OTL: One Week At a Time

The NFL preseason is in the books and the Ravens have to be feeling good about their depth. Think about it. The game against Washington was a pointless backups bowl and the Ravens thoroughly dominated the game. The Ravens had a ton of draft picks, they made moves in the offseason and undrafted free agents are in the conversation for a roster spot. They have to answer some big questions as the season progresses, but the state of the roster is rock solid moving into the season.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer has a fantastic article in which he outlines five takeaways from Ravens training camp. Let’s look at a couple of the most interesting notes the esteemed journalist has penned:

With guys like Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Roquan Smith, Tyler Linderbaum, Ronnie Stanley, Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey, among others, there’s a level of heightened focus and intensity to camp. That isn’t to say it wasn’t there before. But the Ravens see themselves as having knocked on the door long enough, with six playoff appearances in seven years, plus four division titles and two No. 1 seeds in that span. It’s time for the group, without a discernable hole on the roster, to break through.

The team’s situation is a heavy one. They have a responsibility to go to the playoffs and make some noise because they unquestionably have the talent for it. The focus on breaking through when it matters and frost clings to fingers could be a positive or a negative. Obviously, you want to have high expectations. At the same time you don’t want to put the cart before the horse or build the playoffs to be a psychological demon. It feels like a season where the Ravens could have the magic formula, but the best idea might be to focus in on the moment. The Ravens continually find a way to lose in the playoffs, even in those years where they were the number one seed and the road to the Super Bowl went through Baltimore.

I love the energy, yet I wonder if a “one week at a time” mentality is the cure to their entire problem.

Breer also talked about the Ravens defensive front:

The defensive front is another area where a jolt could come from the younger set. Fourth-year nose tackle Travis Jones started fast, then got hurt last year. Now, he looks determined as a massive, disruptive, hard-to-move big man in a contract year—who played a little like Haloti Ngata used to through camp. And rookie Mike Green, who fell to the second round for off-field reasons in April, has come as advertised as a pass-rusher, is better than expected against the run, and is even showing really good special teams value for a defensive end—showing already that he should soon be a four-down player. Add these two to accomplished vets like Kyle Van Noy and Nnamdi Madubuike, and the front should be in really good shape.

We need to slow down comparing Travis Jones to Haloti Ngata. While Jones has had some strong moments and it sounds like he’s making great strides, he’s got a lot to prove before he’s on Ngata’s level. Still, the idea of Jones being a disrupter from the defensive line is an exciting one, one that has been picking up steam since he was drafted with the 76th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. I buy a breakout year…even if I’m pumping the brakes on Breer’s comparison.

Every week I find a way to rave about the performance of Mike Green, and how he continues to pass the eye test. This is a player who has what it takes. It is plain to see, there are no notes needed. Kyle Van Noy is a player that I don’t think gets enough credit or hype. This is a player who has been doing his thing since 2014 and is coming off a career year. Van Noy had 12.5 sacks in the 2024 season. Van Noy climbed up from a player who would get five to six sacks a season to one that can lead a team in sacks. Van Noy’s two seasons with the Ravens have come with 21.5 sacks. As a 34-year-old linebacker, Van Noy is doing on defense what Derrick Henry is doing on offense as a 31-year-old running back. These are players who are supposed to be past their best seasons playing their best football.

Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk reports that Lamar Jackson should be good to go for this week of practice.

The Ravens said quarterback Lamar Jackson was fine after getting his foot stepped on at Wednesday’s practice, but his absence at Thursday’s practice left some to wonder whether there was any lingering issue that would threaten his availability.

Those concerns should be put to rest on Monday. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said after Saturday’s game that Jackson is set to practice when the team gets back on the field on Monday.

It looks like Baltimore can take a deep breath. There were a lot of overreactions. As talented as the Ravens roster is, they’ll go as far as Lamar Jackson takes them. There’s no such thing as a minor concern when it comes to the two-time NFL MVP. Things as we know it though are fine.

It’s time to start looking at the construction of the roster. Who gets cut? Who stays? Zach Canter of Baltimore Beatdown has a 53 man roster projection. He has Rasheen Ali making the squad at running back and Keyon Martin making the team in the defensive backfield:

The top three were never in question. But Rasheen Ali seems to have forced himself onto the roster with strong performances in every preseason game. Harbaugh noted after the Commanders game how Ali is a starter on every single special teams unit. Keeping four running backs prevents the Ravens from carrying 10 offensive linemen in the 25/25/3 model and prevents extra players on defense from making the roster as well. Ali and Keaton Mitchell will be the likely kick return duo as well.

I am skeptical about Ali making the roster. While you could argue he had too good of a preseason to hide him away on the practice squad successfully, the Ravens have so much talent at running back you could argue that keeping Ali is too much. Keeping Ali warms my heartstrings, as long as the roster math works out. One sign that the roster math is working out is that Keyon Martin is making it in Canter’s projection:

And what can’t you say about the UDFA Martin? He absolutely forced his way on the roster this summer, balling out in the preseason. The kid was a big-play walking, with sacks, interceptions and passes defensed everywhere. How big his role this year is underdetermined, but he made one of the most stacked secondaries in the NFL as a UDFA.

If Martin doesn’t make the team, the preseason will be shown to be absolutely worthless. This is a player who has earned his roster spot. He’s a tough, instinctive player who showed he can turn defense into offense with a preseason pick six. The Ravens brought in Jaire Alexander and Chidobe Awuzie who both have injury concerns at the cornerback position, at least from a historical standpoint. Martin can play special teams and has shown that he has the chops to become a play-making defensive back in time. The Ravens have to keep Martin. This is a choice that legitimizes the entire projection from Canter.

“I took advantage of every opportunity I had.” @MartinIsland21 pic.twitter.com/fBnjSaAxAQ

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 23, 2025

Speaking of Martin, this on the field interview with Evan Washburn is a good barometer of where his head as at. Martin sounds like a player who gets it. He’s action oriented, he’s doing what he can do to make his case to the coaches.

“It keeps building the confidence.” @tyler_loop on the 61-yard FG pic.twitter.com/oSBA99l4ds

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 23, 2025

Tyler Loop made a 61-yard field goal against the Washington Commanders. This gives him momentum going into the season. He’s positive and focused and it’s good to see. This was the preseason he needed to have.

Bring on the 53.

Bring on the week.

Bring on the Bills.

The post OTL: One Week At a Time appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2025/08/25/out-to-lunch/otl-one-week-at-a-time/