With the Baltimore Ravens second preseason game looming there are plenty of questions and plenty of takeaways to make this week. What are the most important questions that fans need to look into when the Ravens take the field in preseason week two?
10. Is John Simpson about to win the Baltimore Ravens starting left guard spot?
In the preseason opener, John Simpson started, and then Sala Aumavae-Laulu came in behind him. They were the only two to take the field at left guard, signifying that they are the only two in the left guard competition and that the team wants to use every last snap to make sure they know what they are getting in week one.
So, SAL ended up playing more snaps than Simpson, but he played against backups while Simpson took on some bigger names. More than that, Simpson played better than SAL. So, he started, he played better competition, and he performed better. The reality is that he is closing in on winning the job and may be able to do it on Monday night. It would take a combination of Simpson playing well and SAL struggling for it to happen, but that is essentially a repeat of week one. Do the Ravens call it after this week and head into the third preseason game with starters set? Why not?
9. Can Travis Jones keep his stock on the rise?
Travis Jones was one of the big winners in the preseason opener. The Ravens need a big season from Jones for him to take the starting nose tackle job. They need him to take the starting nose tackle job because it would take a lot of pressure away from Michael Pierce. Pierce is a talent, but he has not been able to put together a full season since the pandemic.
If Jones can take the majority of the snaps, then the Ravens can mix Pierce in, keep him healthy, and hopefully get the best play from him as well. From the first week, it looks like that may be the case. Jones was showing an ability to get pushed into the backfield. However, something that they may want to see now is his ability to plant his feet and hold down the line in the run game.
If Jones can string together two more strong weeks he could be in for a huge second season. He may get some of the most snaps this week of anyone who has a chance to start this season.
8. Who is the better option for the Baltimore Ravens roster between Laquon Treadwell and Tylan Wallace?
The Baltimore Ravens' sixth wide receiver job remains a competition. There also is the small chance that they do not keep a sixth wide receiver. Still, it is pretty easy to look at the top five wideouts and think they are all locked into the roster.
Zay Flowers, Odell Beckham, and Rashod Bateman will start, with Nelson Agholor and Devin Duvernay having roles of their own. So, there is only one spot left. James Proche appears to be out of the mix, and the two finalists appear to be Treadwell and Tylan Wallace.
Tylan Wallace caught a touchdown in the preseason game, but reports were that Treadwell was excelling at training camp. Treadwell also was one of the best players on the field when it came to special teams.
The reality is that this is what the spot will come down to. So, we can watch the offense, but if you really want to know what is going to happen, you have to watch special teams. Both Treadwell and Wallace will get plenty of work in that area on Monday, and we may get some traction on who is in and who is out.
7. What does the Baltimore Ravens safety depth chart look like?
The Baltimore Ravens have had to make a lot of shuffling in their safety room. It left a lot of question marks. First, Brandon Stephens and Ar'Darius Washington are officially cornerbacks, which opens up two spots. Jaquan Amos got hurt in the preseason opener and may miss week two.
So, with Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton unlikely to play, the question is how will the safety depth chart shape up? Geno Stone just came back to practice. Will he be back in time to play? If so, he will get a chance to start this week.
DeAndre Houston-Carson just signed earlier this week. He probably had enough time to pick up the playbook, but how much work can he get? Then, there is Daryl Worley, who was the star of the night last week. When Amos went down, the depth was too thin, so Worley played the entire game.
Does he play that much again? If Stone or DHC cannot get on the field he will have to, but if they do get on the field, he may not have to prove himself as much this week. Also, the Ravens may want to get him a longer look on special teams.
With Amos out, Jeremy Lucien may get some work. The UDFA from Vanderbilt played a bit in the opener and may see a bigger role this week.
The Ravens may roll with Stone and Worley to start, and then Houston-Carson will relieve Stone. Houston-Carson could also play dime. After a bit, Lucien will step in for Worley, and they will finish with Houston-Carson and Lucien. There may only be four safeties who are active and ready to play, so they will all get their chances, if healthy.
6. Will JK Dobbins and Rashod Bateman see the field?
Despite all of the bad news out of the Baltimore Ravens training camp, there actually was some good health-related news. The team saw both J.K. Dobbins and Rashod Bateman return to the practice field. Dobbins was on the PUP, and Bateman was on the NFI, so the two were in danger of missing time this season. However, their return ensures that the Ravens feel both will be healthy for week one.
Both of them just returned this week, but as we noted with Geno Stone and DeAndre Houston-Carson, they are going to get preseason work this week despite just signing and returning to action this week. So, will the Ravens let either Dobbins or Bateman play this week? Will both?
It sounds like Lamar Jackson may not play this preseason, and Tyler Huntley may not either. Ronnie Stanley, Tyler Linderbaum, and a few other starters on the line may sit as well. zay Flowers is going to play, but that is because he is a rookie. The rest of the starters will not play much.
It is fair to note that the Ravens running backs all played; every single on the depth chart. Still, none of them are as proven with the talent that Dobbins has. We may see Bateman for a snap or two, but Dobbins seems very unlikely to play.
5. Will the unknown edge rushers continue to step up?
A big story out of the first preseason game was how well the UDFA edge rushers played. Both the rookies, Kelle Sanders and Malik Hamm excelled in their preseason debut. Jeremiah Moon, a second-year UDFA, also got plenty of work.
The Ravens will not play Odafe Oweh with their track record of injuries, and Tyus Bowser is starting to seem unlikely to play in week one, let alone this week. So, David Ojabo and Tavius Robinson will probably start again, but then it will be the three UDFAs with a lot of time to work.
A real question is how much Robinson plays because the rookie UDFAs have looked better than the rookie draft pick so far. Do the Ravens want to see more of Robinson? Do they get to a point where one of the UDFAs has a better chance to make the roster than Robinson? We will see if any of them can string together strong games, or potentially get chances against better competition.
4. Will the injury impact Tyler Huntley's roster status with the Baltimore Ravens?
Tyler Huntley has not practiced since Saturday. There is a good chance that he will not play in the second preseason game on Monday. Lamar Jackson will not play, either, so it will come down to Josh Johnson and Anthony Brown. Can either of these guys do anything to show that Tyler Huntley may be expendable?
If the Ravens want to move on from Huntley, they can save $2M. Josh Johnson knows Todd Monken more than Tyler Huntley does, and Huntley may not be as strong of a fit with the new offensive coordinator. Beyond that, if he is not healthy, it is a no-brainer.
Still, the Baltimore Ravens need to see more and better from Josh Johnson than they did in the first preseason game. He will certainly have plenty of chances this week.
Can the Baltimore Ravens win another preseason game with just Johnson and Brown, and does their performance impact the roster status of Huntley? This is a must-watch, mainly because we will always have our eyes on the quarterback.
3. What does the Baltimore Ravens cornerback depth chart look like?
The Baltimore Ravens cannot get healthy on their cornerback depth chart. The return of Jalyn Armour-Davis was marred by the loss of Marlon Humphrey. Now that Ronald Darby is also in the mix, there are plenty of questions about how the depth chart will shake out.
It is fair to assume that Darby will not play, considering how late into the week he signed. Armour-Davsi returned just as late, but he has a roster spot on the line. Will the Ravens rush him back into action? Is three days of practice enough?
The hope would be that Jalyn Armour-Davis can start with Brandon Stephens, and then Ar'Darius Washington can play the nickel. Then, Kevon Seymour and Kyu Blu Kelly could work on the second team. They may even want to slide Seymour into the slot and play Corey Mayfield Jr. on the outside with the second team.
Jordan Swann is injured and may not play on Monday, either. With Arthur Maulet and Pepe Williams out, Swann was the backup slot. So, someone like Seymour or Tae Hayes may have to slide in there.
They also may let Washington play the full game in the slot. He is still locking down a roster spot, and he played all but three snaps last week. Why not keep working him in there to make sure you like what you see? There are so many ways this room can break, and we are not sure what will happen yet.
2. Is Justice Hill still over Gus Edwards with JK Dobbins back?
One note from the Baltimore Ravens first preseason game was Justice Hill starting and playing over Gus Edwards. It was a bit surprising, considering Edwards has been above Hill every step of the way when the two have been healthy.
However, it is a new offensive coordinator and could be a new role for Hill. At the same time, it may have had to do with Dobbins. The thought is that Dobbins is the big-play hitter while Edwards is the grinder. The big-play hitter will start in this explosive offense, and the grinder will finish the game out.
So, with Dobbins out, Hill was the starter, the big-play hitter, the Dobbins role. It had less to do with Hill being ahead of Edwards and more to do with Dobbins being in that role. Of course, if Dobbins plays, he will start.
If the Ravens start with Dobbins and then move to Edwards, it will show that the plan is always to go lightning and thunder. However, if it goes Dobbins, then Justice Hill gets a significant role, which may leave Edwards to get carries in the second half. What would that say about his status? Or what would it say about Hill, who may have truly ascended?
1. Is Trenton Simpson ready for his Baltimore Ravens debut?
Trenton Simpson has returned to practice this week. The Baltimore Ravens did not have many draft picks, and while Zay Flowers has played in the preseason, he is getting close to starter treatment. So, with Simpson out, there has been little to discuss with the big-name rookies.
Now that Simpson is back, the Ravens have to get him on the field and see what he can do. He was behind Del'Shawn Phillips on the initial depth chart. Will that continue? Or will he start next to Malik Harrison this week? More than that, what is his role on special teams? If he is not starting due to Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith, then he has to get a role on special teams.
His debut will be worth watching. It will also be interesting to see how it impacts Phillips, who has done everything you can ask to earn a roster spot this season. Does it push him down or even off the 53-man roster? There will be plenty to watch in the linebacker room on Monday night.