If you saw the article on the defense, these categories won’t be a surprise to you, but if not, please review my previous piece to understand this division:
Young Producers (4): Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers, Isaiah Likely, Tyler Linderbaum,
Bateman is a special case with a contract that is a big bargain due to a service time snafu and is not representative of a second contract.
I dropped Keaton Mitchell to developmental after his 2023 injury has held him to 0 carries in 2024.
Developmental (14): Rasheen Ali, Corey Bullock, Ben Cleveland*, Darrian Dalcourt, Daniel Faalele, Qadir Ismail, Charlie Kolar, Keaton Mitchell, Roger Rosengarten, Nick Samac, Andrew Vorhees, Dayton Wade, Tez Walker, Tylan Wallace*
These players are all still on their rookie deal, but something is holding them back from consistent performance, a starting role, or both. We hope that most, if not all, of these players will emerge to be young producers quickly. In truth, some are running out of time to do so. Since this group is critical, let’s review individually to see why I have tagged them as I have and what each needs to do to move up:
- Ali: Rasheen had a poor preseason game vs the Eagles, got hurt, and has not played an offensive snap since. He’s been active for just 2 games on special teams and appears to be holding his spot as a backup to Keaton Mitchell.
- Bullock: Corey had a fine preseason as an UDFA guard in 2024 and was signed to the practice squad. He has a chance to make the team in 2025 and will still be a year 1 player.
- Cleveland: He’ll be a free agent at the end of the league year and has played just 10 scored snaps in 2024. It’s a disappointment he has not been able to supplant Faalele at RG. I think the probability of him returning to the Ravens is extremely low and it would not surprise me if he plays well elsewhere.
- Dalcourt: His versatility to play center was on display during Linderbaum’s training-camp injury and in the preseason games. He’s on the practice squad now and more likely than not to be in the Summer mix when the Ravens carry about 15 OL and his ability to play G/C in intriguing
- Faalele: He has played 792 scored snaps to 0.72 raw score which is an aggregate grade of approximately a D+ after adjustment. I don’t see any reason why the Ravens should not draft a guard in 2025.
- Ismail: He was a star in training camp both as a receiver and, more surprisingly, as a blocker. Some of this development season has been lost to injury, but I expect him back at camp in 2025.
- Kolar: The Ravens immediately felt his absence in the game vs the Eagles when they played much lighter than normal. His chance to improve to the Young Producer category may be dependent on the Ravens moving on from Mark Andrews after 2024.
- Mitchell: I had to drop him from the Young Producer category because he’s essentially restarting his career in 2025. I want to believe he can follow the career trajectory of Lardarius Webb who lost year 2 and came back to be the best CB in the NFL in year 3 (2011).
- Rosengarten: He’s right on track for a rookie with a solid C performance through 13 weeks. In posting that performance, the Ravens have provided him plenty of set and chip help. I’m not convinced he’ll be effective if moved to LT as of now, but there is still much data to be collected in 2024 and beyond.
- Samac: His preseason play (with the 3s) was OK and he has been on the roster all year. Because he’s been inactive every week, we know nothing more about him than Dalcourt or Bullock.
- Vorhees: After a red-shirt year in 2023, Andrew was installed as the starting LG, but he was injured in week 3 and has not been able to win his job back from Mekari since. When he did play, he had issues with his anchor and his tall, lean build is not ideal for guard.
- Wade: He looked the part in training camp and preseason but I have not heard his name mentioned as a possible addition to the roster in case of injury. He’s a candidate for return roles as well as gadget/misdirection on offense.
- Walker: He’s been active for just 5 games with 83 snaps on ST and just 6 on offense. He’s got a slender build and may need a full offseason of conditioning to prepare himself for an NFL season.
- Wallace: He’s increased his value with high per-snap productivity as a receiver in limited playing time (163 snaps).
Veterans Playing for Market Value (11): Nelson Agholor*, Mark Andrews, Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Lamar Jackson, Josh Jones*, Patrick Mekari*, Nick Moore, Patrick Ricard*, Ronnie Stanley*, Jordan Stout
A significant chunk of the 2024 cap is being spent here. The Ravens have 5 market-value UFAs (marked with a *) on offense, including 3 of the team’s 4 OTs. Whether or not to re-sign Ronnie Stanley will be the biggest decision of the offseason.
Major departures from the 2023 group include Gus Edwards, Tyler Huntley, Morgan Moses, and Kevin Zeitler.
Nick Moore and Jordan Stout are special cases. Stout is providing surplus value on his rookie deal, but the context is limited. Moore is also on his rookie deal (at age 30). Again, Moore’s role is limited and there is no higher standard to which he can aspire.
Veteran Cap/Value Concerns (1): Justin Tucker
Tucker has a complex cap situation with 3 years left on his contract which would require the Ravens to take a cap hit of $0.4M in 2025 if they cut him.
Transitional (11): Malaesala Aumauve-Laulu, Malik Cunningham, Deonte Harty, Diontae Johnson, Josh Johnson, Keith Kirkwood, Devin Leary, Anthony Miller, Zaire Mitchell-Paden, Scotty Washington, Owen Wright
None of these 11 players has an obvious future with the team, but it’s likely 2 or 3 will ascend to another group. I would handicap the most likely as Scotty Washington and Owen Wright, each of whom are 1st-contract players.
Special thanks to Brian McFarland, to whose contract details I referred frequently while writing these pieces.
