Getty Ravens rookie WR Makai Polk catches a pass in a preseason game on August 21, 2022.
The Baltimore Ravens will be putting their historic preseason win streak on the line for the last time this calendar year this weekend when they take on the Washington Commanders in a primetime exhibition game on August 27, 2022.
The annual August interconference matchup known as the ‘Battle of the Beltway’ will take place at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday and will kick off at 7 p.m. eastern standard time. It will feature several interesting storylines, position battles, and players fighting for roster spots.
Here are the top storylines and position groups to monitor for the Ravens in the third and final week of the preseason:
Will the Ravens Stay Perfect In the Preseason for Another Year?
The team is just one more game away from completing their sixth straight undefeated preseason dating back to 2016 and excluding 2020 when there wasn’t a preseason. They will have the opportunity to extend their historic exhibition game winning streak to 23-0 on their own home turf. Setting the tone for the regular season with strong preseasons has been key to the Ravens’ hot starts in recent years.
Historically, they have dominated Washington in the preseason, winning four straight and eight of the last nine with a 10-3 overall record against their DMV rivals. The Commanders are winless through the first two weeks of the 2022 preseason and are coming off a 14-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Who Will Win the Starting Left Guard Job?
This competition was dubbed as one of the top and fiercest heading into training camp between fourth-year pro Ben Powers, third-year pro Tyre Phillips, and second-year pro Ben Cleveland. All three players have looked good and the final decision will likely come down to the wire like several of their vacant guard competitions have gone in recent years.
While all three have looked good playing guard, Powers and Phillips have also been taking reps and center and offensive tackle with mixed results. Powers struggled with snaps last against the Arizona Cardinals but it’s somewhat understandable since this is his first time playing the position at any level. Phillips had poor performances at tackle in both preseason games as he continues to prove he is best suited on the interior of the offensive line.
Cleveland is the only one of the bunch that has been playing exclusively at guard and he has been dominant taking reps on both the left and right side of the center. He appears to have caught up if not perhaps even surpassed his competition based on his play thus far but the preseason finale will give all three the chance to put their best foot forward one last time.
Roles in Running Back Rotation
Since Gus Edwards will miss at least the first four games of the regular season after being placed on the Reserve/PUP List on August 23, 2022, and given that the team will manage J.K. Dobbins’ workload to start the year coming off an ACL injury, the Ravens will likely carry four running backs this season.
This development almost guarantees spots on the final 53-man roster for veteran Mike Davis, fourth-year pro Justice Hill, and rookie Tyler Badie behind Dobbins. However, what it does not guarantee is defined roles, projected playing time, and snap count percentage for any of the three backups. Under Harbaugh, that will often come down to who practices the best during a given week. Given that all three of the aforementioned players at the position as well as 2021 undrafted free agent Nate McCrary will suit up for the finale, paying attention to who gets how many snaps early on or is still in the game late could be telling about how the coaching staff feels towards and wants to see from them.
All four players have flashed in the preseason thus far and an aspect of the running back position that Davis, Hill, and Badie have shown they can execute that will strengthen their bid for more playing time is blitz pickups in pass protection. Each member of the trio expected to make the team have proved they can be complete backs that don’t need to come off the field no matter the down or distance. Davis would be the most likely candidate to fill Edwards’ shoes as a short-yardage and goal-line hammer but both Hill and Badie have shown they can run hard between the tackles as well as get to and around the edge.
Which Undrafted Rookie Wide Receiver Makes the Strongest Push
This particular position group is constantly scrutinized and under a microscope by fans and pundits from the outside but is one that the team is fairly confident in stepping up. That is exactly what the undrafted trio of Shemar Bridges, Makai Polk, and Raleigh Webb will have to do if they hope to stand a chance of making the final roster.
Through the first two games of the preseason, one or more of them have flashed playmaking ability as pass catchers. Bridges had a phenomenal debut with four catches for 62 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 but recorded just a single reception on a pair of targets the following week. Polk led the team in receptions in the opener and made a nice 19-yard play on his lone receptions in Week 2. Webb has yet to record more than a pair of catches in a game but made the most out of two of his three receptions, coming down with a pair of 30-plus yard receptions which included a 38-yard touchdown.
The addition of veteran wideout Demarcus Robinson earlier in the week on August 23, 2022, which the coaching staff is already raving about likely means that these three players are competing for what will likely be the fifth or maybe sixth and final spot on the depth chart.
Given how much the Ravens feature and feed the tight end position in their passing game with Greg Roman designing and calling plays, the deciding factor will likely come down to who performs the best on special teams. Expect to see all three of them in the game on both return and coverage units as gunners, blockers, and on the hands team if an onside kick situation arises. It’s hard to tell who has the most upside on offense based on limited sample sizes but whoever performs best on special teams might just earn the opportunity to prove themselves if and when they make the team.
Will Josh Ross Secure a Roster Spot?
Sticking with the undrafted rookie theme, the former Michigan Wolverine has been one of the brightest stars on either side of the ball for the Ravens during the preseason. Ross has positioned himself to make a strong push not only for a roster spot but perhaps even for a regular role on defense. Through two preseason games, he has recorded 9 total tackles including a few for a loss, and is the highest graded defensive player among all that have played a minimum of 20 percent of snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
How to Make an NFL Team as an Undrafted Free Agent: Presented by Josh Ross.
Step 1: perfectly diagnose screens, inside runs, play action, bootlegs, underneath route concepts.
Step 2: go hit, hard, and make tackles.
Step 3: make the team.
TOO FITTING his LB coach is Zach Orr.
In addition to showing a strong prowess for reading, diagnosing, and aggressively stuffing the run, Ross has excelled in pass coverage as well which is a skill that the Ravens have lacked in the young players at the position since CJ Mosely departed in free agency during the 2019 offseason. He has earned a 91.5 coverage grade from PFF and first-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald who was his play caller in his breakout season for the Wolverines in 2021 pointed to that area of his game as one where Ross has made the most improvement.
“I would say his coverage ability, his reactions are faster, rather than just being in the middle and playing from the ‘Mike’ position,” Macdonald said in a press conference on August 24, 2022. “So, really all aspects of his game, but there’s growth all the way around.”
His top competition for snaps on both defense and special teams are third-year pro Malik Harrison and former undrafted free agent Kristian Welch. The Ravens have a rich history of finding undrafted gems at the inside linebacker and developing them into starters and even All-Pro players like they did with Bart Scott, Jameel McClain, and Zach Orr.
Which Young Defensive Lineman Will Stand Out the Most?
One of the Ravens’ top priorities during the offseason was to get younger on their defensive line depth chart. Fast-forward to late August and they went from hardly having any promising young talent in the defensive trenches to more than they can keep. Their play of young interior defensive linemen has been the most impressive of all the position groups on that side of the ball for the Ravens in the preseason.
With standout third-round rookie defensive tackle Travis Jones expected to miss between 3-5 with a hyperextension in his knee suffered in Week 2, one of the less heralded players at the position might have a clearer path and better odds to make the final 53-man roster. Since Jones won’t be suiting up against Washington, that will give fourth-year pro Isaiah Mack, third-year pro Aaron Crawford and undrafted rookie Rayshad Nichols more opportunities for snaps to impress coaches in Baltimore and around the league.
All three have been stout against the run and flashed consistent pass rush ability in the team’s first two exhibition games. Mack is the only one of the bunch who has proved he could do the same in the regular season as well after recording a sack, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit in just two games with the Ravens in 2021. If more than one of them stands out with an amazing performance, they could perhaps challenge Broderick Washington, a 2020 fifth-round pick, for a spot on the roster.