Three players to watch in Ravens’ first preseason game

The Baltimore Ravens are preparing for their first preseason action on Friday night when they host the Philadelphia Eagles.

On Wednesday, head coach John Harbaugh ruled out quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, paving the way for a few players to get their first chance to prove themselves.

With that in mind, here are three Ravens to watch.

Quarterback Josh Johnson

Baltimore lost former Pro Bowl quarterback Tyler Huntley to the Cleveland Browns this offseason after he served as Jackson’s backup for the past four years (2020-23).

The team can’t take who will replace Jackson lightly, as he’s battled injuries throughout his six-year NFL career. Jackson played in just 12 games during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Johnson seems to be the early favorite for the role, but at 38, he is on the backend of his journeyman career. If he underwhelms in the preseason, the Ravens will have to take an extended look at sixth-round rookie Devin Leary or look elsewhere.

Guard Andrew Vorhees

Baltimore will have three new starters along its offensive line this season after losing starting guards John Simpson (Jets) and Kevin Zeitler (Lions) in free agency and trading right tackle Morgan Moses to the New York Jets.

The Ravens traded back into the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft to select Vorhees, who was slated to be a late first to early third-round pick before tearing his ACL during a drill at the NFL Scouting Combine.

In his final season at USC, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound offensive lineman was named a first-team All-American and was the recipient of the Morris Trophy, awarded to the conference’s best offensive lineman.

Now fully healthy, Vorhees is getting the first nod at the left guard job, and he can begin to prove his team right for taking a chance on him a year ago.

Cornerback Nate Wiggins

Three-time Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey is Baltimore’s clear No. 1 cornerback, but who will play opposite him is still up for debate.

That could be veteran Brandon Stephens, who is coming off his best season yet, in which he registered 74 tackles, two interceptions, and 11 passes defensed. However, it could also be the Ravens’ first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft: Nate Wiggins.

The Clemson product is a bit undersized, standing at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, but he has proven to be a lockdown corner with 58 tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles, three interceptions and 17 passes defensed the past two years.

That’s exactly what general manager Eric DeCosta thinks he is, too.

“We’re very, very excited to draft Nate Wiggins, in my opinion, the best cover corner in the draft,” DeCosta told reporters. “Really a guy, in our opinion, that can grow into being a true shutdown-type corner. Ecstatic he fell to us.”