Early look at 5 under-the-radar locks to make Ravens' 53-man roster

The Baltimore Ravens are still weeks away from finalizing their 53-man roster, but offseason workouts and early depth chart clues have already created a clearer picture of several players who may be safer than they appear.

Training camp and the preseason will ultimately determine the final spots, and the Ravens still have several competitive position groups to sort through. Still, every roster has players who may not generate major headlines but who fill specific needs, offer special-teams value, or provide depth at positions where the organization cannot afford uncertainty. For Baltimore, Ryan Eckley, Jovaughn Gwyn, Keondre Jackson, Danny Pinter, and Skylar Thompson all fit that early category.

Eckley arrives from Michigan State with a powerful leg and the type of field-position ability that has always mattered in Baltimore. The Ravens place a premium on special teams, and Eckley gives them a young specialist with a legitimate college résumé. He led the FBS with a 48.5-yard punting average, the second-best single-season mark in Michigan State history, and that production gives him a strong foundation entering his first NFL camp.

Eckley also helped himself during spring work and the early summer portion of organized team activities. The Ravens will continue evaluating consistency, hang time, operation speed, and placement once the preseason begins, but his leg strength gives him an obvious path to the roster. For a team that has long valued hidden yardage, Eckley looks like more than a developmental specialist. He looks like a player with a real chance to handle a key job right away.

Gwyn is one of the more interesting offensive linemen on the roster because his path has changed quickly since arriving in Baltimore. The 26-year-old was a seventh-round pick out of South Carolina in 2023 and has played primarily on special teams, seeing only 11 offensive snaps for the Atlanta Falcons last season. With the Ravens retooling their interior offensive line after losing Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum to the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency, Gwyn has a chance to compete for a much larger role.

Gwyn has been locked in a center competition with Danny Pinter, and that alone puts him in a strong position to make the roster. Baltimore needs interior depth, position flexibility, and athleticism up front, and Gwyn checks enough of those boxes to be taken seriously. The starting job will become clearer when the pads come on, but Gwyn’s ability to handle guard responsibilities while pushing at center gives him added value on a roster that must protect Lamar Jackson and maintain its physical identity.

Jackson fits the profile of a defensive back who can earn a roster spot by doing several things well enough to be trusted. Baltimore’s secondary has high-end talent, but the back end of the roster is often shaped by players who provide depth, special-teams snaps, and emergency versatility. Jackson’s path will depend on consistency throughout training camp, but he enters the summer as one of the players worth monitoring closely.

The Ravens have traditionally kept defensive backs who can contribute in the kicking game, handle multiple assignments, and survive in coverage when injuries hit. Jackson does not need to win a starting role to make the roster. He needs to show that he can be dependable in a reserve role and valuable on game day, and that combination could make him harder to cut than his name recognition suggests.

Pinter’s case is different because he brings experience and legitimate versatility to the interior offensive line. The Ravens have a center opening, and Pinter is firmly in the mix with Gwyn as Baltimore works through its post-Linderbaum plan. That competition may not be decided until deep into training camp, but Pinter’s ability to play multiple spots gives him a strong roster argument even if he does not win the starting job.

Baltimore’s offensive line depth will be one of the most important roster-building areas of the summer. The Ravens need a reliable center, but they also need reserves who can help them withstand the normal wear and tear of a season. Pinter gives the coaching staff another veteran option inside, and that matters for a team with championship expectations. Whether he starts or becomes a key backup, Pinter looks positioned to stick.

Thompson is entering his fifth NFL season and brings something the Ravens need behind Jackson and the rest of the quarterback room: experience. He has three career starts and has been through NFL preparation, game-week operations, and regular-season action. That background matters in a competition where Diego Pavia and Joe Fagnano are also competing for the third quarterback job.

Thompson appears to have created separation early in the battle. His experience has helped him overshadow Pavia and Fagnano for the No. 3 role, and that could make him a valuable insurance option for Baltimore. The Ravens do not need Thompson to be flashy. They need him to be steady, protect the football, run the offense, and give the team confidence that it has a reliable developmental and emergency quarterback option. At this stage, he looks like the favorite to stick.

The Ravens’ roster will change once practices become more physical, preseason games begin, and injuries reshape competitions. Still, these five players have clear paths to the 53-man roster because each fills a specific need. Eckley can control field position, Gwyn and Pinter give Baltimore interior offensive line answers, Jackson offers defensive back and special teams value, and Thompson brings experience to the quarterback room. Those traits may not make them household names, but they could make them difficult to leave off the final roster.