After weeks of off-season work and training camp practices, Jesse Minter's team is hours away from completing its preseason. After this game, business will pick up, the roster will be trimmed down, and preparation for the Colts will begin. The Baltimore Ravens have enough players worth keeping to make the final roster decisions uncomfortable. The challenge is finding room for them without leaving a position short when the regular season begins.
Friday's preseason finale against Washington offers one more evaluation before teams must reach 53 players by 6 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 30. The deadline is set. This projection keeps three quarterbacks, four tight ends and four inside linebackers. The cost is a nine-man offensive line and several difficult
defensive cuts. It is a forecast of the initial roster, which can change again after waiver claims.
Projected total: 25 offensive players, 25 defensive players and three specialists.
Quarterbacks (3)
Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley, Joe Fagnano.
Fagnano makes the team as the third quarterback. His preseason work has justified keeping a developmental passer behind Jackson and Huntley, even though that decision costs Baltimore a spot elsewhere.
Running backs (3)
Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Adam Randall.
Randall gets the third spot over Rasheen Ali. Ali remains a practice squad candidate, but his return ability must be weighed against a roster that also includes LaJohntay Wester.
Wide receivers (6)
Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Ja'Kobi Lane, Elijah Sarratt, Devontez Walker, LaJohntay Wester.
Baltimore keeps six, with Wester's place atop the punt return depth chart helping his case. That leaves Dayton Wade and Chris Moore needing either a change in the numbers or an opening elsewhere.
Tight ends (4)
Mark Andrews, Durham Smythe, Matt Hibner, Josh Cuevas.
Keeping both rookie tight ends protects Baltimore's investment in the position. Cuevas' receiving work adds to his case, while Hibner gives Baltimore another young option in the passing game.
Offensive linemen (9)
Ronnie Stanley, John Simpson, Ethan Pocic, Vega Ioane, Roger Rosengarten, Carson Vinson, Emery Jones Jr., Andrew Vorhees, Jovaughn Gwyn.
Pocic and Gwyn both stay while the starting center decision remains open. The difficult omission is Gerad Lichtenhan. Carrying nine linemen would require confidence in Jones as an emergency tackle behind Stanley, Rosengarten and Vinson; otherwise, a fourth tackle should replace a player at another position.
Defensive linemen (6)
Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, Calais Campbell, Broderick Washington Jr., John Jenkins, Aeneas Peebles
Peebles gets the final place in a group with established veterans at the top. Benny is a difficult cut, and Madubuike's availability could change the number Baltimore needs here. This projection keeps Madubuike on the active roster rather than assuming an unannounced injury designation.
Outside linebackers (5)
Trey Hendrickson, Tavius Robinson, Mike Green, Zion Young, Ethan Burke.
Young belongs in the rotation's future, and Burke earns the fifth spot. Adisa Isaac and Kaimon Rucker are squeezed out. Burke's ability to contribute against the run and on special teams will matter when Baltimore determines who dresses each week.
Inside linebackers (4)
Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, Teddye Buchanan, Jay Higgins IV.
Higgins stays as the fourth inside linebacker. With Buchanan still returning from knee surgery, carrying another option behind the top three is the more practical choice. It also gives Baltimore another candidate for coverage units.
Cornerbacks (6)
Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, Chidobe Awuzie, T.J. Tampa Jr., Keyon Martin, Chandler Rivers.
Tampa gets the final spot in this projection, with Martin and Rivers giving Baltimore additional inside coverage options. Bilhal Kone's health complicates his evaluation, but an injury designation should not be assumed before the team announces one.
Safeties (4)
Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks, Jaylinn Hawkins, Keondre Jackson.
Jackson gets the fourth spot over K'Von Wallace and Silas Walters. Baltimore already has three safeties capable of substantial defensive work, making special teams a significant part of the final decision.
Specialists (3)
Tyler Loop, Ryan Eckley, Nick Moore.
Loop, Eckley and Moore handle kicking, punting and long snapping. Eckley also holds, giving the rookie responsibilities on both the punt and field goal units.
The closest calls are Lichtenhan, Benny, Isaac and Wallace. Keeping any of them would be defensible, but it would require a corresponding decision elsewhere. Baltimore cannot protect every promising player, and the last few choices should reflect who can help on game day.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Ravens’ 53-man roster projection ahead of preseason finale
