Ravens News 8/19: Roster projection, Filmstudy notes and more

Baltimore Ravens 53-man roster projection: Where things might stand midway through the preseason - Aaron Kasinitz

WIDE RECEIVERS (5)

Who’s in: Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin, Willie Snead, Chris Moore, Seth Roberts

Who’s cut: Jaleel Scott, Michael Floyd, Sean Modster, Antoine Wesley, Jaylen Smith, Joe Horn Jr.

If Brown and Roberts are healthy and ready to play Week 1, the Ravens could get away with keeping five receivers and trying to slide Scott or Wesley onto the practice squad.

SAFETIES (6)

Who’s in: Earl Thomas, Tony Jefferson, Anthony Levine, Chuck Clark, DeShon Elliott, Brynden Trawick

Who’s cut: Bennett Jackson

Six safeties is a high number, but Trawick was a Pro Bowl special teams player in 2017, and Levine’s most important role is that of dime linebacker.

Defense Notes : Ravens vs Packers Preseason Week 2 - Ken McKusick

Alaka (+1/+2): Board’s concussion could be an opportunity for either Alaka or Alvin Jones. Each had an opportunity to wear the green dot for a period in Thursday’s game. Otaro had 2 TFLs among a game-leading 6 tackles. He was quick closing and his tackles came 1, 6, -1, 5, -2, and 3 yards from the LoS.

Jones, Alvin (+1/+1): He and Alaka both played well and have a big opportunity not only to make the team, but to play rotationally at ILB. Alvin played the entire 2nd half, wore the green dot for a stretch, and beat RB Keith Ford for a slow-developing sack (Q4, 14:56).

Mack (+1/+1): He entered at the start of the 2nd half and played off and on for the balance of the game (19 snaps). He rushed unblocked and forced an incomplete screen pass to RB Keith Ford (Q4, 14:10). He shed RG Anthomy Cole to help blow up Darrin Hall’s run for a loss of 5 (Q4, 9:00).

Sieler (-1/-1): He was largely invisible prior to 2 run stops on the last GB drive.

Baltimore Ravens dealt a huge blow, could lose CB Tavon Young for the 2019 NFL season - Daniel Rymer

Another option for the Ravens is to use Brandon Carr in the slot. The 33-year-old Carr, who has 11 NFL seasons under his belt, is coming off the first season in which he had significant playing time in the slot, with 242 of his 931 defensive snaps taking place there in 2018. Carr had a forced-incompletion-rate of 16.0% in the slot last season (including playoffs), ranking ninth among 47 cornerbacks who saw at least 25 targets.

Whether the Ravens go with Jones or Carr as the primary slot corner, they should still be one of the league’s top defensive backfields in 2019. The addition of Earl Thomas and the presence of Jimmy Smith and Marlon Humphrey should help a lot with that. Baltimore now has two more preseason games to figure out who will replace Young’s 1,400-plus snaps over his last two healthy seasons with the Ravens.

Lamar Jackson: Fiercely Determined to Rise Above the Scrutiny - Clifton Brown

“Everybody says you can’t throw.”

Joshua Harris would utter those words to Jackson this summer during their workouts. Jackson’s long-time passing coach knows how to push Jackson’s buttons to get the results they’re both looking for.

“Josh [tells me] I suck,” Jackson said, laughing.

“I’d tell him that all the time,” Harris said. “As sure as my name is Josh, nine out of nine times, the next rep would be perfect. Every athlete turns it up when you say stuff about him. But Lamar really locks in that way. Negativity fuels him. You’re saying this about me? I’m going to prove you wrong.”

“They can say whatever they want about me, but I’m trying to compete with (Tom) Brady. People are trying to make it to Pro Bowls and stuff like that? I don’t care about that. I’m not playing for myself. I’m playing for my team. My teammates know I’m all about winning. They can see it in my face. I don’t talk about it and brag about it, but I want the Lombardi Trophy for my team.”

NFL head coach job-security rankings: Who’s safe? On hot seat? - Dan Hanzus

SEAT PERHAPS WARMER THAN PREFERRED

23. John Harbaugh, Ravens

Yeah, yeah, I am fully aware that the Ravens gave Harbaugh a contract extension in January, one that reportedly keeps him under team control through the 2022 season. That’s reason enough to bump up Harbaugh several spots. But we’ll keep Harbaugh -- who is 50-46 with one playoff win since Super Bowl XLVII -- right here. With GM Eric DeCosta taking control of the show, this is a time of transition in Baltimore. Harbaugh is the longest-tenured head coach in Ravens history, but you wonder how soon before DeCosta calls for -- and gets -- “his guy.”