The Baltimore Ravens this past offseason had three key free agents that they were very interested in retaining. All of these players were drafted by the Ravens in 2013, as later round prospects, but were able to climb the depth chart latter. Defensive tackle Brandon Williams, right tackle Ricky Wagner, and fullback Kyle Juszczyk were all on the “to re-sign” list by the Ravens, however only one of the three players, Brandon Williams, accepted a new deal with the Baltimore-based team. This leaves multiple depth chart vacancies at crucial positions. The role that Kyle Juszczyk played on the Ravens will be most difficult to replace, however, there are several candidates.
The first of these many candidates would be the tight end, Nick Boyle. Boyle was drafted by the Ravens in the fifth round of the NFL Draft in 2015. Boyle originally thought to be a depth chart filler, managed to impress in his rookie year. Although he only caught 18 receptions for 153 yards, he displayed a great potential to thrive in the Joe Flacco-led offense. However, his 2016 season was less than stellar. Boyle was suspended for the first ten games of the season for violating the NFL performance-enhancing drug policy. After playing only six games in 2016, Boyle was only able to garner a dismal 6 receptions for 44 yards. Boyle has shown promise as a blocking and receiving tight end, however, the Ravens will need to be able to depend on him if he is going to become the swiss army knife fullback that Juszczyk was. Boyle will have to move on from his violations of NFL policy and resolve never to break such policy again.
The second candidate to replace Juszczyk would be running back Lorenzo Taliaferro. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, Taliaferro impressed the coaches to earn himself significant playtime during his rookie season. In that year, he was able to rush for 292 yards over 68 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. He also caught the ball eight times for impressive 114 yards. However, since his rookie season, Taliaferro’s career seemed to have fallen off. A combination of injuries and demotions at the hands of more flashy running backs have limited Taliaferro to just 6 games over the past two seasons. It is put up or shut up time for Taliaferro. Taliaferro is in grave danger of being cut from the team, as the Ravens have three other running backs that will almost certainly be above him on the depth chart. Taliaferro’s best chance to make this roster is by winning over the fullback position. Taliaferro definitely has multiple advantages that will help him in competing for the role. Taliaferro has been with the Ravens since 2014. He knows the team, the coaches, and the other players. He already has chemistry with them. He has also shown the ability to play like a versatile fullback the Ravens are looking for, in 2014, when he was able to stay productive on both the ground and air attacks. However, his main liability is his injury history. The Ravens need someone they can depend on at the fullback position. Taliaferro will need to stay healthy throughout this offseason, and beyond if he wants to fill this important role.
The final main candidate to take over the fullback position that Kyle Juszczyk left vacant is a rookie fullback, Ricky Ortiz. Ortiz out of Oregon State signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent after the draft concluded. Ortiz was originally a fullback for the PAC-12 team but transitioned to tight end in his junior year. His stats are unimpressive, only totaling 124 receiving yards and no rushing yards in his career with the Beavers. He was typically used as a blocker for the offense. The Ravens are definitely looking for a blocking fullback, however, they are going to want a player who can both rush and receive well. For Ortiz to claim the fullback spot on the roster, he is going to have to prove to the coaches he can do just that.
The Ravens have also expressed that they do not necessarily need a fullback to fill the vacancy of Kyle Juszczyk. They have hinted that they are open to distributing the rushing, receiving, and blocking responsibilities. However, I believe that the John Harbaugh and the Ravens will ultimately find a fullback that does much of what Juszczyk used to do, and that fullback will be Taliaferro. Taliaferro is by far the most advanced at the position already, and with experience on the Ravens for three seasons, the coaches know what to expect from him. All he will need to do is stay healthy and play like he did in 2014 and the role should be his. As for Boyle and Ortiz, I believe Boyle will be put back at his depth tight end position, while Ortiz will be cut from the roster by the end of the offseason.
