BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Ravens open the 2021 regular season at the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 13 at Allegiant Stadium. The Ravens finished 11-5 in 2020, second in the AFC North, and they advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs before losing to the Buffalo Bills.
The biggest decisions are on offense, where the Ravens have to figure out whether they will keep a third quarterback (if Trace McSorley has recovered from a back injury), determine who's going to be the third running back (Justice Hill or Ty'Son Williams) and find out who will get the last spot on the offensive line (Ben Bredeson or Trystan Colon).
Baltimore could decide to put first-round wide receiver Rashod Bateman (groin surgery) on injured reserve with the eligibility to return. In order to do that, the Ravens have to keep Bateman on the initial 53-man roster and cut a veteran (like safety Anthony Levine, linebacker Pernell McPhee or nose tackle Justin Ellis) who can get immediately re-signed the next day.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection:
QUARTERBACK (3): Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley, Trace McSorley
Huntley earned the backup job behind Jackson with a solid preseason. It would be preferable to carry three quarterbacks given that Jackson is unvaccinated (he could miss five days if deemed a close contact). The Ravens could risk waiving McSorley to see if he can land on the practice squad, but it's not easy finding a quarterback to fit the Ravens' nontraditional offensive system if McSorley were signed by another team.