Ravens head coach Jesse Minter will keep most of his starters, and even some key reserves, sidelined for today’s preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings. That was the plan all along after Baltimore’s veterans got extensive work during joint practices this week.
Here are a few storylines from a Ravens perspective ahead of today’s game:
How will the reserve offensive line spots take shape?
The season-ending knee injury, sustained by projected starting center Danny Pinter in practices this week, complicates the Ravens’ offensive line decisions. Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic, who should get extensive work today, are now competing for the starting center job. That has to be decided, and so do the final one or two offensive line spots. The loser of the starting center competition, Carson Vinson and Emery Jones Jr., will presumably get three of the reserve spots. That leaves one or two available spots for a group that includes Andrew Vorhees, Gerad Lichtenhan and Corey Bullock.
Will any of the defensive linemen stand out?
This is another area that could use some roster clarity. As long as health cooperates, Nnamdi Madubuike, Calais Campbell, Travis Jones, John Jenkins and Broderick Washington should be roster locks. But Aeneas Peebles or C.J. Okoye could play their way into the mix with strong performances in the final two preseason games. They’ve been relatively quiet to this point.
Can Tyler Loop ease the angst?
The second-year kicker, whose miss in Week 18 in Pittsburgh last year ended Baltimore’s season, continues to perform well in practice. The Ravens continue to express faith in his ability to do the job. However, his miss in the first preseason game ignited all of the concerns from last year about Loop’s ability to consistently deliver. And another miss today will only make the noise louder and perhaps convince the Ravens that they need to bring in competition for the young kicker.
