Three Critical Competitions (And Two That Aren’t) at Ravens Training Camp

The Ravens roster doesn’t carry very much intrigue right now.

There is a clear separation between those who are being counted on heavily and the wide swath of players they won’t let see the field in the preseason game, and then a few tiers of players below them – mostly first or second year guys – scrapping for depth chart spots and trying to crack the roster.

In terms of starting jobs, I believe this coaching staff and front office is already pretty certain who the starting 22 would be right now. Obviously, injuries could alter that landscape significantly, and not every spot in carved in stone, but this is also one of the least drama-filed summers I can recall from a roster standpoint.

All the newness and uncertainty stems from the coaching staff and so many men doing a new job for the first time, most notably head coach Jesse Minter and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, that’s provided the mystery. But in terms of pending transactions, the Ravens don’t seem all that inclined to do much now, and if anything they are going to potentially pull from a glut of options at a position like corner and perhaps try to acquire help at another position in return.

Here are the battles that are essential to what we see Week 1, and a few that don’t seem to carry as much weight.

Center

This was the most obvious overt weakness on the roster coming out of the draft and some rival front offices were surprised Baltimore did not address it in a more meaningful way with 11 picks at its disposal. I also don’t think this really is a competition and that Ethan Pocic was signed when he was signed – with other teams quite interested as he was getting cleared from Achilles surgery – to be the starting center as long as his body holds up.

The fact he was able to get a run and play a few series in the preseason opener spoke volumes to me. Danny Pinter looks like the jack-of-all trades interior lineman who would be the next man up possibly at not just center but either guard spot (Andrew Vorhees doesn’t do it for me). They’ll be careful with Pocic but he was signed to be the starter until I see any evidence to the contrary.

WR 3

Given the lack of proven depth at tight end and the fact that the rookie tight ends they have are more wide receivers at this point in their development rather than real tight ends, I suspect we see a ton of 11 personnel early in the season (FWIW, and it may be nothing, they were in 11 on 75% of their snaps Saturday), with three receivers.

So while a lot of the offseason was spent wondering if Devontez Walker could push Rashod Bateman for a “starting” role in the offense, they’ll likely have three receivers on the field quite a bit and the individuals used will depend on down and distance and opponent. Right now it feels more like Ja’Kobi Lane and Walker are in a bit of a competition to be that third guy.

If Lane keeps this up he’s going to get plenty of run on Sundays whether he is technically starting or not.

Kicker

Okay, this isn’t even a competition. Minter has been peppered with questions about the misses from second-year kicker Tyer Loop, and he keeps poo-pooing it and talking about field position and conditions. Of course you want to project every outward support for him as possible, because he’s the only one on the roster.

“I feel good about where Tyler’s at,” Minter reiterated Monday.

But this is a tough league and Loop right now is battling himself to stay atop this depth chart and fend off a veteran getting a call. It’s Loop vs Loop right now and he misses again in a dome this weekend or can’t command the ball from distance (50 plus), they’re going to have to bring in someone to push this into a true competition.

As to those that aren’t as important …

Swing Tackle

Whether they develop Emery Jones as more of an interior guy or now – and maybe he gets more of a run at tackle in the second preseason game – it looks like Carson Vinson is their third tackle.

This doesn’t really strike me as an actual competition. And even if it is, when you consider what is on the roster, it’s all guys with a similar skillset and similar level of experience and so I’m not sure we’re going to see anyone have a chance to really separate and I’m not sure anyone really could.

They seem to prefer Vinson. If there are injurie and Vinson can’t get it done if thrust into duty they’re going to have to find a veteran through trade or free agency who can. But of the group of depth tackles they have, it is what it is.

Starting OLB

Tavius Robinson is the starting outside linebacker opposite Trey Hendrickson. I don’t think this is really under debate. We only have a few weeks of practices left now, Robinson is not going to play in these preseason games because the staff views him as too important and ready to go, and Zion Young is going to run around out there in fake football games quite a bit.

Never really thought this would be in doubt, though plenty of people out there were projecting Young for a starting role given where he was drafted. No way he is as stout setting the edge as Robinson, he isn’t as powerful and he doesn’t offer naturally ready and polished pass rush.

“'T-Rob exemplifies everything in terms of what it means to be a Baltimore Raven,” outside linebacker coach Harland Bower said. “He is violent-minded. He plays with his hair on fire. He does every little thing right.

“By the way, he is one of the best humans on the football team. Again, you cannot lose with a guy like that. He is an unbelievable young man to coach, and I am really excited to be able to work with him every day."

Young is going to have to prove it over time. Not by Week 1.

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