ali's gonna make this team on special teams
he's probably our kick returner, but even if not, he's an effective special teamer on the punt units
i wouldnt be surprised if he's active as RB3 on gamedays ahead of Keaton
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2025 Offseason Thread
- Thread starter Dom McRaven
- Start date
ali's gonna make this team on special teams
he's probably our kick returner, but even if not, he's an effective special teamer on the punt units
i wouldnt be surprised if he's active as RB3 on gamedays ahead of Keaton
if we had an OT to roster then i'd think it more likely because we're definitely thin behind Noteboom at swing tackle
but the OL 10 candidates are all interior guys where Bullock and Cleveland give you the coverage and then worst case whichever of them OL10 candidates don't get claimed on waivers (likely all of them) are your IOL depth
and emery jones will likely be on the 53 at some point this season
but between noteboom, cleveland and bullock, you cover every position on the OL, the downside is that there's not a ton of positional flexibility in the OL this year, a lot of 1 position guys
our emergency OT is probably Faalele sliding back to RT
QtR Nevermore
Pro Bowler
Probably. And it isn't going to do any of us any good to question why the Ravens over value special teams so much but it looks like Wester, Ali, a Linebacker and quite possibly a Safety will all make the roster based on STs - in addition to the specialists.
Conversely, the 10th OL that you’re worried about that we actually did carry last year played exactly 0 snaps all season.
I didn't see that image of him bending his ankle like jello. Can someone post it?
Corvus Purpura
Practice Squad
QtR Nevermore
Pro Bowler
That was lucky. It's what you hope happens every year but it's not smart to count on it.
QtR Nevermore
Pro Bowler
Good points but I'd still rather lock down the best of the IOL depth players than an pretty standard RB considering we saw guys who weren't even on any team's 90 come in and do OK for us.
OL9 played 0 offensive snaps as well.
I get it. We were fortunate injury wise, but they're much more concerned about rostering guys that are actually going to play meaningful snaps vs. some just in case guys, especially when the just in case guys they have to choose from are all similar.
I'm not saying 10 OL isn't happening, but they're almost always going to opt for contributors over deep depth options.
Baltimorican
Pro Bowler
Martin PS, lowery made the team.
I know there's been a lot of discourse about RG, but LG is deservedly quiet. Vorhees looks like he's picking up from where he left off late last season. He looks like a totally different player than what we got at the beginning of 2024. Good on him. Hope it continues.
Tank
Hall of Famer
Hoping he can stay healthy. He's a hard worker and has a ton of potential.
Doing some light film review this morning and we essentially played that entire game with 3/4 true CBs.
JAD played 3 snaps and then sat on the bench in uniform for the rest of the game just in case.
That left Tampa, Robinson, and Martin to go the distance essentially. They turned it over to Devonshire late for a few snaps but he just got here not long ago and is a clear camp body type. We had Beau Brade - who does his best work downhill - lining up as a true slot to round out the game essentially.
So that feels a little more realistic as to why Martin started the game. They really didn't have many other options. They seem committed to Lowery as a deep S convert vs. a roaming chess piece.
JAD played 3 snaps and then sat on the bench in uniform for the rest of the game just in case.
That left Tampa, Robinson, and Martin to go the distance essentially. They turned it over to Devonshire late for a few snaps but he just got here not long ago and is a clear camp body type. We had Beau Brade - who does his best work downhill - lining up as a true slot to round out the game essentially.
So that feels a little more realistic as to why Martin started the game. They really didn't have many other options. They seem committed to Lowery as a deep S convert vs. a roaming chess piece.
I really don't know how to feel about Jay Higgins. The IQ, hand usage, and angles all stand out on the tape... but unfortunately so does the lack of functional athleticism. He looks good against a TE named Tyler Neville but I'm not convinced it's going to look near as pretty against a TE like Brock Bowers. I can see the appeal for sure because he is pretty damn clean on the mental side of the game, but the movement skills are just not where I think they need to be to last in the NFL.
Seems like they may have a choice between Brade and Higgins for one of the final spots. I'd guess they'll lean Brade for ST reasons but who knows at this point.
Seems like they may have a choice between Brade and Higgins for one of the final spots. I'd guess they'll lean Brade for ST reasons but who knows at this point.
and we've had some other struggles at special teams the last couple of years also
makes sense
was more that he clearly performed well with the starters and was preferred to lowery in the nickel
for him to make it, feels like he'd have to beat out brade on special teams
this year though, the difference between OL10 and OL13 is not that big at all
and that doesn't even account for emery jones coming returning later in the season too
would be unprecedented for OL10-13 to all be claimed off waivers and for none to make it to the PS
and especially when they're not "valuable" developmental/traitsy guys you're putting on development plans like Carson Vinson (who you hope won't play at all this year but you'd be unhappy about losing the chance to develop him)
Dellinger, Samac, Dalcourt and Christian-Lichtenhan are all guys you'd like to keep but you're not worried about losing any of them - they're very replaceable at this stage
It seems they’re looking at Lowery at a deep end S instead of a slot piece. He played 3 snap slots late when Brade was in the medical tent but that was it. Otherwise, he followed Starks and played largely the same role.