Coach Jesse Minter Says Tyler Loop Likely To Kick Week 1, Explains Ravens Roster Decisions

Ravens rookie head coach Jesse Minter addressed the Ravens roster cuts and initial practice squad for the first time Monday, giving updates on the kicker competition, the two undrafted rookies who shockingly made the team and injuries issues with star defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and rookie running back Adam Randall.

Less than two weeks remain before the Ravens travel to Indianapolis for Minter’s first game as an NFL head coach. And while Minter tried to give every indication that second-year kicker Tyer Loop will remain in that role for that game - he’s always been reticent to accept Loop’s struggles - Baltimore isn’t carrying two kickers – with Jake Moody on the practice squad – just for the heck of it.

Here’s the key comments from Minter’s press conference:

Moody Has A Chance

Minter was with Moody at Michigan where he was serving as defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle was with Moody in Chicago last season. When Loop missed two field goals in the first half in Friday’s preseason debut it was obvious the Ravens had to do something, and Moody, a veteran of three NFL seasons who finished strong with Washington last year, is now able to be promoted to the active roster at any time.

"Jake’s just kind of been on the radar and a guy who has had success in the league,” Minter said. “And we felt like adding a guy – it’s whatever is best for the team at that particular moment.”

Minter added that Moody, 26, a former third-round pick in San Francico, would “compete on the practice squad,” but he reiterated the staff had “a lot of confidence in Tyler” even with him missing three of eight kicks in the preseason and a 44-yard kick that kept Baltimore from reaching the playoffs at the end of regulation time in Week 18.

“I expect him to be our kicker going into Indy,” Minter said.

Moody was 8/9 for the Bears last season as a fill-in last season and finished the season with Washington, where he went 10/11 on field goals and 10/11 on extra points. He has made 78% of his field goals in his career, but he is just 8/14 when kicking from 50 yards or more and has made 107 of 110 extra points. The distance has been a big issue for Loop as well.

Madubuike On Target

The Ravens are still not adhering to a firm timetable with Madubuike, but Mintner was pretty adamant that they do not see him having to miss more than a game or two at the start of the season, if that.

Madubuike is coming off April next surgery and has been ramping up slowly. He did not take part in preseason games and just recently starting hitting a blocking sled. However, the coaches continue to praise the considerable gains he is making working on his own and now being folding more into team drills.

Minter did not make it sound like putting on Madubuike on Injured Reserve – Designated To Return was that difficult for the team. That would requiring missing at least the first four game and “I don’t see him missing that many games,” Minter said. They will continue to watch him close in the coming weeks ahead of making game-day decisions Week 1 at Indianapolis.

The Ravens are not practicing Tuesday and will spend the day honoring and celebrating recently deceased former linebacker OJ Brigance who was a cherished member of the organization in many capacities until he passed away this summer. They practice Wednesday and Thursday and then do not begin on-field work again ahead of the Colts game until next Tuesday.

More Clarity On Randall … Kind Of

It was obvious that Ravens rookie running back Adam Randall was dealing with some sort of wrist/arm/stinger situation in the first preseason game. He got looked at in the blue tent and returned to that game, but he missed the second preseason game and then had a great first half in the preseason finale.

Randall spoke to the media after the game and it was not unusual for a player in his position not to have finished the game, so his placement on IR -Designated to Return did catch some off guard.

Minter said that Randall has been dealing with a lingering situation – whether it traces back to early in the game against the Eagles is unclear – and now he will miss at least those first four games. Randall was in line to perform some of the Joker RB/TE/FB duties in Doyle's offense, which is heavily influenced by his longtime mentor, Broncos coach Sean Payton. Payton conceded he had a man-crush of sorts on Randall's Joker-a-bility ahead of the draft.

“He’s kind of been dealing with something,” Minter said. “… We feel like this is the best situation for him to get really healthy. We think he’s got a bright future for us.”

The Ravens have just three running backs on the active roster and one on the practice squad. They did not retain fullback/tight end Lucas Scott in any capacity and their two rookie tight ends have limitations at the line of scrimmage, so the Ravens could be leaning heavily into 11 personnel early in the season with more receivers on the field than we were accustomed to when Todd Monken and Greg Roman ran the offenses here.

No Ordinary Joe, And Ethan

The Ravens embrace the opportunity for undrafted rookies to crack what is usually quality roster and one did it on each side of the ball this year. Neither was thought to have any chance of doing so.

Joe Fagnano was a camp arm out of UCONN who wasn’t all that likely to be signed in the first place let alone make it through a weekend. For him to make the 53-man roster was almost impossible, but he took full advantage of veteran Skylar Thompson going on season-ending IR.

He led all NFL quarterbacks in dropbacks, completions and passing yards in training camp, completed 75% of his passes and only took one sack and had one turnover in 79 snaps.

“He legitimately played his way onto the roster,” Minter said. "… You don’t want to let good players like that leave your building.”

The Ravens believed another team might pounce on the QB if they tried to stash him on the practice squad by trying to get him through waivers first, and linebacker Ethan Burke (Texas) was in a similar position on the defense. They love his 6-foot-6 body type and ability to anchor but also produce some pass rush and he beat out former third-round pick Adisa Isaac, among others. Dominating on special teams had a lot to do with it, too.

“He’s really physically, really rugged,” Minter noted. “He had some really, really good days rushing the passer.”

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