Ravens lose to Bucs, as roster cuts loom
With preseason finale done, the finishing touches are next
TAMPA, Fla. — The Ravens played with what John Harbaugh called a “skeleton crew” for their final game of the preseason Saturday night, and the result was predictable.
After winning an NFL-record 24 straight preseason games, Baltimore started another streak at Raymond James Stadium, losing its second exhibition in a row as Buccaneers starting quarterback Baker Mayfield completed all six of his passes for 43 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown to wide receiver Chris Godwin that helped spark Tampa Bay to a 26-20 victory.
Mayfield played just two series before Kyle Trask relieved him. A 2021 secondround pick who spent the past two seasons behind Tom Brady and Blaine Gabbert, Trask completed 19 of 31 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown as the Ravens again struggled to generate a pass rush and withstood an uneven performance from a depleted secondary.
With their established starters sitting, the Ravens’ primary goal was to get through the game without any major injuries. Mission accomplished.
The other objective was to sort out any final positional battles ahead of Tuesday’s roster cut to 53 players. They did that, too, with Harbaugh naming John Simpson the starting left guard as he beat out rookie sixth-round draft pick Sala Aumavae-Laulu.
“John deserves it,” Harbaugh said. “He’s had a great camp. Vet, physical, loved the way he played.”
Here’s a look at who stood out and who didn’t in the Ravens’ final game of the preseason:
Risers Josh Johnson
With Tyler Huntley continuing to nurse a hamstring injury and Lamar Jackson sitting, Johnson again got the start and again looked sharp, particularly on the Ravens’ opening possession.
The 37-year-old drove the Ravens 80 yards on four plays, all of them passes, culminating in a 24-yard strike to a wideopen Laquon Treadwell, who waltzed into the end zone. But there were two other throws on the drive that stood out: Johnson hitting Tylan Wallace for 15 yards as the pocket started to collapse, and a 22-yard connection with James Proche II over the middle with Proche extending to catch the pass.
Johnson went just 2-for-5 on his next drive and that was the end of his night as he finished 6-for-9 for 95 yards with a touchdown.
The backup job would seemingly belong to Huntley, but Johnson certainly outperformed Anthony Brown (12-for-21 for 171 yards) and took the competition to the end. If nothing else, Johnson provides an option if Huntley’s hamstring injury lingers.
“Same level of anxiety you experience any other year,” Johnson said of the impending cut day. “Hopefully I’ve done enough to be able to earn a spot somewhere.”
Charlie Kolar
The 24-year-old second-year tight end had another nice game, making the start and pulling in a team-high four catches on five targets for 45 yards.
He didn’t waste any time getting involved, either, with a 19-yard catch-and-run on the game’s first play as Johnson hit him with a short pass out to the left. Later, he made a short catch on a pass from Johnson over the middle and turned it into a 16-yard gain.
“I believe in myself as a player so when I go out there and do it … there’s a big part of earning confidence, just doing it, getting the reps,” said Kolar, who was limited to just two games last season because of injuries. “That’s why I’m happy to get as many reps as I can this camp because I need them.”
Last week against the Washington Commanders, Kolar had two catches for 61 yards. On Saturday, his only drop was on a contested catch on a crossing route, one that Kolar said he should’ve pulled in.
While the Ravens have depth concerns at some positions, tight end isn’t one of them. Mark Andrews — who was held out of practice earlier in the week with an undisclosed injury and wasn’t seen at Saturday’s game — as well as Isaiah Likely and Kolar make up one of the deepest groups in the league.
Tylan Wallace
Wallace had already likely secured his spot as the sixth receiver and he only solidified that with his performance Saturday.
In addition to handling punt return duties, he also had two catches for 30 yards, including a short grab on third-and-3 in the fourth quarter that he turned into a 15-yard gain to set up the Ravens’ second touchdown of the game.
His lone punt return was also a positive as he made a juke and cut back toward the middle of the field from the left side to pick up 10 yards.
Del’Shawn Phillips
Phillips was all over the field, finishing with a team-high eight tackles.
Already an experienced special teams performer, however, his biggest leap has been at inside linebacker.
“Special teams you kind of expect it,” Harbaugh said. “But defensively I thought he really shined, especially the first two games . ... He seemed good this game, too. He probably took a step forward definitely as a linebacker this training camp.”
Justin Tucker and Jordan Stout
If there’s one unit the Ravens have zero concerns over, it’s special teams.
Tucker connected on a pair of field goal attempts from 44 and 39 yards and went the entire preseason without a miss.
Stout, meanwhile, was busy Saturday as the Ravens punted five times. He acquitted himself well, too, averaging 51.6 yards. Two of those punts landed inside the Buccaneers’ 20-yard-line, including one that was downed on the 6.
Fallers Sala Aumavae-Laulu
The rookie sixth-round pick looked like one, getting beat on several occasions and yielding multiple sacks.
His worst series came in the second quarter when he got beat on at least three occasions in a five-play stretch and gave up an 8-yard sack to Anthony Nelson.
Early in the summer, Harbaugh was enamored with the 6-foot-5, 325-pound Polynesian out of Oregon, particularly given the struggles of Ben Cleveland. Aumavae-Laulu impressed with his ability with his quickness, strength and ability to learn quickly.
But those traits were less apparent in recent weeks and it became obvious that Simpson had beat him out for the job.
As Aumavae-Laulu left the locker room Saturday night, he looked equal parts exhausted and perhaps frustrated with his play. Still, Harbaugh expects him to be part of the picture as the year goes on.
“Sala is kind of what you would expect,” Harbaugh said. “He moves his feet well, he’s very physical at times, and then again he’s a rookie. You gotta remember, this is the first time these guys are playing at this level of communication, this level of scheme. He’s got a great future, he’s gonna be a part of it this year. We need to get him ready to play soon.”
David Ojabo
One of only two established starters to get the starting nod Saturday, the outside linebacker once again struggled to shed blocks or get to the quarterback or even apply any pressure.
Ojabo finished the game with just one tackle and zero sacks or quarterback hits.
The expectations for the second-year player out of Michigan are high, but so far he hasn’t displayed much in the way of developing pass rush moves and has been pushed around more than expected considering his 6-foot-4, 265-pound frame. Perhaps he will be better once he is surrounded by the rest of the defensive starters.
“All these snaps have been great for him,” Harbaugh said. “That’s how you learn how to play. He stayed healthy through it, which was great. I expect him to play very well this year and think he will.”
Jalyn Armour-Davis
The Ravens’ cornerback concerns are well-documented with a slew of players injured, just coming back from injury, or, in the case of Armour-Davis, struggling to stay on the field.
The second-year cornerback out of Alabama got the start on the outside, played into the third quarter, got a ton of snaps and at times struggled to stay with receivers or break up passes.
He finished with three tackles and did have moments of good coverage but also got beat badly on a third-down pass in the second quarter, giving up 11 yards to David Moore. Then he gave up another catch to Moore for 14 yards.
Though Buccaneers’ quarterbacks threw for just 193 yards, it was not a strong night for Armour-Davis or the rest of the secondary, and the lack of a pass rush certainly didn’t help.
Melvin Gordon III
After not being at the final open practice of the week Thursday, Gordon was back on the field Saturday.
The 30-year-old veteran, however, hardly stood out in his battle for the fourth running back spot, rushing for just 9 yards on three carries. He also caught two passes for 19 yards.
Also notable: Undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell, who had been seeing time on kick returns as well as in the backfield, did not play.
While Gordon didn’t play poorly this summer, he also didn’t set himself apart from the other backs ahead of him. With J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill the top three on the depth chart, the speedy Mitchell seems a more likely candidate for the roster than Gordon.
Sean Ryan
The undrafted rookie out of Rutgers has had a nice summer, but he didn’t do himself any favors against the Buccaneers.
Aside from finishing with just one catch for 9 yards, which he made late in the game, he dropped an easy 21-yard touchdown pass from Brown, who lofted the ball right to the wide-open receiver in the corner of the end zone on third down in the second quarter. But the ball went through Ryan’s hands and fell harmlessly to the turf and the Ravens had to settle for a field goal.
For a young player trying to make the team, it was a tough look.