Three Questions That Will Help Determine Today’s Roster Moves
With all 32 teams needing to trim down their rosters to 53 players by 4 pm ET today, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec looked at questions that will help determine the Ravens’ roster activity. Here’s a look at three of them:
Will General Manager Eric DeCosta do some wheeling and dealing?
“He’ll certainly try. The Ravens aren’t in line to get any compensatory picks this year, so recouping a draft pick or two will surely be a goal. At this time last year, the Ravens made three trades and got back draft picks in each of them, jettisoning offensive linemen Greg Mancz and Ben Bredeson and rookie cornerback Shaun Wade. The Ravens have more NFL-caliber offensive linemen than they can afford to keep, and they also have some depth in the defensive backfield. Those are usually two of the more targeted areas for teams looking to make some upgrades before Week 1. DeCosta would feel a lot better about waiving a solid backup, who may not have a spot in Baltimore, if it meant getting a draft pick in return. Trystan Colon , the team’s No. 3 center, could have some value elsewhere. The Ravens could also look to deal from their left guard glut if there’s any interest in Ben Powers, Tyre Phillips or Ben Cleveland.”
With all the talk about roster subtractions, could the Ravens make some additions?
“They could and they should. The Ravens have a talented roster, but they are dangerously thin at a few spots and have a few other areas where they could clearly upgrade. It’s hard to imagine that DeCosta and [Head Coach John] Harbaugh would be especially comfortable going into the regular season with Steven Means and Daelin Hayes as the two top outside linebacker reserves for Odafe Oweh and Justin Houston. The team’s inside linebacker depth is almost as concerning. There is certainly room to upgrade the wide receiver corps, and another area of interest is at running back. With JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards sidelined this preseason, the Ravens didn’t get much production at all from their cadre of running backs. The Ravens need a dynamic back for the offense to hit its peak and it’s just not clear whether Dobbins will be that guy in his first year back from a major knee injury. The Ravens haven’t traditionally been very active on the post-cutdown day waiver wire, but this is a year that could change. Whether it’s via a waiver claim, trade or signing a street free agent, DeCosta needs to consider bringing in outside help at a few spots.”