The Baltimore Ravens officially set their initial 53-man roster. There are going to be plenty of changes to come in the next 24 hours or so as the team is now able to place players on the injured reserve with the ability to come back for the season. Beyond that, the Ravens could claim someone cut from another team now and would need to make corresponding moves.
Still, for the time being, this is what the original group is. What are the biggest takeaways from the initial depth chart?
5. Baltimore Ravens keep two undrafted free agents
Before training camp, if you had to make a list of the most likely UDFAs to make the 53-man roster, it would not take long to get to Keaton Mitchell. At the same time, Malik Hamm was a sleeper who definitely was down a step or two in consideration. That is the beauty of the offseason before the season starts because anything can happen when you get on the field and get the chance to prove yourself.
There are two notes from both, though. Neither played in the preseason finale. That could be a sign that both were locks the entire way, but also, both have been missing time due to injuries. Is there a chance that the Ravens place both on the IR with a chance to return later in the season? Given the rookie UDFA status, it may be best for them to rest up for a few weeks and possibly come back in the middle of the year rested and ready to go.
Beyond that, it is obvious that both are in the long-term plans and the Ravens had no interest in exposing them to waivers, even if they do not suit up for the team this year. It is hard for any UDFA to make the roster, no matter the circumstances, so this is a great day for Malik Hamm and Keaton Mitchell.
4. 3 defensive veterans are likely coming back to the Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens had three notable names missing from their defensive depth chart. Both the defensive line and the safety room were rather thin, while the cornerback room is very much the opposite. The Ravens kept just four defensive lineman. That means both Brent Urban and Angelo Blackson were cut when there was a chance that both, and at least one would stick around.
Then, the safety room has just three players in it with Kyle Hamtilon, Marcus Williams and Geno Stone. Daryl Worley felt like a lock for the roster after he played so well in the first two preseason games.
However, all three of them were cut. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens kept eight cornerbacks. We knew that they would keep five with Marlon Humphrey, Rock Ya-Sin, Ronald Darby, Ar'Darius Washington and Brandon Stephens. The three extra cornerbacks were Jalyn Armour-Davis, Arthur Maulet, and Pepe Williams.
We already know that Humphrey, Maulet, and Williams have injuries right now. The question is, do any of them get placed on the IR? If all three do, there are three spots open for Urban, Blackson, and Worley.
The odds are pretty high that at least one, but more than likely two or all three are going to the IR. If not, the question may come down to someone like Hamm or Mitchell getting placed on the IR to open those spots.
3. Tyus Bowser is out 4 weeks
The news was pretty much expected at this point, but the Baltimore Ravens did not remove Tyus Bowser from the Physically Unactive to Perform list. This means that he does not count against the roster. At the same time, it means that he is now going to miss the first four games of the season.
Bowser has hardly even worked out on the side, let alone practiced with the team, so the odds were that he was not going to play much before the fourth week of the season anyway. Now, it is official.
The injury to Bowser forced the team to sign Jadeveon Clowney, and it helped open the roster spot for him. More than that, it opened the spot for Malik Hamm. Hamm is a rookie UDFA. What was so notable about his performance in the preseason was how often he played the SAM role and worked off of the football.
He was essentially filling in for Tyus Bowser. This is something that rookie draft pick Tavius Robinson could not do, and it is what got Hamm on the roster. He can fill that role. We will see if he can stick on the roster, but it would be nice to have him fill the time until Bowser is back.
2. The Baltimore Ravens cut rookie Kyu Blu Kelly
This one was expected, but it still has to be a takeaway. The Baltimore Ravens kept eight cornerbacks on their initial roster, and not one of them was the cornerback that they drafted in the 2023 NFL draft. That is with everyone entering the draft saying that cornerback was their biggest need.
Still, Kelly could not find his way. It became pretty apparent when everyone was sitting out at practice, and Kelly could not start over Kevon Seymour. Seymour started over Kelly for the first two weeks of the preseason, and even Seymour was let go before these top eight.
It is fair that Arthur Maulet and Pepe Williams may need to go the IR, and they have not returned to practice from their injuries. Still, when those spots open, they will not be going to another cornerback but likely to the defensive line.
The reality is that Kelly played poorly in the preseason and he is not going to get claimed on waivers. The odds are high that he finds a role back on the practice squad with the Baltimore Ravens. Still, it speaks to the idea that this draft class is not trending in the right way.
1. Keep an eye on the Tyler Huntley situation
The Baltimore Ravens kept Tyler Huntley over Josh Johnson. It was a small surprise, considering the two had apparently been competing for a spot, and it was easy to make the claim that Josh Johnson had an inside track. Johnson started in week one of the preseason, and then Huntley was injured for the second and third weeks.
There is a chance that Huntley comes back from injury in time for week one, but there also is a chance that the team just placed him on the initial 53-man roster so that they could get him to the injured reserve with the ability to return.
With that, it could buy Huntley a few more weeks to recover, and the team could get Josh Johnson right back on the 53-man roster. Johnson is a long-standing veteran, so he does not have to clear waivers to circle back to the roster So, the Ravens could have told him that they plan to cut him with the intention of bringing him back at noon the next day. Or, Johnson could end up back on the practice squad, which would impact Anthony Brown.
Does Johnson bump off Huntley, who is heading to the IR? Does Johnson bump off Brown on the practice squad? Or does Johnson just end up finding work somewhere else this season?