Analyzing the Ravens’ roster and what’s next: Surprises, concerns and likely re-signings

There were no significant surprises Tuesday afternoon as the Baltimore Ravens cut down their roster to 53 players. They kept 25 offensive players, 25 defensive players and three specialists, the exact mix they prefer. No position was left with improper numbers.
There were no veteran cuts that came out of nowhere. General manager Eric DeCosta didn’t make any trades. All in all, it was a predictable cutdown day by the Ravens’ standards.
They made 29 moves Tuesday, with the most significant one being outside linebacker Tyus Bowser (knee) reverting to the reserve/non-football injury list. That means Bowser will be ineligible to practice and play in games over the first four weeks of the regular season.
The list of cuts included quarterback Anthony Brown; running back Owen Wright; fullback Ben Mason; wide receivers James Proche II, Tarik Black and Sean Ryan; tight end Travis Vokolek; offensive linemen Tykeem Doss, Tashawn Manning and Jaylon Thomas; defensive lineman Rayshad Nichols; linebackers Jeremiah Moon, Josh Ross and Kristian Welch; and defensive backs Kyu Kelly, Tae Hayes and Jeremy Lucien.
Among the vested veterans, quarterback Josh Johnson, running back Melvin Gordon, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, offensive linemen David Sharpe and Sam Mustipher, defensive linemen Brent Urban and Angelo Blackson, and defensive backs Daryl Worley and Kevon Seymour were released.
Rookie guard Andrew Vorhees (knee) and long snapper Nick Moore (Achilles) also reverted to the reserve/NFI list to complete the Ravens’ 29 moves. They’re now in compliance with a 53-man roster ahead of their Sept. 10 regular-season opener against the Houston Texans.
DeCosta, however, is not done. He’ll start assembling the team’s 16-man practice squad Wednesday afternoon. That group will mostly be composed of players the team let go this week. The Ravens have a few players who look headed for injured reserve, and waiting until after 4 p.m. Wednesday to put them there will preserve their ability to return to action after missing the first four games this season. A couple of players who the Ravens released Tuesday will likely take their place.
The roster will continue to change leading up to the season opener. But let’s first analyze what Baltimore did Tuesday, along with what comes next.
We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/fPRj1pjASO
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 29, 2023
Biggest surprise: The Ravens kept the much-maligned Ben Cleveland over Mustipher for the ninth and final offensive line spot. The move, however, was only surprising if you haven’t followed what the Ravens typically value with their reserve offensive linemen. They love versatility, and Cleveland, a natural guard, played tackle extensively during the preseason. He had some bad reps, but overall, Cleveland took a step forward during training camp and the preseason. He managed to stay on the field and avoid nagging injuries. He also played reasonably well in the games. Cleveland probably has a little more upside than Mustipher, and there was also likely a stronger chance he would’ve been plucked off waivers.
More surprising than Cleveland’s inclusion was the Ravens not finding a spot for Kelly, a fifth-round cornerback out of Stanford. There were certainly indications, like Kelly not playing until the second half in the first preseason game, that the rookie was hardly a roster lock. Still, Baltimore abhors cutting rookie draft picks and Kelly plays a position of need. The Ravens kept eight corners on their initial roster but didn’t find a spot for Kelly.
Biggest disappointment: Ravens head coach John Harbaugh expressed confidence that Bowser, who sustained a knee injury while working out on his own this offseason, would return to action within the first couple of weeks of training camp. Yet, the Ravens are still waiting and they know now that the veteran’s return won’t happen until the second week of October, if not later.
Bowser missed the first eight games last year after recovering from a torn Achilles that he sustained during the 2021 season finale. Now that he’s on the reserve/NFI list, he’s guaranteed to miss at least the first four games this year at a time when the team’s outside linebacker depth is in question. Harbaugh has described Bowser’s knee as “agitated,” but said there’s no structural damage. Bowser has been working out on an adjacent field while the Ravens have been practicing the past two days. Now, he has plenty of time to get right.
Continuing the trend: When the Ravens chose East Carolina running back Keaton Mitchell and Lafayette edge rusher Malik Hamm for their 53-man roster, it marked the 19th time in 20 years the Ravens kept at least one undrafted rookie on their initial roster. Fans, though, are probably going to have to wait to see Mitchell and Hamm in action.
Mitchell (shoulder) and Hamm (ankle) were hurt in the second preseason game against the Washington Commanders. They’re expected to miss time, and both will likely be placed on injured reserve, along with second-year cornerback Damarion Williams, as early as Wednesday evening. By including them on the initial 53-man roster, Mitchell, Hamm and Williams can return to action no earlier than Week 5.
Assuming they all go on IR, the Ravens will open up three roster spots for players who will be ready to play in Week 1.
Not gone for long: The top candidates to fill those roster spots were let go Tuesday, but they probably won’t leave town. Seymour, one of the team’s better special teams players who played extremely well at cornerback this summer, is expected to be brought back. So, too, is Urban, the popular rotational defensive lineman who will provide experience and depth for a thin position group at the moment. And the third spot could go to Johnson, the journeyman quarterback who will likely extend his third stint with the Ravens. With Tyler Huntley sidelined for the past couple of weeks with a hamstring strain, Johnson is a good bet to serve as Lamar Jackson’s top backup in Week 1.
As part of their annual roster gymnastics, the Ravens let go of a few vested veterans with a verbal agreement that they’ll re-sign them once they’re able to shift players to IR and open up roster spots. Vested veterans aren’t subjected to the waiver process this time of year, meaning Baltimore isn’t at much risk of losing them when a verbal agreement is already in place.
Biggest roster concern: There was a time when cornerback looked like the biggest hole on the roster, particularly after Marlon Humphrey needed foot surgery. However, a strong case could be made that the team is worse off presently at outside linebacker. As mentioned above, Bowser and Hamm won’t be available until Week 5. David Ojabo and rookie fourth-round pick Tavius Robinson have also missed practices this week with undisclosed injuries. Neither Ojabo nor Robinson showed very much in the preseason, either.
The Ravens are feeling good about the progress of 2021 first-round pick Odafe Oweh, who is one of the team’s breakout candidates. Jadeveon Clowney reported to camp in good shape, but he’s only been practicing with the team for less than two weeks. He may have to shoulder a much bigger burden than initially expected early in the season. The Ravens also could use inside linebackers Malik Harrison and Trenton Simpson on the outside. Still, it’s hard to get around the fact that their edge rush will be very dependent on either Oweh or Ojabo, if not both, having a breakout season and Clowney staying healthy and being a weekly threat.
Toughest cut: Vokolek, an undrafted rookie who played his college ball at Rutgers and Nebraska, had only 20 catches during his final college season. With the Ravens set at tight end with star Mark Andrews and 2022 fourth-round picks Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar, Vokolek was one of the biggest roster long shots in camp. He very much put himself in the mix, though, by making plays on a daily basis and catching two touchdown passes against the Commanders in the preseason.
The Ravens couldn’t find room for him. They’d love to get him back on their practice squad, but there’s certainly the potential that another team will claim him off waivers Wednesday. Either way, Vokolek looks like he could have a future as a No. 2 or No. 3 tight end.
Tough, but probably necessary: It seemed like a formality for the past couple of weeks that Proche would not be making Baltimore’s roster for a fourth straight year. The Ravens’ first five receivers were pretty much locked in with Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman, rookie Zay Flowers, Nelson Agholor and Devin Duvernay. If they took six, which they wound up doing, Tylan Wallace’s strong preseason and special teams ability made him the obvious choice.
Proche, meanwhile, had an extremely difficult offseason. His mother died about two months before training camp. He wasn’t very noticeable for extended stretches on the practice field, which was a significant change from past training camps. He fumbled a punt in the first preseason game and watched a ball go right through his hands and get intercepted in the second.
The 2020 sixth-round pick was a respected and popular teammate. He was a first-on-the-practice field, last-off-of-it kind of player. Teammates admired his work ethic and drive. There were stretches of practices over the past three years when Proche looked like one of the team’s best players. It just never translated into the games. This summer, he seemed to be lacking in confidence, too. It’s probably best that Proche gets another shot elsewhere, and he’s plenty talented enough to make a difference.
Cornering the market: The Ravens are temporarily carrying eight cornerbacks on their roster, which seems like a lot. Yet, it makes a lot of sense, because Humphrey is expected to miss the first couple of weeks of the season, Williams will soon go to IR and won’t return until well into October and Rock Ya-Sin, Arthur Maulet, Jalyn Armour-Davis and Ronald Darby all had abbreviated training camps. Only Armour-Davis played in a preseason game.
For most of training camp, the Ravens operated with Seymour, Brandon Stephens and Ar’Darius Washington as their top three corners. Stephens and Washington made the team, and Seymour will rejoin it shortly in Williams’ spot. It will now be up to defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and secondary coaches Chris Hewitt and Dennard Wilson to find the right mix on the back end. About the only certainty is that Ya-Sin, assuming he’s healthy, will start outside.
What’s next?: The roster churn will continue with the IR moves and the veteran re-signings. Before that, though, the Ravens will have an opportunity to strengthen the back end of their roster with waiver claims and add organizational depth with their practice squad signings.
The first waiver period will end at noon on Wednesday. Shortly thereafter, Baltimore will be notified if it was awarded any waiver claims and how many players (if any) were claimed by other teams. The Ravens typically don’t put in a bunch of waiver claims. They usually prefer focusing on keeping their own players. They, however, were awarded inside linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips last year, thanks to a post-cutdown day waiver claim. They’ve certainly had their scouts and members of the personnel department studying what’s available.
After they find out who was and wasn’t claimed in the first waiver period, the Ravens can start re-signing their own or other available players to their 16-man practice squad. The majority of that group will come from young players who the Ravens waived Tuesday. There’s also room for six players with unlimited service time. Some potential veterans who could return to the practice squad are Gordon, Treadwell, Worley and Mustipher.