The Baltimore Ravens have been battered around in the first six weeks of the season. They’ve lost starters and depth players to both short-term and long-term injuries with several already on season-ending IR. With the Browns game now over, let’s check in on the current make up of the Ravens’ roster and practice squad.
Quarterback (3)
Active: Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley, Joe Fagnano
Injured reserve: Skylar Thompson
Lamar Jackson is expected back soon, potentially for next week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
He’s been phenomenal when healthy, and a 1-1 result in his two absences is not bad. Tyler Huntley did what a backup quarterback does: put together a solid game and then showed why he’s a backup and not a starter. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano remains on the roster as the third-string quarterback, though Jackson’s injury has elevated him to the No. 2 role for the last few weeks.
Running back (3)
Active: Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Rasheen Ali
Injured reserve: Adam Randall
Practice squad: Jonathan Ward
Many expected the Ravens to carry four running backs rookie Adam Randall mysteriously landed on IR during 53-man roster cuts. There have been zero updates on his health since then, and no word on when his 21-day practice window before activation will start. The run game has slowed down in recent weeks with the offensive line shuffling and the injury to Lamar Jackson, but Derrick Henry still has seven touchdowns in six games. Hill has been explosive in his role as the third-down back, throwing blocks, catching balls, and mixing in the occasional 20-yard carry. He’s averaging 7.4 yards per carry this season, albeit on a limited sample size. Ali hasn’t seen snaps on offense and was putting together a solid contract year on special teams before multiple gaffes on Sunday in Cleveland.
Tight end (4)
Active: Mark Andrews, Matt Hibner, Josh Cuevas, Nick Vannett
IR: Durham Smythe (out for season)
Practice squad: Ty Pezza, Lucas Scott (FB)
The Ravens lost tight end Durham Smythe for the season to an Achilles injury in Week 4 against the Titans. In response, they signed veteran Nick Vannett off their practice squad to replace Smythe’s inline blocking. Matt Hibner also suffered a hand injury in Week 5 against the Falcons that has him out against the Browns and maybe longer, but head coach Jesse Minter said it won’t be an IR situation. Outside of that, the biggest problem in the room is Mark Andrew’s inability to transition from the YAC monster he once was to the possession tight end he is now. If he can transition into simply attacking the ball at the catch point and going down instead of trying to hit the button for the YAC option at the catch point, this room will be in better in great shape once Hibner and Josh Cuevas get involved as the explosive options. The latter had four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown in Cleveland.
Wide receiver (6)
Active: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Tez Walker, Ja’Kobi Lane, LaJohntay Wester, Elijah Sarratt
Practice squad: Chris Moore, Gage Larvadain
This might be the best wide receiver room in franchise history. Zay Flowers has been undeniably a top-5 pass-catcher this year and leads the league in several metrics. If you’re looking at a graph on social media, he is probably in the upper-right (very good) corner of it. Rashod Bateman looks very comfortable in his role, shining when Flowers was absent in Week 2 and led the team in yards in Week 5’s win. Tez Walker is still fighting for more playing time, but his ability as a deep threat is apparent in how often he can be seen flying by defensive backs on film. And now, Ja’Kobi Lane has returned to add a contested-catch element everyone has been excited for since he started balling in OTAs. In his first game back he had four catches for 40 yards as part of a clear effor to get him involved. Sarratt is best known for a costly holding penalty for now, but he was always going to face an uphill battle for snaps. This group can be truly special once Jackson returns at quarterback and the pass game takes over as the driving force for the offense.
Offensive line (8)
Active: Ronnie Stanley, John Simpson, Vega Ioane, Andrew Vorhees, Roger Rosengarten, Carson Vinson, Emery Jones Jr., Cam Jurgens
Injured reserve: Danny Pinter (out for season), Jovaughn Gwyn, Ethan Pocic
Practice squad: Chuma Edoga, Kyle Hergel, Gerad Lictenhan, Andre James, A.J. Arcuri
This unit has been decimated. All three preseason starting center options are out long-term. Danny Pinter was declared out for the season in training camp; then both Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic were lost in Week 3 with IR placements shortly after. Their eventual return hasn’t been ruled out, but the Cam Jurgens trade seems to be signaling that the Ravens don’t expect those guys to contribute again this year. Rookie guard Vega Ioane has been admirably playing center in the meantime, with Andrew Vorhees and Emery Jones each starting one game at right guard. Ioane will slide back to his natural position once Jurgens clears concussion protocol and enters the starting lineup.
The Ravens activated Kyle Hergel and Chuma Edoga this week against the Browns as depth with both Vorhees and Jones questionable. Hergel is out of elevations and could be added to the 53-man roster as the backup center moving forward.
Defensive line (6)
Active: Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, Calais Campbell, John Jenkins, Broderick Washington, Aeneas Peebles
Practice squad: Rayshaun Benny, David Olajiga
This group has been led by the resurgence of Nnamdi Madubuike, who has picked up where he left off pre-injury as a dominant 3-tech, and Calais Campbell’s continued excellence in his 19th NFL season. Travis Jones hasn’t been bad, but he has not lived up to post-extension expectations. He missed a large portion of camp with a pec injury, so hopefully he’ll continue to round into form. John Jenkins and Broderick Washington have disappeared at times as the unit’s designated run-stoppers, and I personally continue to question their activation over Aeneas Peebles – especially Washington. Speaking of which, Peebles has been a healthy scratch since Madubuike’s return, despite the pass-rush win rates he stacked in the early weeks beforehand. Washington was sidelined in Week 6, but Peebles only got a handful of snaps. His penetration ability may only come into play in specific game scripts.
Outside linebacker (5)
Active: Trey Hendrickson, Mike Green, Tavius Robinson, Zion Young, Ethan Burke
Practice squad: Adisa Isaac, Kaimon Rucker
Trey Hendrickson’s return to the lineup could take this group to new heights. He was fantastic in his first couple of games while playing with a broken finger. He may lack elite counting stats, but his pressure and win rates match his film of a disruptive, productive rusher. In Hendrickson’s absence in Weeks 4 and 5, Mike Green stepped up massively with eight pressures and a pass rush win rate over 20%. However, he and his All-Pro teammate cannot seem to get going when they are both on the field. Tavius Robinson’s pass rush metrics haven’t been great, but he leads the team in sacks and continues to be a menace against the run. He consistently makees plays and could be pricing himself out of Baltimore this coming offseason. Zion Young has a solidified role on run downs, and his play strength consistently shows up on tape, even if his pass rush impact has been up and down. UDFA Ethan Burke nabbed his first sack against the Titans, but his role on defense will likely be minimized with Hendrickson’s return.
Inside linebacker (5)
Active: Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, Teddye Buchanan, Jay Higgins, Carl Jones
This group has been excellent, specifically Smith and Simpson. Smith is bouncing back from two down years following Mike Macdonald’s departure. Simpson has been a weapon, flying around the field with unmatched physicality. Outside of Kyle Hamilton, he has arguably been the best player on the Ravens’ defense in the first six weeks. The decision that will surround keeping Simpson and Smith’s cuttable contract next year will be fascinating to see this offseason. Teddye Buchanan will likely factor into that decision as his playing time continues to grow following the knee injury he suffered last year. He made plays last week in his highest snap-count game as the Ravens kept all three of those linebackers on the field more often to bottle up Bijan Robinson. Jay Higgins and Carl Jones mostly factor in as a special teams contributors; the latter has picked up extra snaps with Ja’Kobi Lane replacing Chris Moore on the active roster.
Cornerback (5)
Active: Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, Chidobe Awuzie, Chandler Rivers, Keyon Martin
Injured reserve: T.J. Tampa, Bilhal Kone
Practice squad: Amani Oruwariye, Lardarius Webb Jr.
This group has been up and down to start this year. They lost T.J. Tampa early in the season after expecting him to take on a significant rotational role. Humphrey and Wiggins have seen the majority of snaps outside, while Minter has occasionally rotated in Chidobe Awuzie. Both have made plays throughout this season, but multiple wide receivers have had big games against the Ravens. Keyon Martin started the season as the slot corner in dime packages, but rookie Chandler Rivers took over in Week 2. Rivers’ play has been a rollercoaster, especially in coverage, which led to Martin getting his job back in Week 6. There’s been little update on when Tampa or Bihlal Kone, who was placed on IR before the initial 53-man roster, could return. Either one of them would be welcomed depth and fit Minter’s scheme well.
Safety (5)
Active: Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks, Jaylinn Hawkins, Keondre Jackson, K’Von Wallace
Injured reserve: Jahquez Robinson
Outside of Kyle Hamilton, this room has been a massive disappointment for most of the season. Hamilton is, of course, playing at his usual All-Pro level. But Malaki Starks and Jaylinn Hawkins have had rough starts to the season. Both are playing with hesitation and simply looked uncomfortable in the first quarter of the season with tackling issues that hurt the whole defense. Starks has looked better across the last few weeks, especially during last week’s homecoming in Atlanta. The Georgia native played at 100 miles per hour and aggressively drove downhill against Bijan Robinson and the Falcons’ other skill players. In that game, Hawkins’ snap count took a big hit due to the Ravens playing three-linebacker looks, but he was back to a regular workload in Cleveland. The call for Hamilton to move back into coverage in tandem with Starks to help the secondary’s pass defense has been loud, but that would limit his impact around the line of scrimmage. Keondre Jackson continues to be the special teams demon he was last year and could be ready for a defensive role if injuries pop up. K’Von Wallace hasn’t seen defensive time and primarily offers depth on special teams.
Specialist (3)
Active: K Tyler Loop, P Ryan Eckley, LS Nick Moore
After tons of doubt about Loop’s position on this roster, the second-year kicker proved himself to start the regular season. He hit a massive game-winner against Dallas and converted his first five attempts over 50 yards, something he struggled as a rookie. He even set an M&T Bank Stadium record with a 64-yard field goal in Week 4. Loop did have his worst miss of this season against the Browns, mishitting a 49-yard attempt that proved to be massive in the loss, but on the flip side, the Ravens might be 2-4 without him right now. Ryan Eckley has been perfectly average as a rookie punter without any major mistakes, which is all you can ask for. (Remember Jordan Stout’s rookie year?) Nick Moore continues to be the engine of the unit and has even gotten involved on a few tackles.
The vision for this roster is finally aking shape after early-season struggles. If Lamar Jackson and Cam Jurgens are ready to play next week, the Ravens will field their best game day squad this season. While the loss against the Browns was brutal, there’s a clear path for this team to be very good if Jackson stays healthy and Jurgens raises the floor and ceiling of the offensive line. Younger contributors like T.J. Tampa, Adam Randall, and Bilhal Kone are all available to come off IR as well, which could cause some more roster shifting. Players on the fringes of the roster like Carl Jones and K’Von Wallace would likely be the first to if space is needed, but as always, injuries can make these moves clearer.
