Game two of the preseason begins soon in Dallas. Some questions were answered in the first week against the Indianapolis Colts, such as defensive back Reuben Lowery being the betting favorite UDFA to make the roster with the injuries to corners Bilhal Kone and Robert Longerbeam. A couple of roster questions remain, with a list of players trying to force their way onto the 53-man roster. Let’s check on a couple of the roster bubble guys trying to get on.
Ali looks night and day different from where he was last year. I remember watching his first preseason game and being disappointed in the way he ran the football. Not anymore. He’s running behind his pads more, lowering his shoulder for extra yards. He’s more decisive and seems to have more burst in his step than last year. All of that came to fruition last week against the Colts with a massive 69-yard kick return, which he then converted into a 19-yard run and ultimately found the end zone the next play.
Unfortunately for Ali, the three guys ahead of him, Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, and Keaton Mitchell, aren’t giving up their spots anytime soon. Ali’s going to have to put on a performance in the next two preseason games if he wants to force the Ravens to carry four running backs, amongst the other roster crunches they have. But Ali could also be trying to make his way on another team’s roster, similar to another 6th-round running back, Tyler Badie. Either way, Ali wants to prove that he can take snaps for any team in the NFL for the next 2 weeks. So far, he looks like an NFL back this preseason.
Ojabo might have run out of time in Baltimore. He came in as a touted second-round pick with first-round talent, nursing a fresh Achilles tear. During his first two years, there was a lot of missing time due to various injuries, mixed in with the occasional strip sack, two in his first five games over the two seasons. Last year was his first year fully healthy, but he was seemingly a healthy scratch for a chunk of the season. Now Ojabo says it’s the first time he’s been fully healthy in his NFL career, and he’s just focused on playing fast and free. It showed against Indy, where Ojabo flashed with a highlight sack, even if unblocked, and two quarterback hurries.
The battle for Ojabo seems to be focused on beating out second-year, third-round pick Adisa Isaac, who also flashed in the first week. But I can’t see the Ravens not keeping Isaac, who still has three years left on his rookie deal and has flashed every time he’s been on the field, both last year in the regular season and now. So in reality, Ojabo has to force the Ravens to keep six outside linebackers if he wants to be on the roster. Otherwise, he could be looked at as an early trade chip the Ravens could use before he hits waivers.
The one thing going for Ojabo is the future. It’s very likely that Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy, the top two guys on the depth chart, are in their last year in Baltimore. I’m sure the Ravens are dreaming of a scenario in 2026 where all of Mike Green, Tavious Robinson, Adisa Isaac, and David Ojabo on a cheap extension are on the roster, leading that room. Say what you want, but all four of those guys have immense pass-rush potential if they hit their peaks. The Ravens may want him on the roster for 2025 so they can try and keep him for 2026. He just has to show he’s worth it.
After the draft, one of the biggest concerns was the Ravens’ defensive line depth. With Michael Pierce’s retirement and only drafting one rookie at the position, there were a lot of questions. Now, it seems like the Ravens have eight guys they could roster. Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, Broderick Washington, and rookie Aeneas Peebles are locks to make the initial 53-man roster. Veteran Brent Urban is once again a likely handshake deal to be ‘cut’ on roster day and then come back. The Ravens signed vet John Jenkins to fill the nose tackle void. But C.J. Ravenell has flashed in the Ravens’ preseason and practice squad for multiple years now. But the exciting prospect is the big man, Basil C.J. Okoye, who was mightily impressive against Indianapolis.
Okoye is a 6-6, 370 lb nose tackle who played early and often in the Ravens’ first preseason game. He worked against a real NFL starting center, Tanor Bortolini, and popped multiple times. He finished with three pressures and an impression on the Ravens staff, media and fans. His first real football game was in 2023 in a Chargers preseason game. Since then, he’s spent two years on NFL practice squads and now looks like he might be ready to be on a roster.
The Ravens could try to hide him on their practice squad, but other teams might be ready to give his special size a chance. John Jenkins’ roster spot as the backup nose tackle to Travis Jones is by no means a lock. I think Okoye could just steal it and give the Ravens a couple of years with a rare body type on their defensive line.
This one comes as somewhat of a surprise. Higgins was a priority UDFA for the Ravens, given a big signing bonus, so his playing well isn’t a surprise. But the inside linebacker room felt like it was locked up early with Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, rookie Teddye Buchanan, and special teams vet Jake Hummel. It didn’t feel like there was a spot to be won. Instead, Higgins has flashed all summer, while Hummel’s missed time and Simpson and Buchanan haven’t flashed as much as some might have hoped. While Simpson will likely get his chance to start next to Smith early, the rest of the snaps could be up for grabs.
Higgins made the most of his opportunity, ending the game against Indy as the highest graded defensive player on the Ravens according to PFF (88.1). If he keeps this up and, most importantly, the Ravens feel like they can survive without Hummel on special teams, Higgins could be a second UDFA player to make this roster, along with Reuben Lowery.
I’m cheating here by naming two guys, but it’s the same situation for both. Corey Bullock came on the Ravens’ practice squad last year, and after a year of work, seems to have taken the lead as the backup center. He took the first team reps with Linderbaum sitting out the first preseason game. With rookie Emory Jones Jr. looking like he’s going to start the year on some sort of injury list, the Ravens have nine guys on the offensive line in place: starters Ronnie Stanley, Andrew Vorhees, Tyler Linderbaum, Daniel Faalele, Roger Rosengarten, then the backups Ben Cleveland, Joe Noteboom, Corey Bullock, and rookie Carson Vinson.
If Samac and Dellinger want a roster spot, it looks like it’ll have to come as the 10th player or somehow gaining the lead over Bullock. Carrying 10 linemen isn’t unusual for the Ravens, but as noted above, there are a lot of roster crunches the Ravens have to figure out. It could come down to the Ravens carrying 10 linemen, six outside linebackers, or four running backs for the last spot on the 53-man roster. One of Ojabo, Ali, Samac, or Dellinger has to show the Ravens they are the guy worth keeping.