OTL: Three Training Camp Battles to Watch

It’s hard to believe that in 40 days each NFL roster will be cut down to 53 men. The cutdown day falls on August 30, and although Baltimore has plenty of talent at the top of the roster, the margins will need to be filled over the next month and change.

A stockpile of compensatory picks led the Ravens to make 11 selections in this past draft, and that only makes each battle more competitive over the span of training camp and preseason.

A season ago, Garrett Dellinger, an interior o-lineman from LSU, was the sole selection to not make the squad out of camp.

So with that being said, where might we see the biggest battles for roster spots in this cycle?

Third Running Back

Rasheen Ali, 25, was a fifth-round pick in 2024 out of Marshall, and is now heading into his third season as a pro. Ali has mainly been used on special teams as a kickoff returner, but has amassed only 26 total touches for 123 yards and a touchdown over his first two campaigns. Even when Justice Hill went down in late November and eventually missed the rest of the year, Keaton Mitchell took the vast majority of those vacant snaps.

Enter 22-year-old Adam Randall, Steve Bisciotti’s hand-picked selection out of Clemson. He’s a receiver that transitioned to play running back, and at 6-3, 232 lbs, he’s freakishly athletic for his size. Derrick Henry unfortunately won’t be around forever, and Randall could provide more of a long-term swing with the reliable Hill still ahead of him on the depth chart. Baltimore could end up keeping four running backs on the roster, but my instincts tell me this battle will finish with a clear-cut winner, with the loser headed to the chopping block.

Interior DL

The Ravens kept five defensive lineman initially last season, and Travis Jones, Calais Campbell, and John Jenkins are essentially locks to make the squad. There’s still a huge question mark surrounding Nnamdi Madubuike, but if he’s healthy he’ll also be a sure-thing. That leaves Washington, Aeneas Peebles, and seventh-round pick out of Michigan, Rashuan Benny. Don’t count out C.J. Okoye either – he gave the Ravens some solid run on the interior a season ago, though he’s more likely a practice squad candidate.

Peebles wasn’t given much of an opportunity last year, appearing in just six games, but the Ravens could opt to go younger on the interior between him and Benny behind the older vets along the front, Campbell and Jenkins. Broderick Washington will turn 30 this season, and has been underwhelming since his three-year extension back in 2023.

Defensive Back

Defensive back is one position where I see the Ravens likely holding an extra man compared to the initial 2025 number of 10. I’m assuming nine locks: Kyle Hamilton, Nate Wiggins, Malaki Starks, Marlon Humphrey, Chidobe Awuzie, Jaylinn Hawkins, T.J. Tampa, Chandler Rivers, and Keondre Jackson. That leaves two potential spots for Amani Oruwariye, K’Von Wallace, Keyon Martin, and Bilhal Kone, plus others like Robert Longerbeam and UDFA Matthew McDoom.

Martin stole the show during camp and the preseason matchups a year ago, and truly earned his roster spot as an UDFA out of Louisiana. Kone on the other hand saw his season end before it started, suffering a brutal preseason knee injury that tore his ACL and MCL. Veterans Oruwariye and Wallace are headed into their eighth and seventh seasons, respectively.

This should be one of the more intense battles to keep an eye on over the month of August, with a mix of youth and experience battling for roster spots.

Which battle intrigues you the most?

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