The Baltimore Ravens preseason is over and it ended on a sour note with the Flock enduring back-to-back losses and kickstarting a new (losing) streak having won their prior 24 mid-summer contests in a row.
After beating Philadelphia in the preseason opener, Baltimore dropped two consecutive games in a span of six days, including Saturday's 26-20 loss to the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. Lamar Jackson didn't play while Baker Mayfield started for the Bucs, leading his new team to victory.
Josh Johnson impressed, David Ojabo struggled, and a lot of other players put on good and bad performances that could have sealed their future with the organization, whether that means making the 53-man roster next Tuesday, getting cut, or joining the Practice Squad.
With the preseason over and no more games until the regular-season opener on Sept. 10, here's Ebony Bird's Preseason Smorgasbord of Winners and Losers discussing 23 players from Lamar Jackson to Melvin Gordon.
Winner: QB Lamar Jackson
Jackson wanted to appear in the preseason and he commented before Saturday's finale against Tampa Bay that he would like to play in the final week of mid-summer games. Didn't happen.
Lamar can be considered a winner simply because he has been active and healthy through training camp and has escaped any preseason injuries. That said, the inactivity and a lack of in-game action under new Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken might hurt him and the offense come Week 1.
That alone could also make Jackson a (potential) loser entering the regular season as he'll be the main target of critics if the Ravens fail to beat Houston on Sept. 10.
Other franchises threw their starting quarterbacks into the preseason fire for a few snaps, including cameos by Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, and even Aaron Rodgers as the new leader of the New York Jets.
Will the rust pop up? We'll have to wait and see in a couple of weeks. For now, Lamar is healthy and that's all that matters.
Winner: QB Josh Johnson
Started Saturday's game, played into the second quarter, finished 6-of-9 for 95 yards and a touchdown, and was only eventually replaced by a no-TD-scored Anthony Brown midway through the second frame.
Had Tyler Huntley been available and reasonably fit (let alone at 100% capacity), Johnson might have not even started this game or endured a much tougher assignment when it comes to fending off his younger teammate for the coveted QB2 role.
Didn't happen, and Johnson exits the preseason probably leading Huntley if only on pure performance and production levels this summer. Johnson seems to fit Monken's all-guns-firing approach with downfield throws and at 37 years of age it's not that you can have a much-more-polished guy to rely on if needed.
Johnson might miss on making the 53-man roster but he's a lock to become a Practice Squad member in Baltimore or elsewhere.
Loser: QB Tyler Huntley
Missed this game entirely as he's still out injured. The performance of Josh Johnson combined with his absence for the past two games and the good-enough outings of Anthony Brown have put Huntley in a perilous situation.
He's younger than Johnson and much more experienced than Brown. Is that enough to get the QB2 nod, though?
The Ravens aren't going to name three quarterbacks into their 53-man squad with much more pressing needs elsewhere in the roster. Perhaps his injury actually helps him clear waivers if he gets cut, then re-signed by the Ravens to become part of the Practice Squad.
Loser: QB Anthony Brown
Brown got into the game in the second quarter and was relatively good, although he ultimately failed to put together a late comeback that cost Baltimore their second consecutive loss after dropping their matchup against Washington last Monday.
The youngster completed 12 of 21 passes for 171 yards and no TDs. That's only partially true. For one, it's facts. On the other hand, it was WR Sean Ryan who screwed Brown's stat line by dropping a wide-open pass by Brown that could have given both a touchdown on a 21-yard completion. Ugh.
Brown is waiver fodder, full stop. He will miss on the final roster but he will definitely clear waivers as no other franchise will claim him so he will return to Baltimore as a member of the Practice Squad to start the season there and keep honing his game with the rest of the ancillary Ravens.
Winner: RB Justice Hill
Started the game, and played on a single drive, but didn't log a single action on the stat sheet so he became a phantom performer. That, however, is the best news for Hill. This type of performance and usage sealed his presence in the 53-man roster to be named on Tuesday.
Hill already played as the RB1 in the preseason opener beating Gus Edwards (the prospective RB2 of the team when everybody was available) to that role, and then Edwards wasn't active in Week 2 while Hill was.
It's not that Hill was playing for his life this summer as his role and position in the backfield were never in danger, but he did enough to guarantee the RB3 role this season and he could grow into a more prominent role in the near future depending on the health of other rushers and their contracts with Baltimore (looking at you, J.K. Dobbins).
Loser: RB Melvin Gordon III
The chances of veteran rusher Melvin Gordon at making it to the final regular-season roster of the Ravens are slim to none at this point and with the preseason completed.
Gordon played all game on Saturday finishing with nine rushing yards on three carries (no TD) to go with 19 yards through the air on two receptions (out of four targets). That's a combined 28 yards on seven opportunities, which is mediocre at best and horrible at worst.
The veteran running back has not done enough to merit a roster spot if the Ravens decide to carry a four-man backfield into the regular season, and it's hard to see any other franchise (barring last-minute injuries) claiming him off waivers if Baltimore cuts him ahead of Tuesday's deadline.
You can pencil MG3 in your projected Ravens Practice Squad because that's the only thing Gordon's good for these days.
This guy was great a few years ago, for sure, but he's now 30 and it's hard to see him getting more than a super-deep rotational role in Baltimore or elsewhere going forward.
Winner: RB Keaton Mitchell
We might be jumping the gun here assuming Mitchell didn't play because 1) the Ravens wanted to preserve him from suffering any setback/injury as he got banged up last Monday and 2) Baltimore wants to keep him hidden from potential vultures trying to watch as much tape as possible before snatching him next week if he gets cut.
The UDFA has generated endless headlines through the summer and the preseason, and the Ravens might actually be forced to name the kid into their 53-man roster if only to keep him in tow and not lose him through waivers. That's how good Mitchell has been.
Mitchell suffered a "shoulder stinger" on Monday and he's been rehabbing since then, though he's been seen practicing at The Castle. He wouldn't have played at 100%, and the Ravens did the right thing by keeping him under wraps.
Whether his absence meant he's already locked into the final roster or not, it's fair to assume he's the new Ravens RB4 pending knowing if the team will carry four rushers or three.
Winner: RB Owen Wright
This is not a huge win because Wright's exceptional game on Saturday won't thrust him into a regular-season roster spot, but the rookie has pretty much secured his place in the Practice Squad and that's already a massive win for a freshman trying to make a living as a pro football player.
Wright led all Ravens' rushers with 89 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries against the Bucs. He also caught a couple of passes for 11 extra yards on five targets and wrapped up his preseason with a smooth 100-yard outing all things considered on 17 opportunities and 14 touches. No joke, folks.
The Ravens were the closest to mounting a comeback late in the game when Wright scored his touchdown on a 2-yard play that came with barely nine minutes left on the clock and put Baltimore at just three-point distance of their foes, down 23-20 then.
That drive saw Wright complete a near-40-yard run, catch a pass to bring the Ravens inside the five-yard line, and then score the TD after that. Sublime performance that puts him on equal terms with fellow Squad Practice-bound Melvin Gordon ahead of Tuesday.
Loser: WR Devin Duvernay
Duvernay didn't play on Saturday, but we have to think he's a little bit of a loser because of the context he finds himself in these days and entering the 2023 regular season.
The veteran receiver is going to cost the Ravens more than $4.5 million this season, which is a humongous figure considering Duvernay's role in the offense (borderline rotational player), among wide receivers (WR5), and in special teams (Tylan Wallace can do the same and doesn't even earn a million).
Will the Ravens cut bait and send Duvernay packing before Tuesday or shortly after that deadline? Will Baltimore explore the trade market just to see if there's any interest out there? This could very well be the case, and nobody would complain.
Cutting or trading Duvernay would save the Ravens more than $4 million so they might decide they're nicely set up at WR and TE including special teams with the emergence of Wallace and move on from Duvernay before Week 1.
Winner: WR Tylan Wallace
Another day, another game, and another win for Tylan Wallace. The WR6 on the Ravens' Depth Chart has a name and it's now set in freaking stone. Wallace only got four targets and two completions on the day but he still found a way to finish with 30 yards and both catches of 15 yards each.
This was more about solidifying his role as the last WR in the depth chart to be included in the 53-man roster rather than earning it, but that's precisely what Wallace needed to do and went on to do on Saturday.
Wallace caught those two passes and he also appeared on special teams for punt return plays. He grabbed a punt and brought him up 10 yards, which is all you needed to watch him do on top of his work from the LOS to confirm what we already know: Tylan Wallace, Ravens' WR6 (if not WR5 in the event of a Duvernay cut).
Loser: WR Sean Ryan
No bueno. Ryan generated some buzz through training camp but that's where the good vibes ended. Ryan fumbled the ball and dropped the pass when it mattered the most. Literally, in the latter case on Saturday.
Anthony Brown had the chance of a lifetime to complete a 21-yard pass for a touchdown but Ryan couldn't catch the rock and dropped the pass, finishing the game with a meager nine yards on one reception when he could have gone for 30 yards and a score... also helping Brown throw for a TD. Sheesh.
Ryan could be happy if he makes it to the Practice Squad, which isn't even a guarantee at this point given his subpar outing on Saturday and prior preseason games.
A solid training camp will back him up a bit, and that's probably all you need to make the PS of the team you practice with for the whole summer, but if I was Ryan I wouldn't sleep tight till I see my name in the Ravens books in a few days.
Loser: WR James Proche
Two targets, two receptions, 28 yards, and a 22-yard grab among them. This might have been Proche's best outing of the summer and that's saying something.
Proche is a veteran, but after dropping the ball in past preseason games it's fair to assume is as good as gone, and if not gone, at least completely outside of the race for the WR6 role.
The veteran wideout will most probably stay put in Baltimore with the Ravens keeping him around the Practice Squad.
If he doesn't want or accept that's what he's in this league these days he might be in for a cold world and reality as no other franchise might bet on him and claim the man off waivers.
Winner: WR Laquon Treadwell
Two targets, two receptions, 33 yards, and a 24-yard grab among them. Yes, I copy-pasted that line changing only a couple of numbers from Proche's statline in the slide before. The difference is one subtle tidbit I left out: Treadwell grabbed a throw for a touchdown while Proche did not.
Josh Johnson was still quarterbacking the Ravens on Saturday when he connected with Treadwell for a 24-yard reception and the first touchdown of Baltimore and the game as a whole, putting the visitors up 7-0.
Johnson-Treadwell sounds like hella second-string/practice-squad after Saturday, with both veterans expected to stay within the Baltimore organization but not featuring in the regular season, most probably hitting the Practice Squad instead of making it to the 53-man roster.
Winner: TE Charlie Kolar
Kolar dropped a ball. Kolar, also, hauled in four receptions for 45 yards and an average of 11+ yards per catch. That's fantastic, and that's all Kolar needed to silence those folks out there saying that Travis Vokolek was about to oust him and beat him to the TE3 role in the final 53-man roster to be named Tuesday.
Yes, Vokolek had two touchdowns at the start of the week against Washington, but Kolar was never going to miss on the final roster cut and he showed everybody why on Saturday.
Kolar is also young, just 24, and a second-year tight-end with a bright future in Baltimore (if Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely move on at some point) or elsewhere in the NFL because he will only grow from this point on.
Charlie-K hauled in a 19-yard pass to get things going on Saturday as that marked the outcome of the first play of the game. Not bad for an anchor.
Loser: OL Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu
It turns out the hype was a tad too high and the reality a much darker one. It's not that Aumavae-Laulu has had a horrid preseason, but it's also not that Sala has done enough to earn a starting role in an NFL offensive line having entered the league a few months ago as a late-round draft pick.
Sala will have all of the time to develop coming off the pine and in the training fields of Owings Mills, Md. Again, we're talking about a freaking day-three pick so odds were always going to be against him fending off uber-veterans John Simpson and Ben Cleveland for the starting gig.
Malaesala is a rookie, and that's simply how he played through the preseason whether that was starting games or as part of the second unit. He's been beaten left and right, he's allowed rushers in, he's not been able to prevent sacks, and on Saturday alone he got destroyed more than a couple of times including surrendering a sack of more than five or six yards.
Sala started and played mostly in the LG position to the left of the center, but John Simpson has won the starting gig as announced by John Harbaugh after the game. Nothing to argue against that decision.
Winner: OL John Simpson
No bigger winner than Simpson after Saturday's game and post-game confirmation of his earning of the starting gig at the LG position beating rookie Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu and veteran Ben Cleveland to it.
Simpson didn't play on Saturday and that was already telling as the Ravens have no starting-caliber backup around if he gets injured, so better be safe than sorry.
The veteran and former Raiders lineman played 70 snaps this preseason and earned a gaudy 82.7 PFF grade in that time allowing zero pressures through 44 pass-blocking snaps. Talk about quality.
With Simpson locked into the starting LG role, the Ravens can simply forget about that spot on their offensive line while trying to come up with solutions for the rotation/other spots in it by moving around Ben Cleveland and Patrick Mekari if injuries pop up through the season.
Loser: OL Sam Mustipher
The Ravens addressed the loss of backup center Trystan Colon to the Jets by signing former Bears starting center Sam Mustipher in May after he played 40 games in Chicago.
Although Tyler Linderbaum is the established starter, Mustipher appears likely to secure a spot on the Ravens' roster, or not. Yes, Mustipher is the only true center in the Ravens' roster outside of Linderbaum, but with John Simpson now the clear-cut starter at LG and Ben Cleveland freed from that role and multi-positional versatility and prowess, this looks like the final battle for a place in the 53-man roster.
Coach John Harbaugh praised Mustipher's performance in training camp, highlighting his understanding of the offense and solid skills, so we'll see.
If Harbaugh believes Cleveland can move all across the line from LG through RG including C, then it might be a close call to make by the Ravens next Tuesday.
Winner: OL Ben Cleveland
Cleveland didn't do anything in particular to come out as a clear winner on Saturday, and while he officially lost the battle for the starting LG role to John Simpson, that might actually be good news for him.
Now that the left guard position is filled by another veteran and that rookie Sala hasn't looked any good at all through the past few preseason games, Cleveland might have actually locked into a locked-in rotational and multi-position wildcard getting into the regular season.
Sam Mustipher is presumed to be the backup center of Baltimore, but Cleveland could do that job while also adding a body capable of manning both the LG and RG/RT roles if needed, so this feels like a close call to make by Baltimore.
Cleveland might still be traded if he's deemed a surplus player with Sala/Mustipher locked into rotational and second-string roles, but that's far from fait accompli and more of an assumption than anything else at this point.
Loser: OLB David Ojabo
Perhaps the biggest loser of the full preseason, Ojabo has looked bad going against second and third-stringers through the mid-summer games, and not even a final chance against Tampa Bay helped him fix his wrongs.
Ojabo is coming off a two-game rookie year following a long rehab through most of the 2022 regular season. He failed to clear opposing blocks on Saturday, he never got to the quarterback, and he struggled to apply any pressure at all, let alone get close to earning a sack.
The potential and the upside still feel reasonably high but at this point in the developmental curve, Ojabo looks like he's still buried five feet under mediocre-level NFL outside linebackers and edge rushers.
The Ravens used Ojabo through the full first half and all he could do was tackle one man. Add the prior two games to his full preseason stat line, and all you get is a combined two tackles, no sacks, no QB hits,... and on and on it goes.
Winner: OLB Tyus Bowser
Bowser is going to start the season, most probably, in the NFI list. That means he will be forced to miss the first four regular-season games no matter his health status or recovery.
After Saturday and the preseason as a whole, though, Bowser can be considered a winner by default.
The Ravens had to sign Jadeveon Clowney off the street and the former no. 1 pick is determined (and will) to play 17 games. The Ravens did that, though, because of the lack of pass rushers and outside linebackers capable of playing NFL-level football.
After struggling mightily to apply any pressure, let alone get to the QB, David Ojabo is back to looking like a developmental prospect more than an actual NFL player ready to contribute and produce from Week 1. That means that Bowser, once healthy, could be thrown straight into the linebacker line to pair one of Clowney/Odafe Oweh with Ojabo hitting the bench easily and quickly.
Loser: CB Jalyn Armour-Davis
JAD struggled with health issues for a good chunk of training camp. The second-year man started against the Bucs on Saturday kissing the touchline and outside the numbers, but he was visibly overwhelmed by the opposition.
The only positive on his Saturday's resume is that he made it unscathed through the third quarter. On the other hand, that also meant that Baltimore needed to watch as many reps and snaps with him on the field as possible to asses his talents, leaving the sophomore in a precarious position.
Jalyn completed three tackles but he also allowed two catches to WR David Moore for 11 and 14 yards respectively in his first game this preseason.
The needs of Baltimore's secondary might be all JAD needs to find himself included in the final 53-man roster, but it's not that deploying him against the elite offenses of the NFL will have the coaches of the Ravens resting easy.
Winner: CB Kyu Kelly
Kelly got a handful of snaps on Saturday and he was as bad as expected. In fact, Kelly had another night to forget and didn't bounce back as many had hoped, proving he's still pretty much a developing player even though he arrived in Baltimore through a mid-round pick.
Kyu Kelly's short-term future was starting to look very murky, and he can only hope to get into the Ravens Practice Squad ahead of the regular season before he can start to grow into an NFL player from there. Nobody will seriously think about claiming him off waivers if (when) Baltimore cuts him next Tuesday, so there's that.
Kyu manned the outside corner in most snaps and was targeted five times per PFF charting, allowing three receptions in those throws and a touchdown (on an 11-yard pass) to Chris Godwin in the first quarter, and he failed to do right in a kick return that helped the Bucs more than hurt them.
Winner: CB Ar'Darius Washington
Washington was the starter at the nickel cornerback position and defended the slot for the Ravens on Saturday. You can pencil him in the final roster and the actual starting role come Week 1 because there's no other better/available option in Baltimore's depth chart.
Arthur Maulet keeps recovering from an injury and missing games. DeAndre Houston-Carson and Daryl Worley aren't horrible, but they can't do as much on the field as Washington has proved capable of (mostly manning the slot, which is the Ravens' most pressing need these days).
Washington has been a staple of the Ravens' Practice Squad in the past, but he's simply the best S/CB hybrid on the team right now and he's expected to take on Kyle Hamilton's fluid role from the 2022 season in 2023 as the sophomore transitions to full-time safety play.