Ravens QB Josh Woodrum is making a case for a roster spot

Since 1960, seven Liberty University football players have been drafted to the NFL. Josh Woodrum (Liberty’s former quarterback) wasn’t drafted in 2016, but based upon his preseason play, he may just wind up on a team.

With the play of the quarterback ahead of him receiving large scrutiny, Josh may find a spot on his current team, the Baltimore Ravens. Ryan Mallett is the team’s backup behind franchise passer Joe Flacco, but his training camp and first two preseason games have been lackluster.

On the flipside, whenever Woodrum has gotten an opportunity, he has played pretty well. Obligatory qualifiers aside (it’s only preseason, he’s playing against backups, etc.), he might just be giving the Ravens front office something to think about.

After signing with the Giants as a rookie last season, he bounced around four different rosters before landing in Baltimore this summer. He’s thrown for a touchdown and run for two, and most importantly was accurate and poised when called into action.

Those two adjectives are the opposite of how Mallett’s play could be described up to this point; he’s thrown for one touchdown and two picks while having trouble moving the ball consistently. Obviously, Mallett is getting time against first stringers, but he’s played fairly deep into both games and looked just as bad the further he’s gone.

Against some of the same players (and of course lower level ones) Woodrum has looked more athletic and been more effective. Flacco is locked in as the starter when he comes back to the lineup, but until then, the Ravens will need to get more looks at Woodrum to see if he is worthy of backing up Joe, rather than Mallett.