When Dennis Pitta was lost to a season-long injury (well, maybe not the whole season) and Ed Dickson injured his hamstring, the tight end corps was drastically depleted. Billy Bajema, the veteran, and Matt Furstenburg, the highly touted undrafted free agent, who were supposed to only battle for the third tight end position, were now thrust up the depth chart. Not what people envisioned for the Ravens’ offense.

Enter Dallas Clark, the heralded (but possibly not-much-left-in-the-tank) veteran. Signed in early August, he was to bring a pass catching stability, and another third down option, to Joe Flacco and the offense. 

Clark’s first preseason game was a little uneven, but not unexpected because of his limited time within the offense. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 40 snaps: 16 pass plays, 22 run block plays, and two pass plays on which he stayed in to block. Two targets, zero receptions, with one of the non-receptions a “business decision.” Again, not a stellar performance, but not completely unexpected.

Then came preseason game number four, a game where the starters rested. No Flacco, no Ray Rice, no Torrey Smith, no Brandon Stokley (another late training camp addition), no starters on the offensive line. But, curiously Clark played 35 snaps. In preseason game number four. Thirty-five plays—18 pass plays, 17 run plays. Why?

The argument could be made that Clark needed more time to get in synch with the offense. But Flacco wasn’t there, so there goes the chemistry angle. Maybe Clark needed to round into game shape? Stokley was benched, and they signed him the same weekend. I don’t think game-shape is the issue. Does Clark need more time to absorb the playbook? If so, that’s not too comforting.

Questions abound. Is Clark on the roster bubble? Why else is a supposed major contributor playing so deep into a meaningless preseason game?

Is the coaching staff unsure of what Clark can actually contribute? Would the Ravens actually cut the veteran and go with the unproven rookie Furtsenburg?

I think Bajema is on the team. He is only tight end who can actually block. It would be surprising if the Ravens kept three pass catching tight ends, especially with only eight offensive linemen (barring a late addition from another team) on the team. If this is all true, the position battle is actually between Clark and Furstenburg.

There is some hesitance concerning stashing Furstenburg on the practice squad, as he may not last—another team could easily scarf him up once he is left exposed on the practice squad. That being said, Furstenburg may not have helped himself too much against the Rams on Thursday night. He did not exactly light up the stat sheet. Actually, it went dark, with zero receptions on one target, which resulted in an interception. Did this give the decision makers more pause?

The Ravens have a roster quandary at the tight end position. Do they keep a wily veteran in the twilight of his career, or do they go with the unproven rookie who has flashed some promise this preseason? Or, do they risk losing Furstenburg by keeping Clark on the 53-man roster and putting Furstenburg on the practice squad?

Short-term gains versus long-term potential. Neither is a lock to solve the issue at the tight end position. 

Preseason game three is the final dress rehearsal for the starters to establish themselves before the start of the regular season. The story of the 2013 Ravens season will not be written if things do not go well this evening, but it may be time to wave the finger over the panic button.

That being said, it is a long season and there will be many twists and turns along the way. The Ravens face a stiff test in the Peyton-Manning-led Denver Broncos, but the Broncos have their own issues. Virtually ever team in the NFL has some flaws.

Let’s see what areas the Ravens would like to further establish and develop with tonight’s game. Here are tonight’s plotlines:

With the Baltimore Ravens going through a team makeover this past off-season, it is not surprising that there are more roster spots up for grabs this year than there were last year. Free agent acquisitions, a plethora of draft picks, and a strong core of remaining players have provided competition in many positions. 

However, what is surprising, and mostly disappointing, is how some of the younger players are not stepping up and grabbing this golden opportunity. With the stench of last week’s preseason game still lingering, players need to capitalize on what is before them; namely preseason game number three. This is a big week.

With the first round of cuts looming on August 27th, here is my first attempt at filling out the roster for the 2013 Baltimore Ravens. 

Preseason game number one is all about getting your feet wet. Whether it is a rookie or a veteran, game one is about getting acclimated, or re-acclimated, to NFL game conditions. You can expect jitters, communication issues, and even some confusion as 90 players are on the sideline versus the normal 46. We saw a bit of each last week. 

However, game two takes on a new level of urgency. Starters take games two and three more seriously (though not that seriously), and younger players are beginning to run out of time to make an impression on the decision makers.

Here are the plotlines for Ravens’ second preseason game.

A big thanks goes to Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun. Click the link below to read our chat about the Ravens.

The Ravens have recently signed free agent wide receiver Brandon Stokley to a
reported one year contract. My question is, why?

Week one of the preseason is here for the Ravens. With the starters seeing
little action and vanilla play calling by the coaches, very little will be
gleaned. I do not believe the wide receiver, tight end, middle linebacker, and
cornerback issues will be resolved after one game. Nor do I believe we are going
to see the coaching staff tip-off their ideas on strategy (blitz, route
combinations, etc.), sub-packages, or formation. These decisions will need more
time.

Over the weekend, Baltimore football fans were able to rejoice, mourn, savor, and celebrate two of its own: Jonathan Ogden and Art Donovan.