A fully healthy 53-man roster forced the Baltimore Ravens to list six players as healthy scratches for their Week 10 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.
Rookie defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles was deactivated for the fourth game in a row in favor of practice squad elevation Taven Bryan. Despite flashing in limited reps to start the year, Peebles has disappeared from the Ravens’ game day plans.
Defensive coordinator Zach Orr referenced a need for “bigger bodies” when asked about Peebles this week, presumably to bolster a run defense that was unusually porous to start the season. In Baltimore’s first five games, they allowed an average of 146.5 rushing yards per game. In their last three, that number has dropped to 85.7. The “bigger bodies” seem to be working.
However, the Ravens’ run defense rebound can also be attributed to the return of linebacker Roquan Smith from his hamstring injury and the deployment of safety Kyle Hamilton in a nickel/star role closer to the line of scrimmage. Defensive tackle Travis Jones turned in an excellent performance in Miami, and rookie linebacker Teddye Buchanan has shown plenty of development over the last month.
Peebles’ size and speed would actually appear to be a good fit in Orr’s new pressure packages, but it’s hard to argue with his unit’s results over the last three games. Newly-acquired edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones also has the ability to line up along the interior, allowing him to occupy multiple roles as opposed to Peebles, who is limited to obvious passing situations. After such a rough start to the year, every possible edge needs to be exploited, even if that comes at the cost of developing young players.
Here is the Ravens’ full inactive list:
Running back Rasheen Ali and offensive tackle Joseph Noteboom are the two other notable deactivations.
This is Ali’s first healthy scratch of the season. At the beginning of the year, the Ravens preferred his special teams contributions to Keaton Mitchell’s potential on offense. In recent weeks, injuries have allowed both to be active on game days, but the Ravens had to choose on Sunday. For the first time, they chose Mitchell.
Noteboom was deactivated in favor of rookie offensive tackle Carson Vinson. The fifth-round pick has yet to play a snap this year, but the Ravens must think he’s ready. Starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley seems to be recovered from his recent ankle injury, but he is a risk to go down at any given moment.
Noteboom has been bad enough to be replaced; his 91.1 pass blocking efficiency is the third lowest among offensive tackles (min. 100 snaps) this year. But the Ravens have typically preferred experienced players over rookies on game days, especially along the offensive line.
Offensive lineman Emery Jones, wide receiver Devontez Walker, and quarterback Cooper Rush are all expected absences. The Ravens are taking a cautious approach with Jones after his long recovery from shoulder surgery, and Walker is blocked on the WR depth chart. Rush has been supplanted by Tyler Huntley as the backup quarterback, so he will be the Ravens’ emergency option on Sunday afternoon.
The Vikings will be without starting safety Theo Jackson and tight end Josh Oliver on Sunday. Oliver, a former Raven, developed into an excellent run-blocker in Baltimore and earned a solid contract in Minnesota. He will miss his so-called revenge game – though it’s hard to imagine any hard feelings on either side – and give the Ravens a better chance of slowing the Vikings’ middling ground attack.
Here is the Vikings’ full inactive list:
