OWINGS MILLS — The Ravens’ coaches have a firm grasp of the top of their depth chart at wide receiver.
Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor, and Devontez Walker are locks to make the final 53-man roster. That means the Ravens have one or possibly two spots available at wide receiver, and there is going to be a battle to make the team.
Tylan Wallace, Dayton Wade, Malik Cunningham, and Sean Ryan are competing to earn that final spot and their performance in the preseason games will go a long way in determining their fate.
Wallace, whom the Ravens drafted in the fourth round (131st overall) of the 2021 NFL draft, is the favorite to grab a roster spot. He has been solid at camp and is a proven player on special teams.
Last season, Wallace returned a punt 76 yards to give the Ravens a 37-31 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14. It was the first time Wallace returned punts in a regular-season game because Pro Bowler Devin Duvernay was forced to the sideline with a back injury. Wallace was named the AFC Special Teams Players of the Week for that performance.
Dayton Wade, an undrafted rookie from Mississippi, is an intriguing prospect and is having an exceptional camp. He has good speed and can catch the ball in traffic. Wade is 5 feet 9, 184 pounds, but the team has been pleased by his performance. The question is how quickly can he adapt to playing special teams.
“He’s a confident kid [who] does a great job of going out there making plays, utilizing his speed, and then he has quickness where he understands how to get open, and quarterbacks love guys that can get open because it makes it easy for them to throw them the ball. He’s done a great job of that, and [we’ve been] utilizing him at different positions,” Ravens wide receivers coach Greg Lewis said. “He’s picked up and grasped the playbook and the offense, and he just continues to want to work. That’s what I love about him – being an undrafted guy, I had that mentality – and you see it in him. I love that about him, and I just want to see him continue to grow and do what he needs to do.”
Malik Cunningham, who converted from quarterback to wide receiver, also has adapted well to the pro game. He has gotten a lot of targets and has shown he can catch the ball. Cunningham could land on the practice squad if he doesn’t make the final 53-man roster.
“Malik has looked good at wide receiver,” coach John Harbaugh said at the OTAs. “He’s shown a lot of speed, a lot of quickness. [He’s] kind of a natural at the position, and I’ve seen that he understands the game from the perspective of the quarterback, so [his] routes and coverage and timing and things like that have been excellent.”
Sean Ryan is a rangy wide receiver at 6-3, 200 pounds. He is a physical player who was on the Ravens’ practice squad last season and signed a reserve/future contract on January 29th. Ryan could have a future with the team even if he doesn’t make the final roster this season.