Ravens News 7/13: RB3 Competition and more

10 Questions: How Will the Offensive Line Shake Out? - Clifton Brown

Head Coach John Harbaugh gave an encouraging update on All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley after mandatory minicamp, and the Ravens are hopeful he will be ready Week 1. Heading into training camp, Stanley, Linderbaum, right guard Kevin Zeitler and Moses are the presumed starters once the season begins.

The biggest decision is left guard, where Tyre Phillips, Ben Cleveland, Ben Powers and Patrick Mekari could emerge as the Week 1 starter. Because of Mekari’s versatility as a valued veteran who can play all five offensive line positions, it could come down to Phillips, Cleveland or Powers as the starter at left guard. Phillips won the starting job out of camp last year, but Powers took over after he was injured in Week 1, then Cleveland stepped in to finish out the year.

The Ravens didn’t protect Lamar Jackson in the pocket as well as they wanted last season when he was sacked a career-high 38 times. But the addition of Moses, Linderbaum and a healthy Stanley could help give the Ravens one of the NFL’s best offensive lines again. That’s vitally important for a team that relies on its running game as much as Baltimore.

Both Linderbaum and Moses have fit in seamlessly so far. Moses was vocal and engaged at mandatory minicamp, looking like someone who has started 113 NFL games.

“Morgan Moses, he does an amazing job during practice working with the younger guys, offering little tidbits of information, helping them improve their technique, really keeping the whole thing kind of flowing together,” General Manager Eric DeCosta said.

Why Ravens’ Rashod Bateman Is Poised For Breakout 2022 Season - Jack McKessy

Now Brown is gone, as is Watkins, leaving Bateman as the WR1 in the Ravens’ 2022 offense by default. He’ll finally get to show out in his first full season as a pro—let alone a starter—with a quarterback situation that should be more stable as Lamar Jackson returns from his season-ending ankle injury. That should mean we get a look at what Bateman is really capable of at the NFL level. He should be seeing more targets in his second year, which will lead to more receptions, yards, and scores than he had last year.

We already got to see a few small flashes of what Bateman could do in his rookie year, with his 103-yard performance against the Browns on seven catches being the highlight. He’s a great route-runner that uses his strong footwork and agility to win off the line of scrimmage and stay open downfield. When the ball comes his way, he uses his sure hands and elite ball skills to pull it in. In that game against Cleveland, he made a couple of fantastic catches thanks to those ball skills, winning two contested-catch situations near the sideline to set up a couple of scores.

Training Camp Competition: Running Back - Ryan Mink

Best Battle

The No. 3 running back spot is going to be one of the strongest competitions in training camp. As stated above, whoever wins that would see the most snaps to start the season if Dobbins/Edwards aren’t ready. The strongest contenders are Davis, Hill and Badie. Davis is a veteran signed this offseason who has shown he can step into a lead role as an all-around back. Hill is entering his fourth year and coming off an Achilles tear that cost him last season. He looked back to his explosive self in offseason practices and is a speedy change-of-pace back that would add another wrinkle to the arsenal. Badie is another all-around back the Ravens drafted in the sixth round out of Missouri who also did well in practices so far this offseason.

Under the Radar

Davis was an under-the-radar May signing that could be a key one, especially early in the season. He’s rushed for more than 1,145 yards and posted 632 receiving yards over the past two seasons with Carolina and Atlanta. He started 20 games over that span, showing he’s capable of carrying a bigger load if needed.

Super Bowl Odds 2023 | Current Super Bowl 57 Futures & Betting Lines - Marcus Mosher

Super Bowl 57 Best Bet

Baltimore Ravens To Win Super Bowl 2023 (+2200)

The best bet on the board in terms of sheer value is the Baltimore Ravens to win Super Bowl 57. Before Lamar Jackson went down with an injury last season, the Ravens were the No. 1 seed in the AFC and he was playing arguably the best football of his career.

Jackson is healthy now and the Ravens will be getting several key players back due to injury. They also had a fantastic offseason, bringing in offensive tackle Morgan Moses and safety Marcus Williams.

Plus, they crushed the 2022 NFL Draft, selecting Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum in Round 1. Both players should be Day 1 starters and should be impact players right away.

With the Ravens having one of the top coaches in the league, a former MVP at quarterback, and the league’s best kicker in Justin Tucker, there is no reason why they shouldn’t win double-digit games this season.

They are pretty clearly one of the most talented teams in the league and they should be a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the AFC.

2023 NFL Draft: Preseason Top 50 Big Board - Michael Renner

21. WR QUENTIN JOHNSTON, TCU (JUNIOR)

Johnston’s raw stats of 1,091 yards and eight scores over two seasons don’t quite do him justice. One reason is that the quarterbacks for TCU have left a lot of yards on the field. Another reason is that they’ve come on only 55 catches, meaning he has an explosive 19.8 yards per reception average for his career. Finally, because on only 55 catches, he’s broken 26 tackles for his career. The 6-foot-4, 201-pounder is a scary YAC weapon.

22. OT PARIS JOHNSON JR., OHIO STATE (JUNIOR)

Johnson spent last year at guard for the Buckeyes, earning a 79.1 overall grade. Make no mistake about it, though: Johnson is a tackle. He’ll be on the left side this fall, where his feet, length and athleticism will be on full display.

23. CB ELI RICKS, ALABAMA (JUNIOR)

Ricks is one of the best press corners in the draft class. He may not be an uber-athlete, but he makes up for it with his length. In two seasons at LSU before transferring to Alabama, Ricks earned an 84.6 coverage grade.

24. RB BIJAN ROBINSON, TEXAS (JUNIOR)

This is about as high as you’ll ever see us rank a running back. A big portion of that is because Robinson can be so much more with his receiving ability. Robinson finished with 79 broken tackles last season, the third-most in the country. But he did it in only 10 games.

25. WR JORDAN ADDISON, USC (JUNIOR)

The reigning Biletnikoff Award winner for the top receiver in the country, Addison was Kenny Pickett’s go-to guy last season — and with good reason. The dude just gets open. It’s crazy to think that he racked up 100 catches for 1,593 yards with 17 scores and still left quite a bit more on the table with 11 drops.