A look at the changes in the Baltimore Ravens’ starting lineup since winning the Super Bowl:
| Player | Pos. | How left | Replacement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Lewis | ILB | Retired | Arthur Brown |
| Ed Reed | FS | Signed with Texans as free agent | Michael Huff |
| Bernard Pollard | SS | Released, signed with Titans | Matt Elam |
| Anquan Boldin | WR | Traded to 49ers | Undecided |
| Matt Birk | C | Retired | Gino Gradkowski |
| Vonta Leach | FB | Cut but could re-sign | Kyle Juszczyk |
| Dannell Ellerbe | ILB | Signed with Dolphins as free agent | Jameel McClain or Daryl Smith |
| Cary Williams | CB | Signed with Eagles as free agent | Lardarius Webb |
| Ma’ake Kemoeatu | NT | Unsigned free agent | Haloti Ngata moves to NT |
| Dennis Pitta | TE | Season-ending hip injury | Ed Dickson |
2 HOT ISSUES
1. Figuring out the No. 2 wide receiver. The one move that the Ravens will second-guess is trading wide receiver Anquan Boldin to the 49ers for a sixth-round draft pick because he refused to reduce his $6 million salary. This leaves the Ravens with Torrey Smith as the No. 1 wide receiver and a bunch of question marks.
The favorite at this point is Jacoby Jones, but team officials won’t just hand the job over to him. Jones will have to win it. You get a feeling that the team would like one of its young receivers to take over the No. 2 spot, which would allow Jones to focus on his true strengths. Jones was a difference-maker in the playoffs as a field-stretching No. 3 receiver and a returner. But there’s no proven experience beyond Smith and Jones, the only two wide receivers on the Ravens’ roster who have caught more than seven passes in a season.
“I will play whatever role they want me to play,” Jones said. “If they want me to hand out the water, I will be the best water boy there is.”
The other receivers are making an impression early in camp. Tandon Doss, who is considered more of a possession receiver since being a fourth-round pick in 2011, looks more explosive.Deonte Thompson, who went undrafted a year ago, has the talent to develop into a starting receiver in this league, but he has to be more consistent. And David Reed, who has been an afterthought in this competition, has bulked up.
The only starters in front of Flacco right now are right tackle Michael Oher and first-year starting center Gino Gradkowski, who has to prove he’s strong enough to be a center at this level. As a result, Flacco isn’t getting much time in the pocket, not even on his three-step drops. Although none of these injuries is serious, the Ravens need to get this group together as quickly as possible to get their chemistry back.
The reason the Ravens believe this offensive line will be better than last year’s group is Juan Castillo. His title is run game coordinator, but make no mistake, he’s running this offensive line. Castillo is a respected offensive line coach from his days with the Philadelphia Eagles, and he’s also one of the more motivated coaches in the league after being fired following two tumultuous seasons as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. Several teams were interested in adding Castillo to their staff, but Harbaugh had an edge. He’s known Castillo since he was in fifth grade.
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