The Ravens released their Week 8 depth chart on Tuesday, five days before Sunday's trip to Buffalo, and it reads like a document shaped by six weeks of attrition. Baltimore is 4-3 and last in the AFC North after a 35-13 home loss to Cincinnati in which it led 13-0 at halftime and then allowed touchdowns on five straight Bengals possessions. The Bills are 5-1 and coming off their bye.
Three starters carry the team's injury marker for missing that game: quarterback Lamar Jackson, defensive tackle Broderick Washington Jr. and safety Jaylinn Hawkins. Jackson has now sat three straight games with a high left ankle sprain, but he remains the first-team quarterback, with Tyler Huntley behind him. Jesse Minter said Monday that Jackson is pushing hard to play and should be in a decent spot, with a clearer picture expected after Wednesday's practice.
The biggest structural change since Week 1's chart is at center. Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic are both on injured reserve, and Cam Jurgens — acquired from Philadelphia on Oct. 7 — now sits at No. 1 after making his Ravens debut against the Bengals. Rookie Vega Ioane is listed as both the starting right guard and the backup center, but he suffered an MCL sprain Sunday that is expected to cost him some time. If he can't go, Emery Jones Jr., who finished Sunday's game in his place, is next up at right guard.
Below is the full offense, defense, and special teams breakdown, exactly as released by the team.
Offense
| Pos | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 4 Zay Flowers | 81 Devontez Walker | 13 Elijah Sarratt |
| WR | 7 Rashod Bateman | 6 Ja'Kobi Lane | 10 LaJohntay Wester |
| LT | 79 Ronnie Stanley | 76 Carson Vinson | — |
| LG | 74 John Simpson | 72 Andrew Vorhees | 60 Kyle Hergel |
| C | 64 Cam Jurgens | 71 Vega Ioane | 60 Kyle Hergel |
Jurgens takes over after three centers landed on injured reserve; Ioane, who started three games at center, is his listed backup. | |||
| RG | 71 Vega Ioane | 51 Emery Jones Jr. | 60 Kyle Hergel |
Ioane is dealing with a short-term MCL sprain. Jones replaced him against Cincinnati. | |||
| RT | 70 Roger Rosengarten | 76 Carson Vinson | — |
| TE | 89 Mark Andrews | 85 Josh Cuevas | — |
| TE | 88 Matt Hibner | 87 Nick Vannett | — |
| QB | 8 Lamar Jackson* | 5 Tyler Huntley | 12 Joe Fagnano |
Jackson has missed three straight games with a high ankle sprain. Huntley has started each of them. | |||
| RB | 22 Derrick Henry | 43 Justice Hill | 26 Rasheen Ali |
Defense
| Pos | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| DT | 92 Nnamdi Madubuike | 96 Broderick Washington Jr.* | — |
| NT | 98 Travis Jones | 94 John Jenkins | — |
| DE | 93 Calais Campbell | 90 Aeneas Peebles | — |
| RUSH | 91 Trey Hendrickson | 15 Mike Green | — |
| MLB | 0 Roquan Smith | 49 Jay Higgins IV | — |
| WLB | 32 Trenton Simpson | 40 Teddye Buchanan | — |
| SAM | 15 Mike Green | 9 Zion Young | 97 Ethan Burke |
Green replaces Tavius Robinson, who is out for the season with a pectoral injury, and is also the backup at RUSH. | |||
| CB | 44 Marlon Humphrey | 3 Chidobe Awuzie | — |
| DB | 14 Kyle Hamilton | 38 Keyon Martin or | 29 Chandler Rivers |
| SS | 21 Jaylinn Hawkins* | 39 Keondre Jackson or | 25 K'Von Wallace |
Hawkins missed the Bengals game with a knee injury. Jackson and Wallace split his snaps and are listed as co-backups. | |||
| FS | 24 Malaki Starks | 39 Keondre Jackson | 25 K'Von Wallace |
| CB | 2 Nate Wiggins | 3 Chidobe Awuzie | — |
Special Teams
| Pos | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | 30 Ryan Eckley | — | — |
| K | 33 Tyler Loop | — | — |
| H | 30 Ryan Eckley | — | — |
| LS | 46 Nick Moore | — | — |
| KOR | 10 LaJohntay Wester | 26 Rasheen Ali | 43 Justice Hill |
| PR | 10 LaJohntay Wester | 13 Elijah Sarratt | — |
What the Chart Tells Us
The interior line has been rebuilt on the fly. Baltimore opened the season with Gwyn at center and Pocic behind him. Both are on injured reserve, along with Danny Pinter, which is why the Ravens traded for Jurgens. Kyle Hergel now appears as the third option at left guard, center and right guard, meaning one more injury would push a depth player into a starting role. Ioane's status this week is the line's biggest question.
Mike Green moves into the starting lineup. With Robinson done for the season, the second-year edge rusher is now the first-team SAM and still Trey Hendrickson's backup at RUSH. Rookies Zion Young and Ethan Burke sit behind him at SAM, and Minter has said Robinson's absence is an opportunity for both to earn more snaps.
The secondary has two open competitions. Keyon Martin and rookie Chandler Rivers are separated by an "or" behind Kyle Hamilton at DB, and Keondre Jackson and K'Von Wallace share the strong safety backup spot behind Hawkins. Wallace, absent from the Week 1 chart, is back as the third free safety as well. T.J. Tampa Jr. is no longer listed, leaving Chidobe Awuzie as the backup at both cornerback spots. Baltimore also added veteran safety Rayshawn Jenkins to its practice squad as insurance while Hawkins works through his knee injury.
Weakside linebacker is settled. The Trenton Simpson–Teddye Buchanan "or" that ran through the preseason and Week 1 is gone. Simpson is the clear starter, with Buchanan as the backup.
Madubuike is back in his starting spot. Nnamdi Madubuike, who missed the opener while recovering from a neck injury, is the first-team defensive tackle. Washington, his backup, missed Sunday's game.
Receiver and tight end depth shuffled. Ja'Kobi Lane, who fractured his wrist in the opener, is back as Rashod Bateman's backup. Elijah Sarratt and LaJohntay Wester switched third-string spots. At tight end, rookie Matt Hibner is now the No. 2 starter, with veteran Nick Vannett behind him in the spot Durham Smythe held in Week 1.
Wester takes over kickoff returns. He is now the first option on kickoffs as well as punts, with Rasheen Ali, the Week 1 starter, now second.
Kickoff Information
Matchup: Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
When: Sunday, Nov. 1, 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, N.Y.
TV: CBS
Underlined names indicate rookies. An asterisk (*) indicates a player who missed the last game with an injury. This depth chart is updated weekly at baltimoresportsfeed.com/ravens-depth-chart.html, where every previous week is archived and browsable, including Week 1's chart.