The 3 Position Groups Under The Most Scrutiny In Ravens Preseason Debut

It’s dangerous reading too much into preseason production. But you’ll always take players flashing over players faltering.

And the Ravens could definitely use some youngsters taking a step forward at several key position groups. All on offense. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Most of the macro level questions and much of the personnel issues and an abundance of the youth being counted on to produce in their rookie season is on that side of the ball. And that unit is being led by 30-year-old coordinator who has never called a play and is just trying to get a handle on where he’ll try to call plays from.

It might be something of a scramble drill. It might be pretty ugly.

Check that – I’ll posit that it’s going to be ugly. It’s going to be the first time for so many key individuals doing their job at this level. It’s a brand new coaching staff. The quarterback expected to play the bulk of the game is an undrafted kid from UCONN after veteran Skylar Thompson suffered a season-ending injury this week. The second string offensive line has had its share of procedural issues and there is reason for concern about their depth and quality there.

Saturday night will provide challenges across the board for this offense and the Eagles are pretty loaded defensively. These three position groups are under the microscope for me:

Tight End

I think it’s the worst position group on the team and it’s not even close. I don’t like the projected top guy, Mark Andrews, who won’t play Saturday, and outside of blocking tight end Durham Smythe there is major reason for concern with the entire room. Watching rookies Josh Cuevas and Matthew Hibner try to start learning to play their position at the NFL level has been rough; listening to them and the staff explain their deep learning curve is cause for even more consternation.

They’re going to regret not getting real about what they need here and they’re going to regret a silly extension with Andrews. Hibner can run, especially straight line, but maybe he can show something on a go ball. I suspect this group continues to elicit further probing.

Offensive Line

There has been buzz at times about some developmental linemen in the spring. Then again, this front office does a tremendous job of overhyped its line talent and all of their many sleepers and diamonds in the rough to the local and national media and they tend not to pan out anymore. Mid-round offensive linemen with Eric DeCosta picking players has been a wasteland, and then they are late bloomers has doesn’t want to pay them to stay, thinking he can draft their replacement.

It will be interesting to see if Emery Jones is looked at as a jack-of-all-trades guy, the kind of dependable and versatile linemen they really need. Will he get more of a look as a potential reserve tackle or guard?

“He will get a chance to play a lot,” Minter said. “I think he has had a great camp. I think he has had a great offseason. He is really versatile, so I think we are still trying to figure out all the different things he can do for us from a depth standpoint, from a position standpoint. So, I'm really excited to see Emery play.”

Carson Vinson looks like the potential swing tackle, but is he going to be good enough to really be the next man up for Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten? At one point the Ravens were pretending former undrafted lineman Corey Bullock (Maryland) would compete for their starting center gig, and now Minter said he “could potentially do both” when asked if he would snap and play guard in the exhibition games.

And the very first draft pick of the Minter era, guard Vega Ioane, is obviously with this position group and he is one of the rare starters who will get a run in this game, Minter noted.

There are going to be a lot of flags with these guys Saturday. Just get used to it.

Wide Receiver

Zay Flowers is the only thing they can count on from this position group. He’s not fully healthy now but wouldn’t play in this game anyway. Devontez Walker needs to have a big summer. Third-round pick Ja’Kobi Lane has generated more buzz than pretty much everyone else on this roster combined.

It’s a position where the Ravens has historically struggled to draft or develop, and they really need it to click now. But if the QB is really suspect, good luck making much of this group.

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