Getty Ravens RB Mike Davis runs in a short touchdown in a preseason game on August 11, 2022.
The Baltimore Ravens will be putting their historic preseason win streak on the line in the desert this weekend when they take on the Arizona Cardinals in a primetime exhibition game on August 21, 2022.
The battle of the birds will be nationally televised on FOX at 8 p.m. eastern standard time and will feature several interesting storylines and players fighting for starting jobs and roster spots.
Here are the top storylines and position battles to monitor for the Ravens in Week 2 of the preseason:
Will the streak get extended again?
The Ravens continued to show their mastery of accumulating incredible depth on both sides of the ball but especially on defense in Week 1 of the 2022 preseason in a 23-10 win over the Tennessee Titans to stretch their impressive streak of consecutive exhibition game victories to 21.
SO EVERYONE THINKS HARBAUGH STACKS THE DECK WITH STARTERS TO KEEP WINNING BUT REALLY THE STREAK IS A TESTAMENT TO THE QUALITY OF DEPTH PIECES WHO NEVER MADE THE ROSTER LIKE KAI NACUA AND JOSH WOODRUM I MEAN JUST LOOK AT THE SECOND-HALF SCORING MARGINS THAT’S WHERE THE MAGIC IS
They will be looking to extend it to 22 in a row against the Cardinals who are coming off an impressive preseason-opening win over the Cincinnati Bengals where former Ravens’ backup quarterback Trace McSorley had a strong outing.
Potentially Facing Hollywood Brown
McSorley isn’t the only former Ravens player on the Cardinals roster. His fellow 2019 draft classmate Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown might be suiting up for the first time with his new team in a live game since being traded to Arizona on April 28, 2022. Speedy wide receiver stirred up some controversy leading up to the game with his comments explaining why he wanted out of town and off the Ravens’ roster in a press conference on August 17, 2022.
The two teams aren’t slated to play each other until the 2023 season barring a matchup in Superbowl LVII (57) this upcoming February. This might be Brown’s only chance to show his former team what they’re missing for a while since there’s no guarantee that the Cardinals will offer him an extension when his rookie contract expires after the 2022 season.
Left Guard Competition Heating Up
The battle to win the only starting job up for grabs on the Ravens’ starting offensive line is still a tight three-horse race between fourth-year pro Ben Powers, third-year pro Tyre Phillips, and second-year pro Ben Cleveland. None of them are perceived to have a clear edge over the other two after all three had strong outings in the preseason opener and have stepped up their performance in practice as well.
All three of them are being crossed trained and took game reps against the Titans at different positions. The Ravens value positional versatility on both sides of the ball but especially with their offensive linemen. They’re experimenting with Powers at center, letting Cleveland take reps at right guard in Week 1 of the preseason, and have played Phillips at tackle for spurts and in emergency situations during his first two seasons and in last week’s game.
Powers has an opportunity to not only potentially earn a starting job in Baltimore but if he shows that he can be solid at center, his trade value despite only having one year left on his rookie deal could increase significantly. It could result in him starting elsewhere this fall while giving the Ravens additional future draft capital or present an opportunity to upgrade a position where they currently lack depth such as outside linebacker or wide receiver.
Will Young WRs Standout Again?
Speaking of the receiver position, it was one that shined bright for the Ravens in the preseason opener. Several of their unheralded young wideouts had impressive performances with none more brighter than undrafted rookie Shemar Bridges who along with rookie tight end Isaiah Likely, stole the show. The former small school product led the team in receiving yards with 62 on four catches and mossed a Titans’ defensive back for a touchdown.
.@_SNOOP1 ➡️ @ShemarBridges17 for 6 ❗️❗️
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His fellow undrafted first-year pro, Makai Polk, led had a nice outing against Tennessee as well by leading the team with six catches including a one-hander for a 23-yard gain, and finished second in receiving with 48 yards.
Another undrafted rookie receiver to keep an eye on is former University of Alabama slot weapon Slade Bolden who missed the preseason opener with a minor injury but will likely be making his NFL debut against the Cardinals.
Second-year pros Binjimen Victor and Jaylon Moore had solid showings that could’ve been better if they would’ve had some more accurate passes thrown their way when they got open downfield. Both players looked good during training camp and will need to carry it over into preseason action.
While the signing of veteran receiver Demarcus Robinson doesn’t mean that any of them are out of contention for a spot on the final 53-man roster, it likely means that there is only room for one more receiver on the depth chart instead of what might’ve been two. Preseason performances on both offense and special teams will be key in deciding who the last receiver to make the cut will be.
Running Back Depth Chart
Even though third-year pro J.K. Dobbins is on track to be ready for the regular season opener, the Ravens will have to lean on their depth at the position early on in the year as the team manages his workload until he’s back to full strength. Since fifth-year pro Gus Edwards will likely begin the year on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, the Ravens might carry four running backs into the season including Dobbins.
In that case, veteran Mike Davis, fourth-year pro Justice Hill, and rookie Tyler Badie would be near locks to make the team barring injury. However, that is not guaranteed given the team’s incredible depth in their defensive backfield at both cornerback and safety.
Each of them looked good in training camp and throughout the offseason program but the preseason is where running backs and offensive linemen separate themselves. Davis had a solid performance in Week 1 with 22 yards on five carries which included a four-yard touchdown but was the most impressive in pass protection.
Mike Davis welcoming the rookie (Weaver) to the NFL with this monster #chip
Hill had some strong runs negated by holding penalties but looked good overall and Badie didn’t have much of an impact but possesses a lot of upside as a pass-catching option out of the backfield. This game and the preseason finale will go a long way in the coaching staff’s decision on how many and which running backs to keep.
Outside Linebacker Workload
With the release of undrafted rookie Chuck Wiley in the first round of cuts and the placement of Trent Harris on season-ending injury reserve just three days after he signed with the team coupled with the unlikelihood of either Justin Houston or Odafe Oweh, the Ravens’ remaining outside linebackers are in store for a full workload against the Cardinals.
The trio of veteran Steven Means, second-year pro Daelin Hayes, and undrafted rookie Jeremiah Moon will be on the field early and often this week and will be responsible for setting the edge in run defense and generating pressure on passing downs.
Means was the most impressive of the bunch in the preseason opener with three total tackles and a sack in one half of play. He showed a lot of hustle, relentless pursuit, and could further position himself to make the roster with another strong performance as he looks to make the most of his second stint with the team.
Hayes was one of the brightest standouts during the offseason program but didn’t flash the same way in training camp or the first week of the preseason. He is expected to be the primary backup at the SAM linebacker spot and could potentially open the season as the starter if Tyus Bowser isn’t ready or if defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald doesn’t deploy Oweh in that role.
Moon was a part of the strong defensive effort that closed out the previous week’s win over the Titans but didn’t really stand out aside from being called for a few penalties. He will need to have strong performances in both of the team’s remaining preseason games to gain an edge over Means or Hayes.
Will Jordan Stout Attempt a Field Goal?
The rookie punter handled both kicking and punting duties in college at Penn State for the Nittany Lions. Even though his primary duties in the regular season and for the foreseeable future barring injury will be punting and holding for future Hall of Fame kicker, Justin Tucker, the team might let him handle some of the kickoff duties and perhaps even trot him out for a field goal attempt against the Cardinals.
According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley from the last week of the training camp portion to the preseason, Stout attempted and successfully made a field goal in practice from 54 yards out. Don’t be surprised if that was just a test run of what is to come in Arizona. He had a very impressive debut as a punter in the opener and could follow it up by showing off his versatility in Week 2.
Likely to Get Veteran Treatment Going Forward in Preseason
After a sensational NFL debut against the Titans where he recorded four catches for 44 receiving yards and followed up by another standout week of practice, don’t be surprised if the fourth-round tight end’s snap count against the Cardinals and for the remainder of the preseason gets reduced.
The Ravens may have already seen what they need to see from Likely and could opt to play him less in exhibition games in an effort to reduce the chances of injury and given the horrible luck they had at the end of last year’s preseason in terms of losing starters and key players for the year to injury, that would be understandably logical. However, they might want to get him a few snaps early in these next two games as a blocker in-line, in the slot, and out wide after he was flagged twice for holding in Week 1.