Position battles to watch in Ravens training camp

The Baltimore Ravens lost several key players on both sides of the ball this offseason, meaning they have multiple jobs up for grabs in the coming months.

Here are three key positions battles to watch when training camp opens.

Right tackle

Projected starter: Roger Rosengarten

Players to watch: Daniel Faalele and Patrick Mekari

The Ravens lost starting guards John Simpson (Jets) and Kevin Zeitler (Lions) in free agency and traded right tackle Morgan Moses to the Jets. That means they will have three new starters along their offensive line in 2024, but no position may be more of a toss-up than right tackle. 

Baltimore has options in Mekari, Faalele and Rosengarten, but all have much to prove.

Last season, Mekari allowed five sacks in 580 snaps, while Faalele, a fourth-round pick in 2022, allowed three sacks in even more limited action (186 snaps).

So it's not difficult to imagine Rosengarten, the team's 2024 second-round pick, finding his way into the starting lineup if he can find similar success as he did at Washington the past two seasons, allowing zero sacks.

Cornerback

Projected starters: Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins

Players to watch: Brandon Stephens and T.J. Tampa

Humphrey, a three-time Pro Bowler, is locked in as the Ravens' No. 1 cornerback, but who will play opposite him remains up for debate.

Stephens played well in 2023, registering a career-high 74 tackles, two interceptions and 11 passes defensed, but Baltimore added two talented corners in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The team used its first-round pick (No. 30) on Wiggins and fourth-round pick (No. 130) on Tampa. Both will be given the chance to make their case in July, but the Ravens have been very high on Wiggins since landing him in April.

"We're very, very excited to draft Nate Wiggins, in my opinion, the best cover corner in the draft," general manager Eric DeCosta told reporters. "Highly athletic, fantastic feet. Really, in our opinion, a guy that can grow into being a true shutdown-type corner. Ecstatic that he fell to us."

Edge rusher

Projected starters: Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy

Players to watch: David Ojabo and Adisa Isaac

Baltimore has been searching for its next dominant edge rusher for some time now, using several high draft picks on the position.

In 2021, the Ravens used their first-round pick on Oweh. Then in 2022, they used their second-round pick on Ojabo, and they used a third-round pick on Isaac this year.

Van Noy will likely be one of the starters after finishing with a career-high nine sacks in 2023 that earned him a new two-year, $10M deal.

However, there is a lot of unknown after him since Oweh and Ojabo have combined for just 10 sacks the past two seasons and Isaac is, of course, a rookie.