5 biggest takeaways from Baltimore Ravens preseason finale
-A backup job was won
-Two absences are noteworthy
-One roster spot may have been won the field
3. Trenton Simpson is not ready to see the defensive field for the Baltimore Ravens
A significant note in this game was how late it was before we saw Trenton Simpson play. Malik Harrison and Del'Shawn Phillips started and played the majority of the first half. Then, it was Kristian Welch and Josh Ross next to each other. It was not until late into the third quarter that we saw the third-round rookie. He was the fifth linebacker, and that was after Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith sat, so technically, he was number seven.
Fans thought that Simpson was drafted to take over for Patrick Queen, and while that may true next year, he is nowhere close to making that claim this year. In fact, he has not been able to unseat Del'Shawn Phillips, who has become a roster lock, mainly because he is the direct backup to Queen, not Simpson.
Simpson looked lost in his few snaps on defense and struggled to adjust to the NFL. It makes sense when you consider his role at Clemson, and he fell to round three because he is raw. That is the issue, though.
He looked lost in week two, and was demoted in week three. It is hard to envision the Ravens finding any role for him this season, and now they will head into the year with major questions about his future role and ability to start.