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The 2022 Baltimore Ravens are a solid, veteran team with many returning starters from the 2021 Ravens roster. They are also an organization that drafts extremely well and makes good signings. That makes for a deep squad and means there are a few positions on the Ravens depth chart that are still up for grabs as the team grinds toward the final Ravens preseason game.
When the dust settles, and Baltimore takes on the New York Jets in Week 1, there are two positions on offense that could have a new starter, different from the player at the top of the depth chart when the Ravens preseason began. One of these positional battles involves a rookie making a huge amount of noise, and the other has two veterans fighting it out to protect Lamar Jackson.
Here are two Ravens backups who can steal a first-string job ahead of 2022 NFL season.
Ravens backups who can steal a first-string job in 2022
OG Tyre Phillips
For a running team like the Baltimore Ravens, the offensive line is the key to offensive success. Heading into the 2022 Ravens preseason, four of the five positions on the offensive line were set. Center Tyler Linderbaum, right guard Kevin Zeitler, and tackles Morgan Moses and Ronnie Staley are the unquestioned starters on the Ravens depth chart.
There are three guards on the Ravens roster, though, who were competing for the spot on the left side of the line. Ben Powers, Tyre Phillips, and Ben Cleveland came into camp as John Harbaugh’s likely choices for that position.
As training camp and the Ravens preseason went on, Cleveland fell off the pace. The enormous, 6-foot-6, 370-pound guard initially failed his conditioning test, and although he eventually passed, it seemed to give Powers and Phillips a leg up on the starting spot.
Powers is listed as the starter on the current Ravens depth chart, but Phillips is a strong candidate to surpass him as the starter following the next and final Ravens preseason matchup vs. the Washington Commanders.
Powers is the experienced, longer-tenured veteran, but he is also coming off a knee injury last season. And reports out of training camp have the 6-foot-5, 324-pound Phillips physically dominating the talented Baltimore D-line in one-on-one drills.
This is still an open competition between Powers and Phillips, and the next game against the Commanders will likely decide the winner.
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TE Isaiah Likely
First, let’s define what “starting” tight end means here. John Harbaugh and Greg Roman’s offense will use a ton of two tight end formations this season, so the team will essentially have two starting TEs. Mark Andrews will absolutely be the No. 1 guy here, but a surprising rookie has come out of nowhere to grab the second starting spot on the Ravens depth chart.
Right now, the other TE on the Ravens roster listed as a starter is Nick Boyle. The eight-year veteran is a solid second or third TE but doesn’t give you anything special or explosive.
Fourth-round pick Isaiah Likely out of Coastal Carolina looks special and explosive.
The small-school pass-catcher has been the breakout star of the Ravens preseason so far. In addition to turning heads at practice, Likely had four catches for 44 yards in his first game vs. the Tennessee Titans.
Just a week later, he put up eight catches for 100 yards and a touchdown in the first half (!) vs. the Arizona Cardinals.
Anyone who’s watched the NFL preseason (or MLB Spring Training or NBA Summer League, for that matter) knows that there have been plenty of players who looked like superstars before the games counted and then flamed out. Isaiah Likely could be one of those guys.
If he’s not, though, Likely will likely be the second starting tight end on the Ravens roster this season. And if he keeps playing like he is now, it isn’t that wild to think he could even overtake Mark Andrews at some point this season.
