17. Ben Mason is close to the edge of the Baltimore Ravens roster?
Ben Mason may have the cleanest path of anyone on this list. At the same time, we have him so low on this list because he is unlikely to make the Ravens roster. Mason is the direct backup to Patrick Ricard. The team drafted him in that role a couple of seasons ago, and has failed to take the job for two straight years. He even bounced around and came back and still has not been able to win the job.
The case for Mason is simple, though. He is cheaper than Ricard, and the team could save a little cap space. While the Ravens do not need to make a move like that, it would not hurt and would help in the future. The reality is that Ricard is probably going to get released after this season because his salary goes up, and the ability to get rid of him gets easier. So, do they decide to do it now? Mason has a shot to push him, but we do not see him as one of the eight players most likely to stick on the 53-man roster.
16. Could Del'Shawn Phillips stick with the Baltimore Ravens?
Last season, Del'Shawn Phillips made the Baltimore Ravens roster, but now we see him as number 16 on our roster bubble list. What happened? Well, the Ravens added some big names at linebacker. The trade and extension of Roquan Smith not only took away a spot that was available at this time last year, but it also took away the need to fill the room with depth because there was a big name at the top.
Then, the Ravens drafted Trenton Simpson. Even Malik Harrison was splitting time between the edge and linebacker, but that is going to happen as much this year, assuming Tys Bowser gets healthy soon.
Phillips is a linebacker, but his role on the roster is simple. He has 162 snaps on defense in his career, and just one of them came while he was with the Ravens. Phillips has 659 snaps on special teams in his career, and 273 of them came last season. He is a special team asset.
The fifth linebacker spot is still open, and the fifth linebacker will be the top special teams player. We will see if that can be Phillips.