Ravens 53-Man Roster Projection: Tough Calls at WR, CB

Who will make the cut for the Baltimore Ravens?

Dec 10, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Tylan Wallace (16) runs with the ball during the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Rapfogel-USA TODAY Sports / Jessica Rapfogel-USA TODAY Sports

The preseason is officially in the rear-view mirror, and now the Baltimore Ravens turn their attention to the regular season opener on Sept. 5. Before that, though, comes the last and most difficult part of the offseason.

By 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the Ravens must trim their roster down to 53 players, meaning that nearly 40 players will be out of a job and looking for practice squad opportunities to continue their careers. Making such decisions is never easy on a professional level, let alone on a personal one, but it has to be done.

So, with the deadline less than 48 ours away, here is our final Ravens roster prediction.

Quarterback (2): Lamar Jackson, Josh Johnson

Starting off simple here, Baltimore goes with its traditional two-quarterback strategy, made easier by a new rule change that allows an emergency signal caller to come from the practice squad. Johnson has had an up-and-down preseason, but the last two games have been encouraging for the journeman.

On the other hand, sixth-round rookie Devin Leary cost himself any hope of a roster spot in Saturday's preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers. The Ravens will look to keep Leary on the practice squad, but he has a long way to go to become an NFL quarterback.

Running Back (3): Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Rasheen Ali

Unfortunately, second-year pro Owen Wright likely lost a roster spot after breaking his foot against Green Bay, a tough end to a promising preseason. That instead allows Ali, a fifth-round rookie who has missed the past couple of weeks, to sneak in as the No. 3 running back.

Keaton Mitchell, who had an impressive rookie season before tearing his ACL in December, will start the season on injured reserve with hopes of returning in the second half of the year.

Wide Receiver (6): Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace, Deonte Harty, Devontez Walker

Any hope of the Ravens' new wideouts, such as Anthony Miller and Russell Gage, likely ended on Saturday when Wallace scored a 48-yard touchdown for the only points of the game. However, those two seemingly have a good shot at sticking around on the practice squad.

Harty gets a leg up due to being the team's return specialist. Walker has had an unimpressive preseason as he nurses a rib injury, but there's no chance that the Ravens cut a promising fourth-round rookie.

Tight End/Fullback (4): Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar, Patrick Ricard

Very straightforward here: all four players are key pieces of the offense, with Andrews and Likely being dangerous receiving weapons and Kolar and Ricard being great blockers. Undrafted rookie Qadir Ismail, a converted wide receiver, has shown plenty of growth over the offseason, and could be a nice practice squad piece.

Offensive Line (10): Ronnie Stanley, Andrew Vorhees, Tyler Linderbaum, Daniel Faalele, Roger Rosengarten, Patrick Mekari, Josh Jones, Ben Cleveland, Nick Samac, Malaesala Aumavae-Lalu

The first eight players on this list are all pretty much locks to make it, but the last two are more uncertain. Particularly Samac, who was carted off the field on Saturday but didn't receive an injury update after the game. With all the questions surrounding this group, look for the Ravens to add another blocker or two from other teams' cuts.

Defensive Line (5): Justin Madubuike, Michael Pierce, Travis Jones, Broderick Washington, Brent Urban

One of the easiest positions to predict on the entire roster, as these five were essentially set in stone from the start of training camp. Jones could be next in line for a breakout season, much like Madubuike became a force up front last year.

Outside Linebacker (5): Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo, Tavius Robinson, Adisa Isaac

After Malik Hamm went down early in training camp, it became pretty easy to predict these five would make it. The Ravens are counting on breakout seasons from Oweh and especially Ojabo, but this group is unproven as a whole. Another potential option for an outside signing.

Joe Evans, an undrafted rookie for Iowa, has an outside shot at making the cut, but more likely ends up on the practice squad.

Inside Linebacker (4): Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, Malik Harrison, Chris Board

This position group featured the hardest roster cut of them all in Josh Ross, a fourth-year pro who provides good depth and quality special teams play. However, depth at other positions seems like much more of a priority than keeping around a fifth inside linebacker, so Ross instead goes to the practice squad.

It's also worth noting that Harrison could easily be listed as an outside linebacker, but is instead listed as an off-ball linebacker like he is on the Ravens' site.

Cornerback (5): Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, Nate Wiggins, T.J. Tampa, Jalyn Armour-Davis

Injuries to Arthur Maulet and Trayvon Mullen opened the door for a sixth cornerback to nab a spot, but after a poor showing by Damarion "Pepe" Williams on Saturday, it feels more likely that the Ravens keep the five listed above and put Maulet and Mullen on IR.

On the other hand, it would be hard to blame the Ravens for going with more corner depth, especially considering their injury history at the position. As such, Williams and even veteran Daryl Worley are potential dark horses.

Safety (6): Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams, Eddie Jackson, Ar'Darius Washington, Sanoussi Kane, Beau Brade

The first four were always going to make the cut, but Kane and Brade, both rookies, made very strong cases for themselves. It could very well be one or the other, but they both seem like valuable assets to keep around.

Additionally, Washington's versatility allows him to play more cornerback if need be, which should come in handy during Maulet's absence. In turn, that gives the Ravens more freedom to carry an extra safety.

Specialists (3): Justin Tucker, Jordan Stout, Nick Moore

No last surprise to close out the roster. Tucker is the greatest kicker of all time, Moore is a former second-team All-Pro long snapper, and Stout is a very dependable punter. Very easy to sort out.

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