A strong preseason could give Tim White the inside track to make the roster

The Ravens have had a Jacoby Jones sized hole at the returner position since the former fan favorite wideout left town after a prolific few years at the position. Since then Womens Willie Snead IV Jersey , they’ve attempted to replace him with players such as Michael Campanaro, who flashed promise but was never able to truly lock down the job.Now with the former seventh-rounder in Tennessee, they’ll have to continue looking for a starter at the position they’ve been strong at historically. One candidate to be that starter is wide receiver Tim White, a second year player out of Arizona State.White was a standout in camp as a rookie last season, and after suffering a season ending injury following a strong preseason effort, he returns to a much deeper receiver room in Baltimore thanks to a productive offseason from Ozzie Newsome. As a result, the path to making the roster is crowded, and White was hardly considered a favorite to make it as a former undrafted player a few months ago.That was then, this is now, and ever since the pads have come on, White has again been generating buzz as a guy who could sneak onto the team as a rotational receiver/return man thanks to some strong performances in practice. So what does he have to do to officially stake his claim?Well, first of all, keep practicing well. The other route is by locking down that returner position, and making the most of his chances when the lights come on in the preseason games.ESPN’s Jamison Hensley sees this happening, predicting White will not only make the team, but have a big season at returner for Baltimore:The fact that he states White is the front runner here is a good indication the 24-year-old could in fact be ready to make a real impact. The past several seasons saw an open competition at returner due to Campanaro’s inability to stay healthy.If White can maintain the starting spot, this certainly gives him an inside track to making the final 53. This starts with a strong preseason in which he gives the coaching staff no choice but to keep him around.There is a decent likelihood of that due to emphasis John Harbaugh has placed on special teams, and Jerry Rosburg’s ability to manufacture production in the return game. This is all without even mentioning White’s abilities as a receiver which haven’t gone unnoticed in camp either.Teammate Michael Crabtree made sure to note White among the pass catchers that have been slept on by the media so far:With Crabtree, John Brown, Willie Snead, and Chris Moore, you have four locks to make the team. Beyond them, Jaleel Scott and Jordan Lasley were just drafted and are likely to be on the squad come September as well, which totals out to six receivers.This leaves White battling it out with players such as Janarion Grant, Jaelon Acklin Authentic Tavon Young Jersey , and former first rounder Breshad Perriman, all of whom will be trying to prove they deserve a spot on the team. The main difference separating him from them is his value in the return game, which could make him the uncommon seventh receiver, or maybe even make him the sixth guy above of one of the aforementioned rookies for the roster.Before he does though, he’ll have to make good on this promise in the coming month of practice and preseason games. It all kicks off in the Hall of Fame game, so be sure to keep an eye out for White amidst the festivities when the Ravens and Bears square off to finally start to the 2018 preseason.Nine members from the Ravens’ 2018 draft class will make the 53-man roster Before training camp, I wrote an article posing the question about how many members of the Ravens’ 2018 draft class would make the 53-man roster? In that article, I stated there were nine locks or near-locks: Lamar Jackson, Hayden Hurst, Mark Andrews, Orlando Brown Jr., Anthony Averett, Kenny Young, Jordan Lasley, DeShon Elliott, and Jaleel Scott.With one preseason game remaining, nine may have been right on the mark, but not the nine I initially predicted. Elliott’s injury could land him on injured reserve, while Lasley and Scott are both not likely to make the team. One of those rookie wide receivers could be stashed on injured reserve or the practice squad. Rookie defensive lineman Zach Sieler was once considered a longshot to make the roster given Baltimore’s depth along the defensive line, but he has played himself into a near-lock consideration. The quiet play from Carl Davis and Bronson Kaufusi has allowed Sieler to explode onto the scene. Offensive tackle Greg Senat has been solid in limited work, but his latest injury could force him on injured reserve. Senat has been a reliable left tackle, and he could serve as the primary backup tackle if he can stay healthy. The other offensive lineman Baltimore selected in the draft, Bradley Bozeman, has played well at guard and center. He is not only fighting for a roster spot, but he could be competing for the starting center job. Against the Dolphins Womens Alex Lewis Jersey , Bozeman and Matt Skura switched positions. Bozeman took snaps at center, while Skura received snaps at right guard. The Ravens have a tightly contested competition at center that could be decided next week against the Washington Redskins. Updated outlookLocks - Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, Hayden Hurst, Orlando Brown Jr., Kenny Young, and Anthony AverettNear-locks - Zach SielerUp in the air - Jordan Lasley and Bradley BozemanCurrently injured - Jaleel Scott (missed preseason game against Miami), Greg Senat, and DeShon ElliottFinal predictionWhen Baltimore ended the 2018 NFL Draft with 12 new players, it was well-known that they would not be able to keep every player on the 53-man roster. Some of those players would end up on the practice squad, injured reserve or another team. The September 1st cutdeadline is rapidly approaching, and the Ravens will have nine members of their 2018 Draft class on their roster: Jackson, Andrews, Hurst, Brown Jr., Young, Averett, Sieler, Lasley, and Bozeman. The three remaining players — Elliott, Scott, and Senat — will be stashed on injured reserve or the practice squad.