Training camp is fast approaching, and some of the most crucial roster battles are starting to ramp up. It is a massive opportunity for rookies to showcase the traits that got them noticed by Baltimore’s front office and coaching staff. It is also an important month of practice for many of the fringe roster players.
The Ravens have a deep roster this year. The amount of talent from top to bottom is unbelievable. Starting roles will be difficult to come by, and even backups could have trouble locking down a spot on the initial 53-man roster.
The Ravens have no problem showing those who underperform the door. While they tend to hold onto recent draft picks, those who fail to show their potential will likely fall down the depth chart and could get released. Here are three players who are on the brink of getting cut before the regular season.
3 players in danger of being shown the door
David Ojabo
Outside linebacker David Ojabo has been a major disappointment. The former Michigan star was selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but has yet to blossom into the star many thought he could become.
Injuries have derailed Ojabo's career. He tore his Achilles at his Pro Day in 2022 and had season-ending surgery to repair a partially torn ACL in 2023. The explosiveness he once had that made him so special might be gone, and it has kept him from reaching his potential.
The Ravens also have a deep pass rush room. Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh, Mike Green, Tavius Robinson, and Adisa Isaac are all expected to be contributors in 2025. Ojabo's health concerns and lack of production make him an early cut candidate, and Baltimore could turn to the trade market to get some value.
Nick Samac
Nick Samac was two-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum’s backup last season, but did not suit up for any regular season games. He was a healthy scratch in all 17 matchups in 2024. Now, the 2024 seventh-round selection out of Michigan State is in a battle for his NFL career.
Fellow offensive lineman Garrett Dellinger was also a seventh-round pick, selected out of LSU in the 2025 NFL Draft. While it looks like he could have a real chance at snaps with Baltimore lacking a proven left guard, that chance could come at center as Linderbaum's backup, which could spell trouble for Samac.
Yes, Samac had a roster spot on lock for all of last season, but he never played. Not even in garbage time snaps. The coaches have not shown much to signal that Samac has any pedigree on the roster, and Dellinger’s possible move to center puts his role in serious question. If Dellinger can be a versatile offensive guard and show competence at center, Samac could be on the chopping block.
Rasheen Ali
Second-year running back Rasheen Ali is in a tough position going into 2025. The former Marshall star was a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after an outstanding collegiate career. He eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground twice and led the nation in touchdowns in 2021. The potential is there, and although he has yet to show much of anything, it is not entirely his fault.
Football has been unfair to Ali in recent years. He suffered a gruesome leg injury that led him to miss most of his 2022 campaign, a bicep tendon tear at the Senior Bowl, and various injuries in his rookie season. Due to these countless injuries, he has struggled to get his NFL career off the ground. Regardless, he is running out of time to prove he is a difference-maker. He has not done much in the snaps he has gotten, and the lethal running back room of Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, and Keaton Mitchell will not help.
Ali is a guy Baltimore would like to find a way to get on the practice squad, but with his devastating injury history and an uphill climb on the depth chart, his Ravens career could quickly end before it ever gets started.
The Ravens still have reason to believe these players can have a future in Baltimore, but they are in a tough spot on the depth chart and need to make noise in the coming weeks to keep their NFL hopes alive.