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster. That’s never a good situation in year one of a player’s career.
Mark Andrews, Nick Boyle, and Patrick Ricard are locks for the roster — presuming Boyle is activated from the PUP list prior to the start of the season.
Offseason trade acquisition Josh Oliver impressed in the spring and seems to be the early favorite for the third tight end role. If that’s the case, would the Ravens consider carrying five tight ends/fullbacks in order to keep Mason on the roster?
Given the squeeze at other positions, that doesn’t seem like the best use of a roster spot.
Mason will get the opportunity to strut his stuff when the pads come on in training camp. He excelled at Michigan as a blocker and he’ll finally be given the opportunity to impress the coaching staff with his blocking chops this summer.
But will it be enough to save his job? One would think so — but then again, you never know.