Ravens Tyler Huntley proves hes better suited to remain backup QB in preseason win

Tyler Huntley was not inserted until the second half of the Baltimore Ravens’ preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles Saturday night because head coach John Harbaugh was desperately looking for a spark and to prolong his 23-game exhibition winning streak.

It apparently was the plan all along to start veteran journeyman Josh Johnson and then give Huntley an opportunity in the second half. Huntley may have stayed in the Ravens’ eventual 20-19 victory even longer had he not sustained an undisclosed injury in the third quarter that capped his work at two drives. Harbaugh declined to identify Huntley’s injury, saying only that it was “nothing major.”

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How an absence by Huntley over any length of time will impact the backup quarterback competition is unclear. What is clear — and it was reinforced Saturday — is that the Ravens are operating like there is a legitimate competition between Huntley and Johnson for the right to back up Lamar Jackson, and that’s a bit surprising in itself.

“All of the three quarterbacks after Lamar have proven that they are capable of being the backup quarterback here and doing a great job,” Harbaugh said Thursday. “Now, we just have to see who separates.”

The Ravens have been rotating second-team reps between Huntley and Johnson throughout training camp. Anthony Brown has been the clear No. 4, and that was the case Saturday when he threw a pick six in the fourth quarter that nearly cost Baltimore the game and its win streak. Ar’Darius Washington, though, intercepted Eagles reserve quarterback Ian Book on the two-point try and the Ravens held on for dear life in their 24th consecutive preseason victory.

It was Huntley who helped deliver the win, taking over after the second-half kickoff and driving the Ravens 75 yards on 13 plays. His 10-yard touchdown pass to Tylan Wallace gave the home team a lead that it would never relinquish. Huntley, on his second drive, guided the Ravens into Eagles territory before a face mask penalty on rookie guard Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu wound up killing the possession.

TOUCHDOWN RAVENS!! @_SNOOP1 finds @OfficialTylan2 in the end zone!!

Tune in now on @wbaltv11. pic.twitter.com/rV9VZNGy1s

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 13, 2023

It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison between Huntley and Johnson’s output Saturday. Like the Ravens, the Eagles sat most of their offensive and defensive starters, too. But the difference between how Baltimore’s offense operated under Johnson and Huntley was noticeable.

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Johnson completed 8 of 12 pass attempts for 45 yards and a touchdown. He led the Ravens to 10 points on five first-half drives, throwing a nifty 7-yard touchdown pass to Devin Duvernay and doing enough to set Justin Tucker up for a 60-yard field goal in the final seconds of the second quarter. On the Ravens’ other three first-half possessions, they didn’t get a first down.

The 🐐. @jtuck9 does it again. He drills a 60-YARD field goal to send us to halftime!!

Tune in now on @wbaltv11 and @nflnetwork. pic.twitter.com/sdEsR0OoOi

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 13, 2023

With Baltimore picking up the tempo, Huntley completed 8 of 11 passes for 88 yards and the touchdown to Wallace. He also rushed two times for 13 yards.

“I thought he played well,” Harbaugh said. “He came in there and was a spark. The timing passing game was good. He was accurate, got the ball out, moved around and made some plays with his legs when he had to. Yes, I thought he played very well.”

To most observers, Huntley has been the more consistent quarterback during the 14 training camp practices, too. Yet, to this point, there’s been no changes to the team’s approach in how it has divided up the quarterback reps.

It was well documented that the Ravens, cognizant of Jackson’s injury issues the last two seasons and his uncertain contract status, tried to sign an upgrade over Huntley in free agency. Yet, they couldn’t convince Baker Mayfield or Jacoby Brissett to sign up for an opportunity, where there was no guarantee they’d get a shot at the starting job. They were involved in a few other quarterback pursuits, as well.

Ultimately, they signed Johnson, bringing him back for a third stint. The 37-year-old is a remarkable story of perseverance and resilience, playing for seven different teams over eight NFL seasons while also playing in the United Football League, Alliance of American Football League and the XFL. Johnson is the quintessential No. 3 quarterback because he’s always prepared and there’s nothing he hasn’t seen from a defense.

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It, however, would be hard to make a case that he’s better suited for the No. 2 job than Huntley. Yes, Huntley has struggled at times in making nine starts for Baltimore over the past two seasons. But he’s played in big games for the Ravens, he’s extremely close with Jackson and creates opportunities with his legs and athleticism.

The offense just seems to have more upside with Huntley under center.

Not Proche’s night

Ravens fourth-year receiver James Proche II was already operating with very little margin for error in his quest to make the team when he fumbled a punt deep in his own territory in the third quarter. Baltimore’s defense bailed him out by getting a fourth-down stop. However, the damage was probably already done to Proche’s roster chances.

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It certainly didn’t help that he finished the night with one catch for minus-1 yard on three targets, while one of his primary competitors for the perceived final receiver spot, Wallace, made a nice play on a 10-yard touchdown.

If you’ve regularly and only watched Ravens practices over the past four years, you’d probably be convinced that Proche is one of the team’s top offensive players. He makes all sorts of plays in practice and shows chemistry with all of the team’s quarterbacks. He’s also one of Baltimore’s hardest workers, showing up on the practice field early and staying late.

But his play has never really translated to game days. He’s gotten limited opportunities, for sure. But when he has gotten chances, he hasn’t come through.

There was the game in Cleveland in December of the 2021 season in which Proche didn’t run the right route on the game’s decisive fourth down and failed to get a rub on Browns cornerback Denzel Ward, who had a free run at tackling Rashod Bateman well short of the sticks. There was the game in Cincinnati last season when Proche lost awareness of where he was on the field and went out of bounds before catching the ball, negating his own long gain. There have been some near-misses on potential catches, too.

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Proche hasn’t had a bad training camp this summer by any means. He seems to make a few catches every practice. But he’s made far fewer big plays than Tarik Black and Laquon Treadwell have. And he’s certainly not been a core special-teamer like Wallace.

It would be premature to say Saturday’s fumble sealed Proche’s fate. However, he already was seemingly behind a bit in the battle for the final receiver spot. There’s also nothing that Harbaugh hates more than turnovers. Preseason or not, losing a ball deep in your own end with the game hanging in the balance is tough to overcome when you’re on the roster fringes.

An even bigger need at cornerback?

Veteran Daryl Worley, 28, played every defensive snap in the Ravens’ victory. He then revealed afterward that he’s made a full-time transition to safety, where Baltimore was already thin and then lost undrafted rookie Jaquan Amos to an undisclosed injury in the first quarter.

Cornerbacks Kevon Seymour, Washington and Brandon Stephens were also on the field in the first quarter and were still there into the fourth. The Ravens obviously want to get a long look at Seymour, Washington and Stephens, but they’d probably prefer not to have to rely on anybody to play as extensively as those three did Saturday.

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If there was concern about the team’s cornerback depth heading into Saturday’s game, there’s just as much, if not more, coming out. Trayvon Mullen is believed to be out for the season after having toe surgery. Rock Ya-Sin, the presumed starter on the outside opposite Marlon Humphrey, has been sidelined with a knee injury. Arthur Maulet, a potential starter in the slot, has missed time with a hamstring issue. Second-year corners Jalyn Armour-Davis (undisclosed) and Damarion Williams (ankle) weren’t healthy enough to play against the Eagles, and Williams has missed most of camp. Worley, meanwhile, revealed that he hasn’t taken a snap at cornerback all summer.

“They know and we know as a team, if it comes down to it and they need me to move back outside, it can be done,” Worley said. “But, I’m happy where I’m at right now, and I’m loving the safety position.”

Seymour had a solid game against Philadelphia, but Washington and Stephens had uneven outings. Undrafted rookie corner Jordan Swann also struggled.

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Harbaugh acknowledged Thursday that cornerback depth is becoming an issue. The team reportedly had veteran free agent William Jackson in for a visit Friday. It would be a moderate surprise if there isn’t another corner on the roster by the time Baltimore returns to practice Monday.

Running backs look the part

The Ravens are adamant that they are plenty comfortable with their running back depth, even as J.K. Dobbins continues to hold himself out of practice. The other ball carriers then went out and performed Saturday in a manner that suggested Baltimore is just fine at the position.

Justice Hill got the start and rushed three times for 48 yards. He set up the team’s first touchdown with a 37-yard run. Gus Edwards ran hard in his four carries, totaling 21 yards to go along with one reception for 7 yards. Melvin Gordon had six carries for 16 yards and one reception for 9 yards. Undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell had six carries for 11 yards and one reception for 9 yards, but he had a 35-yard touchdown run negated by a holding penalty. Fellow undrafted rookie Owen Wright had two carries for 8 yards.

All of the Ravens’ backs ran hard and showed good vision and speed. Obviously, they are a better team with Dobbins out there, but they have enough to get by without him.

“I feel like we have the best running back room in the league, and we all bring a different skill set, and whenever we’re out there, we can all show that,” Hill said. “So, whatever number is called, whoever’s number is called, we’ll all just go out there and execute and make plays.”

(Photo: Charles Brock / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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