The Baltimore Ravens having injuries and shuffling up and down the depth chart has become a common theme on the team. While it had been on the offense in recent years, and the injury status of J.K. Dobbins and Rashod Bateman had the vibe that it could be the same in 2023, the defense has actually taken over as the side of the ball with issues.
Which positions have the biggest questions and where to the Ravens stand right now?
3. Baltimore Ravens cornerback room is a mess
The Baltimore Ravens entered training camp with questions at cornerback, and things have gotten nothing but worse since then. The thought was at least one stable force was in the mix with Marlon Humphrey. He will be back at some point, but his week one status is in doubt.
Rock Ya-Sin is expected to be back soon, but he may not play in preseason week two due to injury. Pepe Williams appears to have had a more serious injury because there has not been a timetable for him. So, the top three guys are out.
This should have opened the door for Jalyn Armour-Davis and Arthur Maulet, but nagging injuries have kept them down. Armour-Davis just returned, but who knows how much work he can get in preseason week two.
The Ravens finally signed Rondald Darby, and now he is in a race to get up to speed. The hope is that Darby and Ya-Sin can start week one, but this preseason game will probably not see either.
So, it leaves the team with Brandon Stephens, Kavon Seymour, and Ar'Darius Washington starting. The depth is Kyu Blu Kelly, and Corey Mayfield Jr., and with Jordan Swann missing time, they had to sign Tae Hayes to be the backup in the slot.
It will look better than that at some point, but those six cornerbacks being all that may play in preseason week two is rough. The Baltimore Ravens would love to get Armour-Davis some of the snaps that Seymour took last week, but he needs to get healthy. The team also should try to get Kelly on the field earlier than last week, although that may tell us what they think about him.
2. Baltimore Ravens have moving pieces at safety
The Baltimore Ravens safety room is not as bad as the cornerbacks, mainly because of the starters at the top. Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton are pretty much set and locked into their spots. There are questions when it comes to the depth, though. Brandon Stephens and Ar'Darius Washington went from depth safeties to starting cornerbacks.
Geno Stone has been injured, but it appears that he is going to return. He may get back just in time to play in the second preseason game. That would be nice because Williams and Hamilton are probably best served sitting again.
So, Stone can start with Daryl Worley, who was the star of the first preseason game. The Baltimore Ravens can also mix in DeAndre Houston-Carson, who they just signed but served as a dime safety in the Chicago Bears defense last year. He would be comfortable in that role, and it may give us a glimpse on how they use that role and if they can use the dime safety rather than the nickel cornerback at times.
Jaquan Amos is injured, so the starting duo should be Geno Stone, and Daryl Worley followed by Jeremy Lucien working with DHC as the backups.
1. What is going on in the Baltimore Ravens edge rusher room?
The Baltimore Ravens have two more weeks to decide how many edge rushers they want to keep and if they want to sign someone for those spots. Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo are locked in, but that is about it. Tyus Bowser is on the PUP, and he has no timetable to return.
Tavius Robinson is a rookie who had a rough go of it in his NFL debut. You can chalk it up to him being a rookie, but both Kelle Sanders, and Malik Hamm had more notable performances than Robinson. It warrants the question of how much draft status will matter if we get through three weeks and Sanders and Hamm are the better players.
More than that, Hamm can play the SAM role, which means he is backing up Tyus Bowser. Meanwhile Robinson plays the RUSH role and is backing up both Oweh and Ojabo. Hamm is working with Jeremiah Moon, who may also make the roster because he can provide depth at the SAM position.
So, can Moon or Hamm make the roster without beating out Robinson? Or does the performance of Moon and Hamm make them sign a free agent? Does Robinson have a spot locked down, or could the Baltimore Ravens sneak him to the practice squad?