An extremely early 2014 Ravens roster preview

We've got about six months until the Ravens' 53-man roster will be finalized.

Of course, to get to that point, the team has to go through OTAs, minicamp and training camp. It may be a bit early to see what's in store, given that draft picks, undrafted signings and other potential free agents will be thrown into the mix.

But with the spring season (finally) rolling around, let's take a crack at it. This roster preview will contain 55 players, leaving 20 spots open for rookies and other free agents for a hypothetical 75-man group that teams must cut down from when finalizing a roster.

Quarterback

Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor

*The Ravens plan to add a quarterback to the mix, mostly for competition with Taylor. With the lack of quality vets on the market, this could very likely come from the draft.

Running back

Ray Rice, Bernard Pierce, Cierre Wood

*The Ravens have a desire to add a running back to the stable, but don't sleep on Wood. He'll be a dark horse candidate for a roster spot, though one drafted will begin camp with a leg up.

Fullback

Kyle Juszczyk

*The job is Juszczyk's to lose and who knows if he'll have any legitimate competition this offseason.

Wide receiver

Torrey Smith, Steve Smith, Jacoby Jones, Marlon Brown, Aaron Mellette, Deonte Thompson, Gerrard Sheppard, Kamar Aiken

*The top four appears set. Mellette and Thompson will have a chance to prove they belong again. But the Ravens could draft a receiver in one of the first three rounds, which would push at least one of those off of the 53-man roster.

Tight end

Dennis Pitta, Matt Furstenburg

*Owen Daniels is still out there and Ed Dickson is a possibility to re-sign. There's also the draft. In Gary Kubiak's offense, you can't have enough quality tight ends.

Offensive line

Eugene Monroe, Kelechi Osemele, Jeremy Zuttah, Marshal Yanda, Rick Wagner, Jah Reid, Gino Gradkowski, A.Q. Shipley, Ryan Jensen, David Mims

*The offensive line is almost set, though you'd think the Ravens will likely draft a right tackle. In addition, which center gets cut — Gradkowski, Shipley or Jensen?

Defensive line

Haloti Ngata, Chris Canty, Brandon Williams, Kapron Lewis-Moore, DeAngelo Tyson, Cody Larsen

*With Art Jones gone, Larsen may have an outside shot at a roster spot if he performs well in camp. If Baltimore drafts one earlier than expected, then all bets could be off. There's still a chance free agent Terrence Cody makes a return, too.

Outside linebackers

Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, John Simon, Courtney Upshaw, Pernell McPhee, Adrian Hamilton

*This is the deepest unit on the roster and there won't likely be much, if any, change here.

Inside linebackers

Daryl Smith, Josh Bynes, Arthur Brown, Albert McClellan

*Thinner than you'd think, the Ravens could stand to upgrade at inside linebacker.

Cornerbacks

Jimmy Smith, Lardarius Webb, Chykie Brown, Asa Jackson

*With Corey Graham leaving, the Ravens will likely look for another cornerback in this draft class. Could Utah's Keith McGill fit what they're looking for as a mid-round prospect?

Safeties

Matt Elam, Darian Stewart, Omar Brown, Anthony Levine, Jeromy Miles, Brynden Trawick

*There are a lot of hard-hitters in this group. Depending on what the Ravens do at safety in the upcoming draft, Brown could wind up having the most to gain, given he's the lone true free safety currently on this roster.

Specialists

Justin Tucker, Sam Koch, Morgan Cox

*No worries, here, though Koch will be looking to put in a much-better season after a down-year in 2013.