Many Baltimore Ravens hopefuls are running out of time to prove themselves. We’re two weeks into preseason action, and NFL roster cutdown day is less than a week away. If you’re a player on the bubble, you need to kick it into high gear.
Some guys just need the opportunity. Undrafted rookie offensive lineman Diego Pounds has looked really strong in his first taste of NFL action, but he’s unfortunately been on the back burner.
Pounds has totaled 35 snaps thus far—he needs more if he wants a realistic shot to prove himself. Luckily for him, he’s doing everything he can to show he deserves a closer look. In the team’s preseason opener, he held up well in pass protection, and in Week 2, he registered a 74.9 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus.
When you’re playing like that, you need more snaps.
Baltimore Ravens need to give Diego Pounds a bigger opportunity
Diego Pounds is a roster longshot. He’s fighting for his life to earn a backup spot. Unfortunately, he’s almost certainly behind Carson Vinson, and Gerad Lichtenhan has taken almost every rep available at right tackle.
Week 3 could be Pounds’ chance to shine, though. It’s that point in the preseason where third and fourth-stringers are thrust into the spotlight. With that in mind, we may not see as much of Vinson, and more of Pounds…hopefully.
I’m not going to debate that Pounds should take Vinson’s spot. The 2025 fifth-round pick remains a high-upside left tackle, and with Ronnie Stanley’s age and injury history, he’s an important depth piece. The competition Pounds should be competing hard for is with Lichtenhan.
That battle with Lichtenhan probably won’t be for an active roster spot, but it will be for a coveted practice squad spot. They’re two hulking tackles who play similar roles, so it’s unlikely that the Ravens would bring them both back onto the practice squad, especially with a 16-player limit. Things could get tight.
And if that is the way things are trending, a lot is riding on the line for Pounds in Baltimore’s matchup with the Commanders. He should see another uptick in snaps after back-to-back fine showings. In all honesty, he should get a snap share that more closely matches Lichtenhan’s over the past two weeks.
To vault over Lichtenhan on the current depth chart? Another stellar performance to round out a consistent preseason could do the trick. Pounds has pretty much outperformed the second-year pro at every turn in preseason. While Pounds has demonstrated above-average power and footwork, Lichtenhan has had his discouraging moments, most notably his three holding penalties in Baltimore's win over Minnesota.
A similar result versus Washington might help Pounds pass Lichtenhan for good.
In Week 3, Pounds will be trying to survive. The idea of being cut will loom over his head all week, so a strong night against the Commanders would be telling about his ability and mentality. If the Ravens give him a fair shot, he could prove they have a diamond in the rough.
Add us as a preferred source on Google