Ravens risers and fallers: Defense crushes Commanders in 41-3 blowout win

BALTIMORE — The preseason is over.

The Ravens closed out their slate with a 41-3 thumping of the Commanders on Friday night at M&T Bank Stadium. Now come a few tough decisions for general manager Eric DeCosta and coach Jesse Minter, with the deadline for trimming the roster from 89 players to 53 being Sunday at 6 p.m.

The reality is most of the positions are set, but the preseason finale was one last chance for those on the bubble to make their case.

Here’s a look at the risers and fallers:

Risers

— CB Keyon Martin: Martin said he still plays like his spot on the roster isn’t secured, but there’s no doubt the former undrafted free agent will make the team again. He had an excellent first-quarter pass breakup on Luke McCaffrey, recognizing the route and breaking in from behind to get his hand on the ball without interfering, then had a good tackle on running back Kaytron Allen. One play later, he made a terrific open-field tackle on tight end Colson Yankoff.

— OLBs Adisa Isaac and Ethan Burke: With the fifth outside linebacker spot coming down to Isaac or Burke, both players performed well on defense as well as special teams. Isaac was active in the third phase — including with a tackle — and also did a nice job in run defense along with applying some pressure. Burke, the undrafted free agent out of Texas who has become a cult figure during training camp, likewise had an excellent rep on kick coverage and had a forced fumble on defense that defensive lineman C.J. Okoye recovered.

— RB Adam Randall: Whether the Ravens will keep four running backs on the roster remains to be seen, but the fifth-round rookie and former wide receiver didn’t hurt his chances. He had a hard-nosed 4-yard run early in the game, bouncing off a couple of would-be tacklers. Then he turned a second-quarter screen into 24 yards after he swatted cornerback Darius Rush to the ground in the open field. Randall finished with five carries for 25 yards and three catches for 45 yards.

— WR Chris Moore: The Ravens are likely set at receiver when it comes to the 53-man roster, but the veteran who spent the first five seasons of his NFL career in Baltimore before returning earlier this year should at least be a practice squad lock. He practically carried Baltimore on the opening drive against the Commanders, hauling in all three targets he saw for 54 yards and a diving touchdown that was initially ruled incomplete but overturned on a replay challenge. Tyler Huntley laid the ball out perfectly, and Moore made a sprawling catch in the front corner of the end zone along the sideline. Moore also had a nice block to spring a 12-yard run by Ali in the second quarter.

— OLB Kaimon Rucker: There isn’t enough room on the roster for Rucker, a second-year undrafted free agent out of North Carolina, but his performance against the Commanders should help land him on the practice squad. Rucker was active and quick to the ball, with two of his four tackles being behind the line of scrimmage. He also had a third-quarter sack of Sam Hartman.

— CB Lardarius Webb Jr.: Ravens cornerbacks have been impressive pretty much all training camp and in the preseason. Webb, an undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest whose father was a cornerback for Baltimore from 2009 to 2017, was the latest to stand out. First, he forced a fumble on a kickoff return in the second quarter on his way to two special teams tackles. Then, he had an excellent pass breakup on a fourth down early in the third. Webb came into camp a long shot to make the practice squad but certainly increased his chances on Friday.

— DL David Olajiga: The second-year undrafted free agent out of Central Missouri has been disruptive up the middle more than a few times this summer, and that trend continued against the Commanders. In particular, he had a couple of strong plays in the third quarter, quickly getting in to stuff Robert Henry Jr. on one run followed by a sack of Sam Hartman on the next.

Fallers

— K Tyler Loop: More like Loop there it isn’t. Two more missed field goals by the second-year kicker had the boo birds out after he was wide right from 51 yards on his first attempt of the game in the first quarter and wide left from 58 just before halftime. Loop did make a 51-yarder in between and a 24-yarder in the third quarter, but he finished 5 for 8 in the preseason after missing from 49 yards in the opener against the Eagles. That’s simply not good enough for an organization that demands a high standard in the kicking game. Though his kickoffs are much improved and he has been mostly accurate in practice, he has also been inconsistent in warmups. It’s time to bring in competition, something that probably should have been done in the spring.

— WR Elijah Sarratt: To be clear, Sarratt’s spot on the roster should be secure, but he has done little to distinguish himself in the preseason. Against the Commanders, he struggled to get open against second- and third-teamers. When he spelled Wester on punt returns, he was cautious and didn’t look particularly comfortable, twice signaling for a fair catch when he had room to run on both, though he did wisely signal for a fair catch on another return.

— WR Devontez Walker: The fact that Ja’Kobi Lane didn’t even suit up and Walker did is probably pretty telling. Walker, a third-round former fourth-round pick, once again failed to distinguish himself. His three catches for 22 yards on five targets were completely forgettable, and on one of those incompletions he failed to come down with a deep pass up the sideline from Fagnano late in the second quarter. Walker has great speed, but he remains someone who only very occasionally has an impact.

— OL Corey Bullock: The former Maryland standout had a couple of rough plays, blocking no one on one screen pass early in the second quarter, then getting hit with a penalty for unnecessary roughness on the next play. It also looked like he had a couple of missed blocks later in the game. The fact that he was still on the field deep into the fourth quarter probably doesn’t bode well for his chances of making the 53-man roster.