The Baltimore Ravens are heading into their preseason finale against the Washington Commanders on Saturday, which means many fringe-roster players have just one chance left to prove themselves. There are not many roster spots up for the taking, so the team’s Week 3 matchup is quickly becoming the most crucial game of their football lives.
For the most part, players on the outside looking in have already secured their spots or have taken themselves out of the equation. However, depth at a few position groups is still uncertain. Here are three players in do-or-die battles going into the Commanders game.
3 Ravens with everything on the line
Sanoussi Kane
Second-year safety Sanoussi Kane is the most likely to make the 53-man roster on this list. He broke preseason with the team last year, and again has a strong chance to earn a spot. However, the safety room is as competitive as it has ever been going into Baltimore’s last preseason game of 2025.
While the starters are set, the two backup jobs are wide open. It is down to three names: Kane, Beau Brade, and Reuben Lowery. Lowery has been the most impactful of the three so far, bringing in countless interceptions in training camp and grabbing one in the team's preseason Week 2 game against the Dallas Cowboys, too. Sure, he is an undrafted rookie, but his play has been more than deserving of a spot. As for Kane and Brade, they are neck-and-neck.
The two second-year safeties have matched each other’s pace in camp. Brade has had the better preseason showings, but the Week 3 performance will be a key factor in deciding who makes the defensive back unit in 2025.
Malik Hamm
Outside linebacker Malik Hamm has his back against the wall. He is entering his third NFL season, but has never had a real opportunity to prove himself. In 2023, an ankle injury ended his season, and in 2024, he tore his ACL. This year, he is finally getting on the field, and after a recent injury to fellow pass rusher Adisa Isaac, the door is cracked open.
Isaac dislocated his elbow against the Cowboys, an injury that will keep him out until midseason at the very least, per Head Coach John Harbaugh. The Penn State product seemed like a shoo-in for the final roster spot at the position, but now the competition is wide open. It is between Hamm and David Ojabo.
The Ravens have been waiting for Ojabo to break out since they drafted him in 2022. Injury-hampered play has kept him from reaching his potential, and although he is on the brink of missing the roster, he should have the edge over Hamm. It makes the need for a star-studded showing from Hamm that much more crucial. The Lafayette product and Baltimore native tallied a sack against the Cowboys, and he will look to carry that momentum against Washington.
Garrett Dellinger
Harbaugh detailed how keeping 10 offensive linemen going into the regular season will be tough. It now sounds more and more likely the Ravens will carry nine, putting seventh-round rookie Garrett Dellinger on the chopping block.
Dellinger has not done much of note this offseason. He failed to make the second-team offensive line unit, and although he took snaps at center in camp, Nick Samac and Corey Bullock claimed the majority of the duties.
With most of the starters and backups settled, players like Dellinger should see an increase in snaps in Week 3. The odds are stacked against him, but a dominant game should guarantee him a spot on the practice squad and could help him sneak on the initial roster.