The 6 Under-The-Radar Ravens Who Will Steal The Spotlight This Summer

NFL training camps and preseason games are becoming increasingly the domain of the young and unproven.

It’s the new norm, dynamic head coaches like Sean McVay (who recently appeared on “The Daily Flock Show”) were at the forefront of it, and it’s something the Ravens seriously embraced under former coach John Harbaugh. And, well, the Harbaugh brothers are chief mentors to Ravens rookie head coach Jesse Minter and we suspect their influence on him will manifest itself in a multitude of ways, including with player usage this summer.

When you consider how much of the Ravens team-record payroll (roughly $355M and rising) is invested in older players or players coming off serious injuries or with a deep injury history and you consider how untested much of their key depth is, it’s the perfect template for keeping vets off their feet in August and September and getting a long look at the bottom of the depth chart.

Especially on defense, where the influx of new coaches is within a scheme this roster is very familiar with, no need to risk anything with the likes of Nnamdi Madubuike (PUP list after neck surgery) or Calias Campbell (40) and even a newcomer like Trey Hendrickson, who hasn’t played in this scheme but is 31 and has dealt with injuries in recent years.

On offense, perhaps there is a case to be made for some veterans to do more than anticipated, but even then I doubt it. With that in mind, there are six under-the-radar Ravens I expect to get a long look this summer and whom I am particularly intrigued to see:

1. WR Devontez Walker

There is a lack of proven pass catchers on this football team, regardless of position (TE, WR). The Ravens leaned heavily into the mid-rounds of the draft to address it but there will be a learning curve. I buy Walker more than I buy Rashod Bateman in this offense where they are mentally and physically, and this should be a blank slate with Declan Doyle now in charge, and Walker has speed and twitch and has latched on to some bombs from Lamar Jackson in his brief cameos.

I imagine he gets all kinds of opportunities to show what he can do this summer and if he stays healthy – big if – I am buying he makes a real impact this season. Doyle wants to take more deep shots, but who is going to catch them?

2. CB TJ Tampa

Very similar to Walker entering a pivotal point in his career/rookie contract where he needs to make a mark. Unlike Walker, this position group is loaded … But how much are guys like Marlon Humphrey and Chidobe Awuzie going to be asked to do?

Tampa has the kind of size and long levers that Minter covets, and it stands to reason he fits better into this zone-heavy scheme than how Zach Orr ran this defense. Between Tampa and long corner Amani Aruwariye, I see a chance to seize a larger role than expected.

3. J Adam Randall

The J is for Joker, a critically important role in Doyle’s offense (because it’s a critically important role in his mentor, Sean Payton’s offense, as the future Hall of Fame head coach explained to us on “The Daily Flock Show”). Doyle is going to want to keep a lot of his brand-new offense under wraps but given this young man can play probably four positions in this offense I don’t know how he doesn’t get a serious run. Derrick Henry is going to be 32, where RB careers expire, so forget about seeing him - HYPER.

Payton made it clear he was in love with Randall in the draft, calling him a “pet cat” at one point. He invested a lot of time and energy evaluating him with multiple private workouts.

4. QB Skylar Thompson

If there was a true open competition between Thompson and returning back-up Tyler Huntley I wonder how that would play out. I doubt that’s how this goes down and Thompson is probably headed to the practice squad. Plus, Doyle has get Jackson a decent amount of work here with the footwork changing and pace of the offense changing and them, almost certainly, going under center like never before in Jackson’s career. I think this guy can play some.

5. S K’Von Wallace

This safety has been banged up and bounced around and he is totally overshadowed in this secondary for good reason. But he looks like a great fit in this defense and scouts who have watched him like him and believe he has some playmaking ability and ball skills. He spent some time in Seattle with Mike Macdonald so he knows the scheme. The more work I did on him the more interested I got.

6. DT Rayshaun Benny

Everyone I spoke to about this kid after the draft thought he was a total steal in the seventh round. They loved the scheme fit and team fit. Even his Michigan ties are big, with him understanding these concepts and this defense with Minter and Macdonald both coaching there.

And the Ravens Physically Unable to Perform list as camp is set to open includes basically everybody ahead of him on the depth chart. We’ll see how Madubuike is able to work back from neck surgery in April, and the other starting DT, Travis Jones, is on PUP and veteran run stuffer John Jenkins is on PUP and young and undersized defensive linemen/OLB Aeneas Peebles is on PUP. With Campbell it’s all about getting to January with him. Hmm.

Some of them might be back sooner than later, but I think this staff is going to fall in love with this kid pretty quickly.

Subscribe To "The Daily Flock Show" On YouTube For The Best Ravens Coverage Anywhere:

Add us as a preferred source on Google