Baltimore Ravens Preseason: Week 4 Stock Report

The Baltimore Ravens are on the downside of the NFL preseason, and at this point they are going to try to coast into the start of the regular season. With the third preseason game out of the way, the coaches can turn their attention away from the starters and focus on keeping guys healthy and trimming the roster down to the final 53.

It is time to take a look at which players' stock is on the rise as the regular season approaches and which players are taking a nosedive. Time is running out for a lot of these guys to win a spot on the depth chart, and for some guys it is already too late.

So read on and check out the latest Ravens stock report.

Stock Up: Kamar Aiken, WR

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Based on how the preseason has gone, it is looking more and more likely that wide receiver Kamar Aiken is going to be the opening-day starter across from Steve Smith Sr. At the start of the offseason, Aiken was sitting behind veteran Marlon Brown and rookie Breshad Perriman and in a battle with second-year wide receiver Michael Campanaro to be the third wideout.

Fast-forward to now, and by virtue of Aiken staying healthy and working hard, he’s in the driver’s seat to get the starting nod. Anything can happen between now and the start of the season, but at this point, if he can stay healthy, those reps are his.

He had 24 receptions on 36 targets in 2014, but looking at the No. 2 target in 2014, Torrey Smith, things could improve. Smith had 93 targets last season.

Stock Down: All the Released Players

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The Ravens announced the first round of cuts this week. All NFL teams are mandated to trim their respective rosters from 90 to 75 and then in a final round of cuts next week from 75 to 53. Here’s the list of players who were released this week:

• Aldrick Robinson, WR
• DeAndre Carter, WR
• Tramain Jacobs, CB
• Marcel Jones, OT
• Darryl Baldwin, OT
• De’Ondre Wesley, OT
• Leon Brown, OG
• Trent Steelman, WR
• Justin Manton, P
• Patrick Scales, LS

For these guys, it is now a waiting game. They have to hope that perhaps another team scouted them and wants to add them to their roster or that Baltimore decides to bring them back to either the practice squad or the active roster. No matter what, for right now their stock cannot be much lower.

Stock Up: Arthur Brown, LB

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At the start of the preseason, linebacker Arthur Brown was playing for his football life. After Baltimore selected him in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, hopes were high that he was the future on the inside. Unfortunately, up until this point, his development has been slow and disappointing.

However, it is clear that Brown is playing better and with more focus. Through three preseason games he leads the team with 17 tackles and has notched a sack. According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, part of Brown’s focus has been adding weight and adjusting to playing heavier.

The Ravens love big, physical linebackers, so it makes sense that Brown sacrifices a bit of athleticism at the expense of being bigger and stronger. The problem has always been his ability to maintain his weight, so that is something to keep an eye on as the regular season progresses.

Stock Down: Kendrick Lewis, S

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The hope when the Ravens added veteran safety Kendrick Lewis is that he would solidify the defensive backfield. Entering his seventh season, Lewis is one of the better coverage free safeties in the AFC. Unfortunately, he hasn’t shown much in his transition to the Ravens defense. Missed assignments and poor angles are showing up on film, and that is disconcerting.

However, in terms of leadership, all those traits are there. Nevertheless, penalties and missed tackles won’t cut it when the regular season gets underway. The Ravens have been using him and safety Will Hill as interchangeable parts at free safety and strong safety. This means he is going to be asked to mix it up against the run and drop deep as the last line of defense.

Stock Up: Elvis Dumervil, LB

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Unfortunately for linebacker Elvis Dumervil, his offseason and preseason have been rather uneventful. The star linebacker has spent the better part of training camp on the sideline as he recovers from a tendonitis issue in his Achilles tendon. The Ravens were in no rush to hurry him back to the field in preseason and took a cautious approach.

However, on August 5, per Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun, Dumervil was finally able to return to practice.

In the subsequent days, Dumervil has continued to progress, working himself back into game shape and getting his chemistry down with his teammates. He played against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second preseason game, with three total tackles and a sack. As part of the Ravens' three-man rotation at outside linebacker, Dumervil looks ready to roll.

Unless specified, all player stats and data courtesy of NFL.com.