The Baltimore Ravens named their initial 53-man roster ahead of Tuesday's deadline and they signed 15 of 16 players to their 2023 practice squad on Wednesday following the waiver wire's deadline.
With just one member of the PS still to be added to the full 69-man roster for the 2023 season as things stand, but many other moves regarding placing or taking players from Injured Reserve, we're sharing some details about the signed players.
Here is Ebony Bird's coverage of the practice squad naming with a few notes on all 15 members of the Baltimore Ravens 2023 Practice Squad.
1. QB Anthony Brown
Anthony Brown was expected to be the QB4 behind the trio of Lamar Jackson, Josh Johnson, and Tyler Huntley. The Ravens chose Huntley as their main backup while not adding Johnson to the 53-man roster on Tuesday nor the practice squad on Wednesday.
Brown made it to the practice squad, but with pending moves related to the injured reserve, the expectation is Johnson will become a member of the 53-man squad while Brown will stay with the 16 players in the PS and just as a warm body and break-in-case-of-emergency quarterback.
2. RB Melvin Gordon
The veteran lost his battle to UDFA Keaton Mitchell in a suprising move to many casual fans outside of the organization but the total opposite for those following the team closely.
Gordon joins fellow running back (and UDFA) Owen Wright as the main rushers in the practice squad of the Ravens for the 2023 season.
The veteran running back already spent time in practice squads last season and the last time he appeared in a competitive game he did as a member of the Denver Broncos.
MG3 will serve the purpose of playing a veteran role among the youngsters that will hit the training field on a weekly basis, trying to help them develop into pros.
Barring injuries impacting the backfield trio comprised of J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill, odds are that Gordon will stay inactive for the full season while staying put as a member of the practice squad.
3. RB Owen Wright
Of the two undrafted free agent rookies the Ravens signed this offseason, Keaton Mitchell made the cut as a member of the initial 53-man roster while Wright did not.
Wright, though, cleared waivers and is now returning to Baltimore as a member of the Ravens' practice squad for next season having gone undrafted coming out of Monmouth.
This young guy is just a (very) developmental process considering he didn't even rushed the rock for 700 yards combined through his last two seasons of college football. That said, he was a goal-line menace scoring a freaking 18 touchdowns two years ago and 16 last season.
As is the case with Gordon, Wright projects more as a warm body to keep around and use in training reps rather an actual player capable of contributing at the NFL level.
4. WR Sean Ryan
Sean Ryan trumped James Proche for the right of getting to train with the Ravens 2023 practice squad through next season. He will join fellow wideout and former first-round pick Laquon Treadwell in it.
Ryan came out of Rutgers this past spring and went undrafted, landing with the Ravens. He played one year of college football at Temple, then three seasons at West Virginia, and he ultimately logged 12 starts getting 26 receptions for 440 yards and three touchdowns at Rutgers last season.
Ryan's main appeal are his speed and his height, making him rather unique at the position and a nice addition to the practice squad.
However, considering how packed full of tallent the pass-catching unit of the Ravens is, it'd take a miracle (for the bad) for him to grace any snap in an NFL game next year.
5. WR Laquon Treadwell
Treadwell is a vested veteran and he returned to the Ravens as a member of the practice squad on Wednesday following his release on Tuesday. He didn't have to clear waivers, so Baltimore felt free to cut him without risking losing him to another franchise.
The former first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings has never exploded to the extents you'd think such a high-drafted player would, and he will have to wait a bit more to do so now that he was demoted to the practice squad instead of the Ravens' active roster.
Treadwell has a career-high yardage mark of 434 receiving yards, which he got back in 2021 when he was playing in Jacksonville for the Jaguars in QB Trevor Lawrence's first season leading the franchise. However, Treadwell's numbers cratered last year as he could only rack up 42 receiving yards in 2022.
He's a nice veteran to have around, but that's probably it when it comes to his chances of playing for the Ravens in any NFL game next year. He'll just help the kids improve their game, and nothing else unless/until Tylan Wallance gets injured or cut down the road.
6. FB/TE Ben Mason
It's wild but very real: Mason is entering his third NFL season and he has yet to take a single snap in a competitive game with the Ravens after being drafted with a fifth-round pick by Baltimore in 2021.
Mason has always been considered a backup and mere depth for the Ravens, and that seems to be the case once more after he got cut in 2021 and then went on to spend the full 2022 season as a member of Baltimore's practice squad.
The New England Patriots and the Chicago Bears explored the possibility of using Mason in 2021 by signing him at different points then and there, but that was it for the old-time's fullback.
Mason will be a good body to use in blocking duties with the practice squad along the rest of the offensive lineman and tight ends part of the mob.
7. TE Travis Vokolek
The rookie tight end exploded for a couple of touchdowns in the final preseason game played a few days ago, but he ultimately couldn't crack the 53-man roster in favor of Charlie Kolar.
Truth be told, odds are Vokolek ends up snatching an active-roster role whether that's in Baltimore or elsewhere a few years down the road. The Ravens are boasting an overloaded unit at the tight end position featuring Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, and Kolar, so it's not that they made the wrong decision in leaving Vokolek out.
Vokolek is huge, played college football and Nebraska, is a reliable pass catcher, and he should develop into a strong blocker with some short-distance catching prowess at the very least once he blossoms into a full-time NFL player.
Retaining the undrafted rookie out of Nebraska can be considered a coup for the Ravens, mind you, as it was widely believed that he wouldn't make it through waivers. Luckily for Baltimore, no other franchise claimed him and he's still part of the Ravens Flock.
8. C Sam Mustipher
The Ravens decided to add ostracized Ben Cleveland to their initial 53-man roster over former Chicago Bear and free-agency addition Sam Mustipher as the ninth offensive lineman for the 2023 season.
If we're honest, that was probably the right decision considering Cleveland can man both left/right guard positions, has gotten reps at tackle on both sides of the center, is experienced, and was the favorite to snatch a starting role by the time training camp got rolling.
Mustipher is the only true-backup at the center position for second-year man Tyler Linderbaum, and he will most probably end up taking some snaps throughout the regular season if only because injuries and rest are inevitable and will have to be dealt with at some point.
9. OL TyKeem Doss
Doss cleared waivers and is one of four offensive linemen added to the Ravens practice squad following the naming of nine such players into the initial 53-man roster by the franchise on Tuesday.
Doss went undrafted in 2020 coming out of Southern Miss. He's been with the Ravens since then, playing LG in 2020, then LT in 2021, and RT in 2022. His versatility alone made him a clear-cut candidate to land in the franchise's practice squad for the 2023 season, with large odds at ending up getting activated at some point.
Doss is massive, has plenty of size to man the guard positions, can deal with big tackles, and he could easily form a great partnership and rotation with active-roster players such as Patrick Mekari, Daniel Faalele, and rookie Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu.
All things considered, though, Doss finished the 2023 preseason having appeared in just 38 snaps, with half of those not coming until the finale against Tampa Bay last weekend.
10. OL Tashawn Manning
The Ravens signed Manning off the street after he went undrafted in the 2023 draft last spring. The addition of the former Kentucky standout was widely praised as a steal, so it made sense to find out about his addition to the practice squad on Wednesday.
Manning spent four years at Auburn before turning into a full-time starter at Kentucky last season, getting to play 736 snaps at right guard before getting deployed at the tackle position by Baltimore throughout the preseason.
It's also shocking to find Manning clearing waivers with no other franchise calling his name, although that would have mean adding the UDFA to an active, 53-man roster for the 2023 season while he might still benefit and need some PS reps before making such a jump into the NFL level of play.
Ben Cleveland and Sala Aumavae-Laulu are in the active roster and locked into starting roles, and there are many more versatile options rostered in Baltimore. Odds are long for Manning to get actual game time as soon as this season.
11. DT Rayshad Nichols
Nichols already spent last season in the Ravens practice squad, so he's a veteran of this type of thing. He's the lone defensive lineman named into Baltimore's PS for the year, though, so his presence in the squad will be important.
Late last season, Baltimore used Nichols and handed him a few snaps at the tail end of the campaign. It's hard to see that happen early this season, but you know how it goes with injuries and the NFL, don't you?
The Ravens named only five DL into ther initial 53-man roster, so they are walking a thin line there and the minute someone goes down they'll be in a very pressing need of reinforcements.
That is, on top of everything, contingent on the Ravens signing Brent Urban, who remains a free agent/cut but is expected to ink a veteran pact with Baltimore in the next few hours or days.
12. LB Josh Ross
Ross came out of Michigan and went undrafted last year, has a relationship both at the personal and professional levels with Ravens DC Mike MacDonald, and also knows fellow Wolverine David Ojabo, another member of Baltimore's linebacker corps.
The UDFA seemingly beat Kristian Welch to the practice squad, albeit the latter appeared in 43 games through the past three seasons combined. In comparison, Ross played 29 snaps in the preseason finale.
Ross feels like a developmental prospect the Ravens hope to turn into a starter eventually. For now, though, he should only retain a practice squad role for the full season while honing his game along his pal MacDonald while capitalizing if any serious injury impacts the active members of the Ravens squad.
13. EDGE Jeremiah Moon
Moon is entering his second season with the Ravens after dodging the bullet of getting cut and left out of a job with Baltimore resigning him to a practice squad deal.
The undrafted second-year man out of Florida already had a place in last year's practice squad, and he will keep it for next year most probably because of his knowledge of the defensive scheme and the lack of alternatives outside of the four starters currently rostered by the Ravens to rush opposing quarterbacks.
Baltimore was forced into signing veteran Jadeveon Clowney a few weeks ago to bolster a unit ravaged by injuries and subpar-level players such as David Ojabo, and they won't have veteran rusher Tyus Brown available until Week 5 as he will start the season sitting on the injured reserve.
If only to keep eveybody healthy and reasonably fit, it's more than probable that Moon ends up getting some NFL reps and taking snaps with the active squad sooner rather than later.
14. DB Jeremy Lucien
The former Vanderbilt standout got signed to the practice squad on Wednesday following his release last Tuesday. Lucien struggled to man opposing wideouts in the SEC at the college level, so we'll see if he ends up improving his game enough to face NFL-level talents.
Lucien ran a relative good 40 in the NFL Combine and has the size to play the position as a pro. Add the fact that Baltimore has a lot of corners but not many great options outside of their starters in Marlon Humphrey and Ronald Darby/Rock Ya-Sin, and it was very obvious that Lucien would end up making to the practice squad at the very least.
The Ravens have explored the possibility of using Lucien as a safety instead of a cornerback, and that might make sense and make it easier for him to get some in-game reps.
The safety depth of Baltimore isn't great, but it still feels very early for Lucien to snatch an active-roster spot and getting steady and soliid playing time this season.
15. DB Daryl Worley
Worley was expected by many to make the initial 53-man roster of the Ravens but ultimately he missed on it and didn't make the cut. That said, it Baltimore no time to throw him into their practice squad ahead of the 2023 regular season.
This preseason, Worley said that he was finally making a full-time transition to play safety after spending most (if not all) of his career deployed as a cornerback.
That, of course, had to change as the Ravens went on to lose endless cornerbacks through the mid-summer tour of matches and training camp, forcing Worley to move back to his original spot.
Worley has proved he's capable of doing everything he's been asked to do, is versatile, comes with honed chops, and should hit the active roster at some point through the season. The depth of the Ravens' secondary is nothing remotely close to deep, so it's just going to inevitably happen.