Ravens depth on both sides of the ball will be tested in second half of season

Heading into the 2020 training camp and even prior to the start of the regular season after losing a few players to opt-outs, injuries, and terminated contracts, the Baltimore Ravens boasted arguably the most talented and deepest rosters in the entire league.

However, at the midseason point of the 2020 season following injuries at key positions to starters and quality depth rotational players, the Ravens will have to rely on some of their less experienced and unheralded depth that rounded out the roster to step up and play significant roles down the second-half stretch.

On Sunday, just two days after signing stalwart blindside protector Ronnie Stanley to a mega-extension, the Ravens lost the First-Team All-Pro left tackle for the remainder of the season after he was carted off the field early on in their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and later diagnosed with a season-ending ankle injury.

“It’s a tough loss, obviously. I feel bad for Ronnie [Stanley],” said Head Coach John Harbaugh. “He’s a guy who’s been playing well. You mentioned the contract situation, it’s not really the main thing. The main thing is that he wants to play [and] he wants to be a part of it. He’s worked very hard to be out there and to contribute.”

The loss of Stanley is by far the biggest blow that the Ravens have been dealt thus far this season and will cause them to reshuffle their starting line up for the rest of the season.

Against Pittsburgh, starting right tackle Orlando Brown Jr flipped over to the left side, veteran swing tackle was inserted into Brown’s vacated spot and after rookie right guard Tyre Phillips went out in the first half with what was later to be revealed as a high ankle sprain, backup center Patrick Mekari filled in for him for the rest of the game.

While it’s never ideal to lose two starters on the offensive line in the same half of the same game, the fact that the Ravens were still able to dominate the Steelers at the point of attack and impose their will in the running game with a season-high 265 yards against one of the top defenses in the league bodes well for their projected production going forward.

“That’s the nature of the game, oftentimes, unfortunately. But I’ll say this; the guys that stepped in, they played very well. Orlando [Brown Jr.] played very well. ‘Fluke’ [D.J. Fluker] played very well. We’re very confident in those players going forward. That’s why they’re here, because they’re those kinds of players and I know they’re going to play great football for the rest of the season.”

Brown and Fluker will likely be the two starting offensive tackles for the remainder of the season in the same spots they lined up in for the majority of the game against Pittsburgh.

Both Stanley and Phillips were placed on injured reserve on Tuesday but the rookie’s injury isn’t considered season ending and he will be eligible to return after three games.

Thankfully, the Ravens have a lot of young versatile interior offensive linemen that will likely be active for the rest of the season.

Rookie Ben Bredeson, who was drafted in the fourth round out of Michigan, was inactive for the Steelers game but will likely be suiting up against the Indianapolis Colts in Week Nine per Harbaugh.

“He’s been in the mix before,” Harbaugh said. “Ben Powers will be a big part of it. Pat Mekari played well in the game. We’ll just roll with guys we got. We like those guys. We really do. I feel like those young guys played well. Most of the game was without two starters in there. I really feel like those guys did a good job yesterday.”

The Ravens also have second year guard Ben Powers and undrafted rookie center Trystan Colon-Castillo who will serve as backups as well.

While the offensive line is still in decent shape outside of having a swing tackle on the active roster and seems to have at least serviceable replacement level starters that can perform at a moderate to high level, the state of the secondary at the cornerback position going forward is far bleaker.

It seems like every year no matter how much they stockpile the position, at some point in the season, the Ravens find themselves razor-thin and extremely short-handed at the corner in terms of starters and quality primary backups.

This year it began with losing second-year pro Iman Marshal, a 2019 fourth-round pick, for the season in training camp with a torn ACL.

Not even two full games into the season, star nickelback Tavon Young was lost for the year for the third time in his career and second in consecutive seasons with the same injury.

A few weeks later third-year pro Anthony Averett, who had been playing well in extended opportunities following Young’s injury gets put on injured reserve with a shoulder injury that will keep him out for another month and maybe longer.

These losses have forced the Ravens to promote and play practice squanders Terrell Bonds and Khalil Dorsey is meaningful snaps on defense.

However, the coaching staff has confidence in the undrafted rookie in Dorsey and a former undrafted free agent in Bonds to step up and play well when they are called upon.

“We do have good depth back there and it is being tested,” Harbaugh said. “I thought T.B. (Bonds) did a good job. He played well, he made some tackles and flew around and did a good solid job out there. That’s good to see. Khalil Dorsey’s another young guy that can play. I really feel confident with those guys. I do believe the young guys are going to step in and play well.”

The Ravens will face another savvy seasoned veteran at the quarterback position for the second week in a row when they face Phillip Rivers against the Colts a week after squaring off with Ben Roethlisberger in the Steelers game.

Even though Roethlisberger didn’t have a great outing this past Sunday and especially in the first half, he was able to find and complete timely throws to his receivers and drew some key pass interference penalties when targeting Bonds especially.

The Ravens corner depth will get their first test against the Colts since they will be without their top corner in Humphrey after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday morning and was declared out later that afternoon since he must enter the 10-day mandatory window.

“We’ll just have to deal with [Humphrey being out] just like it’s an injury,” Harbaugh said. “We’re just going to approach it like business as usual in a different kind of way and we’ll go to work.”

Baltimore still has experienced and talented veterans Jimmy Smith and 2019 First-Team All-Pro Marcus Peters who will be the starters on the outside against Indianapolis.

Unfortunately, since neither of them possesses the same versatility to play on the slot, that leaves either Bond or Dorsey or a rotation of both to play nickel back which might be a spot where Rivers might look to exploit early and often if he thinks he has a favorable matchup.

During the season, the Ravens tend to give their in-house candidates ample opportunity to prove themselves capable of stepping up before bringing in reinforcements of the street or from another team.

Although anyone signed off the street or acquired via trade before the deadline wouldn’t be eligible to travel or play with the team this week, it might behoove the General Manager Eric DeCosta to add some much-needed depth to their depleted defensive backfield sooner rather than later and preferably with a player or two that has started or at least played extensively on defense in the league.

Quality depth on both sides of the ball is the backbone of every championship team. Having players that weren’t originally expected to play major roles to start the season be able to come in and perform and execute will be the determining factor of whether this year’s Ravens team will live up to and accomplishing the lofty goals and expectation they set for themselves in 2020.