As the Baltimore Ravens get ready to make their cutdowns and trim the roster to 53, there will be plenty of undrafted free agents in the mix. The Ravens currently have 15 UDFAs from this past draft, and maybe one will make the 53-man roster. However, the Ravens live off of drafting and developing, and they plan to get a few of these UDFAs to the practice squad with a chance of getting called up this season or making the roster next season.
Who are some Ravens rookies that could be in the long-term plans?
5. Tashawn Manning is a lock for the Baltimore Ravens practice squad
Tashawn Manning is a UDFA from Kentucky. He started his career at Auburn, but got playing time in his final year after transferring to Kentucky. This is where his draft stock rose, but not to the point of being drafted. Still, he was one of the higher profile UDFA players, and so far he has lived up to the Ravens expectations.
Manning got to play 74 snaps in the preseason, all of them at right guard. He looked solid in his preseason debut and continued into a strong summer. The odds are that he is going to get cut, mainly due to the depth that the Baltimore Ravens have on the line.
However, he is a lock to stick back to the practice squad. Next year Kevin Zeitler will be a free agent and given the Ravens cap situation, they would love for one of Manning or Andrew Vorhees to step into that role on their rookie contract. So, the door is officially open for Manning to not only make the roster, but start in 2024, despite being cut in 2023.
4. Will Keaton Mitchell stick on the Baltimore Ravens 53-man roster?
If any UDFA on the Baltimore Ravens does end up making the 53-man roster, the odds are that it will be Keaton Mitchell. Mitchell flashed in his first two preseason games. He finished with seven rushes for 42 yards, two catches for 15 yards, and he added over 100 yards as a return man. The explosiveness will have other teams intrigued, and they may claim him if the Ravens cut him.
That is probably why the Ravens tried to hide him during the preseason finale. In a game that many thought Keaton Mitchell would get a heavy workload to prove himself, he ended up sitting out. Did a mysterious injury pop up at the last minute? Did the Baltimore Ravens hope that this decision will keep teams off of his scent, or does it mean that he did enough to make the roster? Either way, unless another team claims him, they view him in the long-term plans.
J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards will be free agents at the end of this season. The odds of them signing both are very low, and they may not even bring either back. The Baltimore Ravens would love to have Mitchell sitting as depth this season and then step into a potential starting role in 2024.
We will see how they manuever keeping him around until then.
3. Malik Hamm should be in the Baltimore Ravens plans
Malik Hamm was another rookie UDFA who surprised many when he sat in the preseason finale. Hamm has been behind Jeremiah Moon on the edge depth chart, and Moon has 42 special teams snaps, while Hamm has just two snaps. So, of the two, Moon will make the roster, and Hamm will get cut.
However, the odds of Hamm slipping back to the practice squad are high. Hamm was excellent in his NFL debut. He had multiple pressures, showcased a few pass-rushing moves, and even dropped into coverage, showing he can be depth behind the injured Tyus Bowser. Moon will fill the backup role behind Bowser, and then Hamm will be third behind that. Considering Boswer may miss the start of the season, Moon could make the active roster, and Hamm may get called up a few times early into the year.
However, his inability to play special teams may be what limits him to the practice squad. At the same time, it is what locks him on the Ravens for the long term. Teams that claim a player have to keep him active on their gameday roster. It would be hard for a team to activate a player that they just added on waivers without special teams ability. Especially a UDFA pass rusher who is valued for his particular set of skills. So, Hamm will get cut, but he should be back and may get a call-up or two along the way.
2. Travis Vokolek is a practice squad lock for the Baltimore Ravens
Travis Vokolek had an exciting preseason. The UDFA from Nebraska was third on the team in routes run, behind only James Proche and Tylan Wallace. It was obvious the team was looking to get him in the mix and see what they had.
Vokolek caught six balls for 63 yards, and he hauled in two for touchdowns. The touchdowns had fans excited, and for a second, some thought he could make the roster. However, Vokolek still has some work to iron out to be more consistent, and Charlie Kolar looked much better, as he hauled in eight catches for 120 yards this preseason.
Beyond that, Vokolek is a poor blocker. When you look at the Ravens' tight end room, Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, and Charlie Kolar are all much better pass-catching options compared to blocking. The Ravens have to keep Patrick Ricard, less as a fullback and more as a blocking tight end, holding up the end line. So, the need for a fourth pass-catching tight end is slim.
Still, Vokolek has too many questions that he will not get claimed on waivers either. He should be back in 2024, and if there is an injury to any of Likely, Kolar, or Andrews, Vokolek is one call away from the active roster.
1. The Baltimore Ravens should keep Dontay Demus
Dontay Demus was quickly a UDFA fan favorite, mainly because of his ties to Maryland. Still, he had come along slowly, but by the end of the preseason, he showed that he still has the upside he showed back as a sophomore at Maryland.
Demus had three catches for 97 yards. A lot of that came on a 47-yard reception, but the big plays are what will get you noticed at the end of the roster. More than receiving, he was second amongst wide receivers in special teams snaps, with 24. He was only behind Tarik Black, playing four phases overall.
So, he was snap-for-snap with Black on special teams and showed more on offense. He should make the practice squad over Black and Sean Ryan. The Ravens had Odell Beckham, Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor, but none of them are locked to be in the long-term plans. This is probably the last year we see Devin Duvernay with the Baltimore Ravens as well.
So, roster spots should be open next year for someone like Dontay Demus if he can show improvement. For now, he is a practice squad player.