Rival Report: Ravens go 4-0 in preseason; make moves, cuts to roster

by Christina "Tina" Rivers (3Rivers_Writer) on September 4, 2017

Outside of the Baltimore Ravens themselves, not many would have predicted that the team would go a perfect 4-0 during the preseason. In their final game, the Ravens eeked past the New Orleans Saints, but the preseason may be one of a few highlights for this team in 2017. Several moves have been made as Baltimore adjusted to get to the requisite 53-man roster as well, setting fans up for possible surprises or potential depression.

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Davis, Humphrey and Ricard secure spots with performance

Three players showed up in the final preseason game for the Baltimore Ravens, securing for themselves a spot on the initial 53-man roster based on overall performance: Carl Davis, Marlon Humphrey, and Patrick Ricard.

When Davis bull-rushed on a Will Lutz field goal attempt, he set up Ricard to block the kick. It was just one highlight of his evening. Davis made the Saints pay in the trenches and added an interception and a pass break-up on the night. Ricard is natural at the defensive line position, but spent some time as an extra blocker on offense and has shown he is effective on special teams as well.

Against the Saints, Humphrey got the most extended playing time in his NFL career and showed a level of physicality at the cornerback position that is a great addition to an already tough Ravens defense. Humphrey was solid in coverage and made a great play when he hit Saints rusher Daniel Lasco hard enough to force Lasco to cough up the ball only to have Patrick Onwuasor recover it for Baltimore. Tested throughout the preseason, Humphrey finished the game with four tackles and one pass defended.

BLOCK PARTY pic.twitter.com/X4PtnIM1nk

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 1, 2017

https://twitter.com/marlon_humphrey/status/903473466954756096

https://twitter.com/Ravens/status/903415492576133120

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Rookie Clark a hit for Ravens

Rookie safety Chuck Clark (Virginia Tech) was one of the Ravens’ most reliable defensive backs during the preseason and against the Saints, he added five total tackles to set a total in four games to 14. Clark added a sack, a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hit as the final pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Clark joins Tony Jefferson, Anthony Levine, and Eric Weddle at the safety position on the initial 53-man roster.

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Flacco returns with Stanley, Perriman, and Woodhead

Training camp and preseason for the Ravens was filled with chatter about how bad the injury to veteran quarterback Joe Flacco really was. As insiders hinted it wasn’t serious, head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg withheld a timetable on the veteran quarterback’s return.

On Saturday, Flacco officially returned to practice for the first time and reports allege that he had a good day but there are concerns that his back could continue to be a lingering concern. Nothing stood out that indicated that Flacco was not prepared to go in Week One.

Surprisingly, the Ravens let quarterback Josh Woodrum – who’d been having a nice preseason in the absence of Flacco – go meaning that Ryan Mallett will be the backup quarterback. The Ravens plan to only carry two quarterbacks on their 2017 roster.

Flacco looked fine making all throws. Immediately jumped in with first team offense. pic.twitter.com/hfJBjgXQ3V

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) September 2, 2017

Ronnie Stanley has been missed along the offensive line, but the tackle returned to the field and will work on knocking off any rust. The Ravens brought in some extra help.

After acquiring center Luke Bowanko for an undisclosed draft pick and Tony Bergstrom, the Ravens were forced to cut Matt Skura and Maurquice Shakir from the offensive line. Skura started all four preseason games and may be a possible practice squad addition.

Danny Woodhead missed the final two preseason games with a hamstring injury but is expected to play a major part in an offensive scheme that looks to utilize its running backs in the passing game. Undrafted rookie Taquan Mizzell (Virginia) had led the team in rushing yards and receptions during the preseason, but his future role was not as clear with Woodhead returning to the lineup. Mizzell is expected to garner interest from other teams unless the Ravens sign him to the practice squad.

Receiver Breshad Perriman, who has been out with a hamstring issue since early August, returned to practice as well and will work into the first team offense.

With Flacco, Woodhead, Perriman and Stanley all practicing, the Ravens have their main offensive cogs on field for first time since minicamp

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) September 2, 2017

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Notable cuts

Ricky Ortiz (FB), Quincy Adeboyejo (WR), Bosenko Lokombo (LB), Ryan Malleck (TE), Chris Matthews (WR), Taquan Mizzell (RB), Donald Payne (LB), Reggie Porter (DB), Maurquice Shakir (G), Matt Skura (C), Josh Woodrum (QB).

The Ravens waived the following players with an injury designation or placed them on IR: Brennen Beyer (LB), Robertson Daniel (DB), Stephane Nembot (OT), Brandon Boykin (CB – IR)