On Saturday, the Baltimore Ravens displayed their preseason dominance against the Dallas Cowboys with a 31-13 victory. While coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta will be pleased with the performance, the depth revealed during the game also means tough decisions await as they finalize the roster.
With the cutdown deadline looming on Aug. 26, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic provided insights into the Ravens’ roster situation on Sunday.
“With Keaton Mitchell currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, Harbaugh said the plan is to keep four running backs to start the regular season, which likely means that Rasheen Ali has made the team and the Ravens will be going short at another position,” Zrebiec reported.
Harbaugh acknowledged the challenge of trimming a deep roster. Zrebiec quoted him saying, “There’s more than 53 guys that would be good enough to make the team.”
Injuries are also shaping the roster decisions. Second-year linebacker Adisa Isaac, who dislocated his elbow against Dallas, is expected to miss time, opening the door for another player. However, according to Zrebiec, this development will likely remove outside LB David Ojabo from the roster bubble.
Regarding the defensive backfield, Zrebiec noted that Beau Brade, once seen as a candidate for the No. 3 safety role, now appears on the roster bubble.
The reason? Two undrafted rookies, Reuben Lowery and Keyon Martin, made plays on Saturday and saw more defensive snaps than Brade.
The Ravens have one more game before the regular season kickoff. In the preseason finale on Saturday, they will face the Washington Commanders.
While most roster decisions will come after that matchup, the win over Dallas has already provided clarity on how the final 53-man roster might take shape.
