Ravens streak of an undrafted rookie making the final 53 might be in jeopardy
Charm City has been a great place to be an undrafted rookie free agent in the NFL for almost two decades. That is because for the last 16 years the Baltimore Ravens have had at least one first-year player that didn’t hear his name called on any of the days that the draft is held, make their final 53-man roster.
However, the impressive streak that is the longest in the league in danger of coming to an end this year because of the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the NFL offseason and preseason.
For starters, there was no rookie minicamp where the undrafted rookies and prospects they brought in for tryouts could make a first impression on the coaching staff and front office. Then came the cancellation of the entire physical portion of the offseason program which included organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamp, once again robbing them of precious on-field time and reps to catch a coach’s eye and get acclimated to the pro level.
Finally came the cancellation of the entire preseason which is where unheralded players and longshots are able to not only audition to make the team that they signed with but also for any other team that might be watching or has a scout in attendance of the exhibition contest looking for a player that could have a chance of catching on elsewhere.
The fourth and final preseason tilt is where rookies both drafted and undrafted along with the other roster bubble players are given their most extensive live reps against another team. There have been a handful of Ravens in recent memory that have not only earned their way on to the roster but won starting jobs based on their performance in the last preseason game.
Former Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce went undrafted out of Samford in 2016 and had a hell of a fourth game against the reserves of the New Orleans Saints during the preseason that year where he recorded two tackles, a sack, and recovered the fumble hen forced in the end zone for a touchdown. He cemented his spot on the final 53-man roster in that outing, went on to appear in 60 games for Baltimore, including 30 starts, and signed a lucrative deal with Minnesota Vikings this offseason worth $27 million over three years.
When asked about whether the undrafted rookie streak would extend for another year with final cuts set to be made this Saturday Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh said that he isn’t sure how it will unfold but said shared that some of them have impressed in camp and stressed the importance of the practice squad heading into to what will surely be an unorthodox season.
“Don’t know yet,” Harbaugh said. “There’s guys that are doing well. This year, I think something to really bear in mind is that the practice squad is going to be as important or more important than ever.”
While the odds for the undrafted rookies landing on the final 53-man roster heading into weak one might be even lower than the typical year, there is a silver lining due to the adjusted rules brought on by the pandemic. The league and the NFLPA agreed to expand practice squads to consist of 16 players this year only, up from the customary 10.
In addition to that, they also mandated that a player can be activated from the practice squad and brought up to the active roster at any point in the season and return to it without having to be released in the event that a player already on the active roster were to contract the virus or miss time with injury. Harbaugh views players that will wind up on the practice squad this year as members of the active roster.
“Being on the practice squad this year, in my mind, is like making the team. Most teams are going to really want to hold onto their guys for their practice squad because they know the system. You have to assume that there’s a possibility that those guys will have to be playing any given week. You can bring two guys up each week from your practice squad to actually play.”
One player that has the best chance to help the streak live on for another year in rookie safety Nigel Warrior. He signed with the team as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee and according to reports from camp he has flashed at various times and made several plays including hauling in two of the mere four interceptions that have been thrown in full-team drills since the team strapped on pads.
The Ravens released a seven-time Pro Bowler last week when they terminated the contract of Earl Thomas and while they like the guys that they have currently slated as locks to make the team (Chuck Clark, DeShon Elliott, Anthony Levine, and Geno Stone), Warrior might have made enough plays in camp to make the initial cut.
A few other undrafted rookies that are prime candidates for the practice squad include former Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley who could’ve pushed Trace McSorley for the third quarterback spot if there had been a preseason, another former Utah alum in cornerback Josh Nurse who has had a solid camp per reports and plays a position the Ravens are a bit light at following the injury to Iman Marshal and former Iowa inside linebacker Kristian Welch who has the potential to be the next undrafted gem at a position where the team has been the best at developing dating back to Bart Scott, Jameel McClain, Dannell Ellerbe, Albert McClellan, Zach Orr and most recently Otaro Alaka and Chris Board, who will likely make the team for a third straight year.
