BALTIMORE – A pair of offensive linemen got the most work for the Ravens in the second preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday.
Right guard Daniel Faalele and rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten each played 42 snaps (71 percent), the most of any player on the offense. Faalele and Rosengarten are trying to show they can be starters when the Ravens open the regular season on September 5th against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Faalele is making the transition from tackle to guard, and Rosengarten is adjusting to the speed of the NFL.
“I just keep my head down and keep working,” Faalele said. “[I’m] still competing for that spot, and I just feel like I just [want] to come to work every day and try to get better at my position. I don’t really think about [what’s] too far ahead; I just think about each day and how I can get better each day.”
Tight end Qadir Ismail played 37 snaps (63 percent) and wide receiver Malik Cunningham (58 percent) played 34 snaps, the third and fourth most on the offense. Ismail caught all three of his targets for 8 yards. Cunningham also caught all three targets for 28 yards.
Center Ben Cleveland had 34 snaps (58 percent) and right guard Andrew Vorhees finished with 33 snaps (56 percent), but each had an uneven performance. Vorhees got beaten for a sack on the first drive by rookie defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro. Then, Ben Cleveland, who took over at center on the third series, snapped the ball before quarterback Josh Johnson was ready. The ball sailed over Johnson’s head and the Falcons recovered on their own 43.
“That was just a miscommunication,” Cleveland said. “We were trying to go fast, and I was trying to get guys lined up, and everybody was talking and talking. You hear something from this side and something from that side, and I thought I heard the cadence. That’s completely my mess up, and [it’s] on me, so we’ve just got to figure out how to differentiate that – the quarterback’s voice to everybody else’s voice – and move forward and not let it happen again.”
On defense, cornerback Pepe Williams played every snap with 68. He also had eight snaps on special teams as a punt returner, returning one kick for 10 yards. Cornerback Ka’dar Hollman played the second most snaps with 64 (94 percent) on defense and played nine snaps (41 percent) on special teams. Both players finished with four tackles apiece and Williams knocked down a pass.
Williams was selected by the Ravens in the fourth round (141st overall) of the 2022 NFL draft. The Ravens signed Hollman in March.