Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Broderick Washington is coming off an injury-riddled season in which he appeared in just three games. Heading into the preseason, he seemed like a clear bubble player to earn a spot on Baltimore's 53-man roster.
Still, last Saturday's preseason wasn't a strong showing for Washington, and another bad game could put his spot with the team in some clear danger, especially with seventh-round pick Rayshaun Benny waiting in the wings. Even if the Ravens view him as a keeper, it will be tough for him to earn a bigger role unless he puts forth better games in the preseason.
Washington has a chance to do that on Saturday afternoon, when the Ravens take on the Minnesota Vikings.
Last week was a stellar game for the Ravens' defense, which allowed just seven points and 159 yards to the Philadelphia Eagles. While Washington recorded two tackles, it wasn't all pretty; in particular, this play where he got manhandled by Willie Lampkin was a lowlight (and by the way, Lampkin is a 5-foot-11, 290-pound offensive lineman). Yes, it's just one play, but Washington wasn't a major factor in the Ravens' run defense having success, and he was pretty quiet for most of the game.
As such, another poor game could officially put Washington on thin ice (if he's not already).
Broderick Washington needs to prove himself to stay on the Baltimore Ravens' roster
In his six-year career with the Ravens, Washington hasn't been a high-impact player. He's started in 22 out of 73 games, never playing more than 45 percent of the team's snaps in one season. Furthermore, he has never recorded more than 25 tackles in a season and has only eight total tackles for loss. By the way, that 25-tackle season was in 2022, thus it's been a while since we've seen flashes of Washington being a productive player.
It's not a bad thing to have some depth in the trenches. However, with Washington having a forgettable six-year career thus far, you have to wonder if they'd prefer to have a bit more upside at this position. There's been plenty of speculation that this could be the case throughout the offseason, and it's easy to understand why.
Nnamdi Madubuike's return and the addition of Calais Campbell further make things more difficult for depth players like Washington. Younger players, such as Rayshaun Benny, C.J. Okoye, and Aeneas Peebles, could all be given the edge over Washington.
Another rocky showing from Washington would surely ramp up these internal conversations.
The bright side is that with a more impactful preseason game against the Vikings on Saturday, Washington can make the case to stay around.
Overall, though, Saturday is undoubtedly a massive chance for Washington to prove himself, and if he doesn't, his outlook could become very bleak.
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