The Baltimore Ravens took on the Philadelphia Eagles in their preseason opener on Friday night and got significant contributions from their 2024 rookie class — both drafted and undrafted.
On a night when seven of the team’s nine draft selections suited up, several of them and a few undrafted players stepped up and played well in the team’s narrow 16-13 loss.
The only two rookies who did not participate were third-round outside linebacker Adisa Isaac, who is ramping back up after just returning to practice earlier this week, and fourth-round cornerback T.J. Tampa who is currently on the Physically Unable to Perform list as he recovers from a sports hernia surgery.
Here is how the first-year players who suited up and took the field fared in their first real NFL action.
CB Nate Wiggins
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The first-round rookie out of Clemson saw the field for 43 defensive snaps and had about as exciting and confidence-inspiring debut performance as anyone could’ve asked for. He came up with three forced incompletions on the opening drive of the game, two of which were pass breakups and the last resulted in a turnover on downs. On his second target, he plastered the intended wide receiver down the field and prevented him from being able to attempt making a catch.
Even on the one completion he gave on his fourth of five times being targeted, Wiggins was still extremely tight in coverage as he gave up a first-down conversion. The only other fault he had was losing track of a running back in zone coverage which resulted in an unimpeded touchdown in the first quarter.
Wiggins made a great drive-ending tackle in the open field for a one-yard loss on the Eagles’ first drive of the second half. Unfortunately, it was his final play of the night as he would exit the game and not return with a shoulder injury that has yet to be disclosed. Thankfully however, it appears he has “avoided a really significant injury” according to a report from The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec and it team is still optimistic about his availability for the regular season opener which is less than a month away.
The Ravens are confident that rookie CB Nate Wiggins, who hurt his shoulder Friday night, avoided a really significant injury. Wiggins could miss some practice time but Ravens still optimistic for Week 1.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) August 10, 2024
OT Roger Rosengarten
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The second-round rookie out of Washington is competing to fill the starting right tackle vacancy that was created when the Ravens traded veteran stalwart Morgan Moses to the New York Jets in March. Against the Eagles, rotated with veteran utility lineman Patrick Mekari and in his 18 offensive snaps played, he comported himself well and showed some of the areas of strength and growth that his pre-draft profile showed.
As a pass protector, Rosengarten was as advertised, not looking overmatch or overwhelmed at any point, anchoring well and washing out or stalemating edge defenders in one-on-one situations. Where he left more to be desired was in the run game where wasn’t as consistently assertive as he could’ve and should’ve been although he still had a couple of nice run blocks when climbing to the second level and executing double teams. Overall, it was a very solid performance and it certainly boosted his stock as he continues to fight for a starting spot.
WR Devontez Walker
The fourth round rookie out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill played the second-most offensive snaps of all Ravens wide receivers in this game. However, he didn’t get a chance to showcase what he does best which is taking the top off of and getting behind opposing defenses.
Walker was only targeted once and didn’t record a catch despite getting a step on his nearest defender on a couple of occasions but the pass protection didn’t give the quarterbacks enough time to try to push the ball down the field. Hopefully, he’ll have more chances to show what he can do earlier on in the next two preseason games when the linemen competing for starting spots are on the field.
RB Rasheen Ali
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The fifth-round rookie out of Marshall led the Ravens running backs in offensive snaps (27), touches (11) and carries (10). Even though he finished with just 26 rushing yards and only averaged 2.6 yards per carry, Ali still showed some nice vision, footwork and burst as he made something out of nothing at times to gain positive yardage. As a pass catcher, he caught one of three targets of four yards and had a drop that would’ve moved the chains. His first time touching the ball came on special teams in the first half when he nearly broke a kick return before getting tripped up after 31 yards and almost fumbling but it was deemed the ground dislodged the ball.
QB Devin Leary
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The sixth-round rookie out of Kentucky didn’t enter the game until the third quarter but still tied journeyman veteran Josh Johnson for the most snaps played by a Ravens quarterback against the Eagles with 24. While he didn’t light it up due to porous pass protection preventing him from showcasing his rocket arm and pushing the ball down the field, he orchestrated the offense’s only touchdown drive of the game in the fourth quarter.
Leary went 5-of-6 passing the ball on the 16-play drive that covered 61 yards and ate up nearly eight minutes of the clock. He then capped it off by plunging across the goal line on a fourth-down quarterback sneak for the tying score.
Most of his completed passes were short or shallow and gave his targets opportunities to make plays after the catch as he finished 6-of-19 for 37 passing yards and a passer rating of 67.5. If he can get protected better in the Ravens’ next two preseason games, Leary will have a chance to let it rip and display the developmental talent the team sees in him.
IOL Nick Samac
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The seventh-round rookie out of Michigan State saw the field for 15 snaps but enter the game until the fourth quarter. He was the center snapping the ball to Leary on the Ravens’ lone touchdown drive and held his own for the most part. Samac led the surge for the quarterback sneak and finished as the fifth highest-graded player on the team according to Pro Football Focus with an overall of 76.6. In order to unseat fourth-year pro Ben Cleveland as the primary backup to Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum, he’ll have to dominate in both practice and games over the next few weeks.
DB Sanoussi Kane
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The seventh-round rookie out of Purdue only played 28 combined snaps between defense and special teams before leaving the game with an injury and he was very impressive in both phases of the game. Kane helped punter Jordan Stout keep his net punt average up by showing how excellent of an open-field tackler he is by limiting two Eagles punt returns to no yards with two perfect form takedowns. He tackled well and hit hard on defense including lowering the boom on his final play of the game in which he suffered a minor neck stinger. Kane has the making of the next special teams ace who can also contribute on defense in the ilk of Anthony Levine written all over him which would make him one hell of a late-round pick.
DE C.J. Ravenell
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The undrafted rookie out of Missouri Southern didn’t make the ‘15 defensive players to watch’ preview article leading up to the game but he wound up being one the Ravens’ most surprising standouts with how disruptive he was against the Eagles. Ravenell applied consistent pressure when rushing the passer during his 40 defensive snaps between both halves. He finished the game with a pair of tackles including a solo, half a sack and a quarterback hit. At 6-foot-5 and 292 pounds, he is built like a prototypical 3-4 defensive end/five-technique and will be a player to monitor for the remainder of the preseason.
DB Beau Brade
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The undrafted rookie out of the University of Maryland saw the field for 26 snaps on defense and 10 on special teams and made impressive plays in both. He made his presence felt in coverage as well as run support with forced incompletion over the middle and tackle for loss behind the line of scrimmage. Brade finished with three total tackles including a pair of solos and forced a fumble while covering a punt by delivering a big hit to dislodge the ball from the grasp of Eagles wide receiver Ainias Smith. The big play almost gave the Ravens the ball back with great field position but bounced out of bounds before one of his teammates could recover it in the field of play.
WR Dayton Wade
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The undrafted rookie out of Ole Miss bounced back from dropping his only target of the first half which would’ve gone for a first down and then some to catch each of his next four and finished as the Ravens leading receiver in receptions (four), targets (five), offensive snaps (26) and receiving yards (27).
Wade’s most crucial snag came on a fourth-down in the fourth quarter that extended the offense’s lone touchdown drive. He initially caught the shallow pass from Leary short of the line to gain but pumped the breaks and exploded upfield after making a would-be tackler miss as he picked up 11 yards and then took a bubble screen 13 yards on the very next play. On special teams, he recorded a 26-yard kick return and a seven-yard punt return, showing he can be an all-purpose weapon.
OLB Joe Evans
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The undrafted rookie out of Iowa played the most snaps of any player on either side of the ball for the Ravens with a 68 which was the second-most of a player from either team, behind only Darian Kinnard of the Eagles. In college, Evans was known for his relentless motor and that trait was tested in his first NFL game. He answered by finishing in a two-way tie for the fourth-most total tackles on the team with six and he also applied some nice pressure off the edge too.
OL Corey Bullock
The undrafted rookie out of Maryland saw 19 snaps on offense and none of special teams and was one of the brighter standouts on the entire team with an overall PFF grade of 87.9 which was second only to Wiggins who produced an 89.2.
Highest-graded Ravens in the preseason opener:
Nate Wiggins – 89.2
Corey Bullock – 87.9
Ar’Darius Washington – 80.2
Ryan Cooper Jr. – 79.6
Nick Samac – 76.6 pic.twitter.com/PvY7XAncd0
— PFF BAL Ravens (@PFF_Ravens) August 10, 2024
IOL Darrian Dalcourt
The undrafted rookie out of Alabama played just nine snaps in the game but he was the first man up to replace Cleveland at center in the third quarter before Samac checked into the fourth. This might be a signal that there is a chance he could have a decent chance at earning a roster spot over a drafted player.
CB Bump Cooper Jr.
The undrafted rookie out of Oregon State played the bulk of his snaps on defense with 25 to just four on special teams and he was another first-year defensive back who flashed in coverage. He finished with two total tackles including one for a loss and a beautifully clutch pass breakup in the endzone where he climbed the ladder and tipped the ball away to prevent the intended receiver from even having a chance to make a play on it.
ILB Yvandy Rigby
The undrafted rookie out of Temple saw the field for 21 snaps on defense and 14 on special teams and managed to finish with the third-most total tackles on the team with seven including four solos.
RB Chris Collier
The undrafted rookie out of Lock Haven only saw the field for five snaps on offense but did show some nice contact balance, footwork and leg drive as he powered for positive yardage on all three of his carries including a long of seven yards. Collier also got a chance to return the ball under the new kickoff rules and picked up 24 yards on his lone attempt.
DE Tramel Walthour
The undrafted rookie out of Georgia played 33 snaps and while he got pushed around in the run game, showed some nice flashes as an interior pass rusher by collecting the other half of Ravenell’s sack as well as a quarterback hit to go along with two assisted tackles.
ILB Deion Jennings
The undrafted rookie out of Rutgers saw the field for 21 snaps on defense and 11 on special teams and finished with three total tackles and nearly kept the ball that Brade dislodged alive in the field of play.
QB Emory Jones
The undrafted rookie out of Florida only saw the field for one snap and, unfortunately, it wound up resulting in the Ravens’ only turnover of the night at the worst possible time. Just when the offense was given a chance to potentially win the game following a missed Eagles field goal, he was stripped-sacked on his lone dropback to give the ball right back in scoring position and the rest was tragic history. Thankfully, there is literally nowhere left to go but up from here for Jones so there’s still time to redeem himself.
