Baltimore Ravens Depth Chart 2021: Predicting Week 1 Offensive and Defensive starters
The Baltimore Ravens will once again be one of the teams to beat in the AFC this season. Led by former league MVP Lamar Jackson, the Ravens are expected to embark on another playoff run.
It’s been a quiet off-season for the Baltimore Ravens, who got some much-needed help at wide receiver by signing veteran Sammy Watkins and drafting rookie Rashod Bateman. They traded away tackle Orlando Brown but have replaced him with Alejandro Villanueva.
The AFC North is one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, so the Baltimore Ravens will need to perform at their best to make the playoffs this season.
Baltimore Ravens Depth Chart 2021
Offense
Quarterback: Lamar Jackson, Trace McSorley, Tyler Huntley.
Running Back: JK Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Ty’Son Williams, Nate McCrary, Patrick Ricard, Ben Mason, Nate McCrary.
Wide Receiver: Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins, Rashod Bateman, Miles Boykin, Tylan Wallace, Devin Duvernay, James Proche, Jaylon Moore, Deon Cain, Ben Victor, Donte Sylencieux.
Tight End: Mark Andrews, Nick Boyle, Josh Oliver, Eric Tomlinson, Jacob Breeland, Eli Wolf, Tony Poljan.
Offensive Tackle: Ronnie Stanley, Alejandro Villanueva, Andre Smith, Tyre Phillips, Adrian Ealy, Foster Sarell.
Offensive Guard: Bradley Bozeman, Kevin Zeitler, Ben Cleveland, Ben Powers, Tyre Phillips, Ben Bredeson, Sam Cooper.
Center: Patrick Mekari, Trystan Colon-Castillo, Greg Mancz.
Baltimore Ravens Depth Chart 2021
Defense
Interior Defensive Line: Brandon Williams, Justin Ellis, Aaron Crawford, Xavier Kelly, Braxton Hoyett.
Edge: Derek Wolfe, Calais Campbell, Jayson Oweh, Broderick Washington, Justin Madubuike, Daelin Hayes, Aaron Adeoye, Chauncey Rivers.
Linebacker: Patrick Queen, Malik Harrison, Pernell McPhee, LJ Fort, Tyus Bowser, Jaylon Ferguson, Kristian Welch, Otaro Alaka, Chris Board, Barrington Wade, Blake Gallagher.
Cornerback: Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphrey, Jimmy Smith, Tavon Young, Shaun Wade, Anthony Averett, Brandon Stephens, Chris Westry, Iman Marshall, Khalil Dorsey.
Safety: Chuck Clark, DeShon Elliott, Nigel Warrior, Jordan Richards, Anthony Levine, Geno Stone, Ar’Darius Washington.
Baltimore Ravens Depth Chart 2021
Special teams
Kicker: Justin Tucker.
Punter: Sam Koch, Johnny Townsend.
Long Snapper: Nick Moore.
Baltimore Ravens Depth Chart Analysis
Offense
Quarterbacks
Lamar Jackson is the face of the Baltimore Ravens and will again be their starting quarterback in 2021. Jackson will hope to rediscover the form that helped him win the 2019 MVP award.
Last season, he threw for 2,757 yards and nine touchdowns for a passing rating of 99.3. While his passing numbers are good, it’s still on the ground where the star quarterback does most of his damage. He once again rushed for over 1,000 yards, scoring seven TDs.
After another postseason failure last season, the play-caller should be primed for a big 2021. Backing up Jackson this season will be Tracy McSorley. The third-year QB has attempted just ten passes, completing three for 90 yards and one touchdown.
The Baltimore Ravens' third-string quarterback is Tyler Huntley, who has yet to throw a pass in the NFL. Ravens fans will hope they don’t have to see either of these players this season.
Running Backs
The Baltimore Ravens love to run the football. They have led the league in rushing attempts since 2018.
JK Dobbins had a breakout season in 2020. The Ravens' rookie running back ran 134 times for 805 yards and nine touchdowns while catching 18 passes for 120 yards. He averaged a monster six yards per carry and will look to follow up his first year with another big season.
Dobbins will be ably backed up by Gus Edwards. Now that veteran Mark Ingram has departed, Edwards should be in line for a bigger workload for the Baltimore Ravens in 2021. The fourth-year back will be ready to take over if Dobbins is injured.
Wide Receivers
The Baltimore Ravens really needed to upgrade their receiving core this off-season to help their star quarterback Lamar Jackson. They added some depth and star power by drafting Rashod Bateman in the first round and Tylan Wallace in the fourth round. They also added veteran Sammy Watkins to give Jackson another option in offense.
Number one receiver Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown had a mixed 2020 campaign. He started the season slowly but excelled in the last few games. Standing 5' 9", Brown is better used as a slot receiver, so the additions of Watkins and Bateman should help his production this season.
Tight Ends
In Mark Andrews, the Baltimore Ravens have one of the best tight ends in the league. A favorite target for Lamar Jackson, Andrews is set for another big year in 2021.
Last season, Andrews caught 58 passes for 701 yards and seven touchdowns. The 6' 5", 256-pound tight end will benefit from the new off-season wide receiver additions. Andrews will be backed up by Nick Boyle, who is recovering from a serious leg injury sustained in 2020.
Offensive Tackle
The Baltimore Ravens traded their starting right tackle, Orlando Brown, to AFC rivals Kansas City Chiefs before this year’s NFL Draft. They quickly filled the position by signing former Steelers guard Alejandro Villanueva.
The new Raven will get to face his old team twice this season and will no doubt be determined to show he still has a lot left in the tank. Meanwhile, Ronnie Stanley returns from injury to start at left tackle and is expected to be ready for week 1 of the regular season.
Offensive Guard
The Baltimore Ravens strengthened their offensive line by signing right guard Kevin Zeitler. One of the premier free agents available, Zeitler has landed a three-year, $22.5 million contract in Baltimore.
The former Giants guard has proven to be very reliable throughout his career, missing just one game in the last six years. Zeitler would provide some added protection for star QB Lamar Jackson.
Bradley Bozeman will continue to start at left guard for the Baltimore Ravens. He started all 16 games last season. The Ravens also drafted 6' 6", 357-pound Ben Cleveland to add some depth to their offensive line.
Center
Patrick Mekari will likely start at center after a productive 2020 campaign. Left guard Bozeman will provide cover if Mekari suffers any injuries during the season.
Baltimore Ravens Depth Chart Analysis
Defense
Interior Defensive Line
Brandon Williams should again lead the Baltimore Ravens' defensive line, which ranked eighth against the run in 2020. He recorded 33 tackles last season and started in 13 games.
Justin Ellis returns to back up Williams after starting three games last season, recording 17 tackles.
Edge
Derek Wolfe and Calais Campbell will be attacking from the edge this season for the Baltimore Ravens. Wolfe recorded 51 combined tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack and two passes defended across 14 games last season.
The NFL veteran turns 35 this year and could be nearing the end of his career (at least as a starter). He led the Baltimore Ravens with four sacks along with 28 tackles and ten quarterback hits.
The Baltimore Ravens drafted Jayson Oweh with the 31st overall pick in this year’s draft. The 6' 5", 257-pound defensive end could be a ready-made replacement for the aging Campbell.
Linebackers
Rookie Patrick Queen was the star of the Baltimore Ravens’ defense in 2020. He started all 16 games and led the team with 106 tackles. Queen recorded nine tackles for a loss, ten quarterback hits, one interception and one touchdown.
Another rookie, Malik Harrison, played in all 16 games last season, delivering 44 tackles. Queen and Harrison could dominate again in 2021. The Ravens also have veteran Pernell McPhee to help mentor the promising rookie linebackers. In 2020, McPhee had 34 tackles and 15 QB hits.
Cornerback
Marcus Peters has performed brilliantly for the Baltimore Ravens since arriving from the Rams in 2019. Peters’ aggressive style of play has yielded rich dividends. He owns the most takeaways, interceptions, interception return touchdowns and defensive TDs since he started playing in the NFL back in 2015.
On the other side of the defense will be Marlon Humphrey. He led the league with a Baltimore Ravens franchise record of eight forced fumbles in 2020. Humphry also became the first defensive back to record at least eight forced fumbles and a sack in an NFL season.
Meanwhile, long-time Ravens veteran CB Jimmy Smith gives the team some quality cornerback depth.
Safety
Chuck Clark and DeShon Elliott will be the starting safeties for the Baltimore Ravens this season. The pair provides a bruising last line of defense for the team.
A solid tackler, Chuck Clark started every game in the NFL last season, recording 96 tackles. His partner, DeShon Elliott, delivered 80 tackles in 2020 and made the most of the opportunity to start.