After De’Lance Turner was promoted to the active

After De’Lance Turner was promoted to the active 53-man roster earlier this week Tavon Young Jersey , the Ravens had an opening on their practice squad. Over the weekend, Baltimore had filled that spot with safety Kai Nacua.Nacua spent training camp and the preseason with the Ravens, and he primarily played free safety. Nacua’s most memorable moment came in the final preseason game as he had a pick-six in the middle of the third quarter against Washington. Given Baltimore’s depth in the secondary, it is unlikely that Nacua will be promoted to the active roster barring an injury. However, he has an intriguing skill set that could entice the Ravens as he could serve as a true free safety. They seemingly have four ‘strong safeties,’ and if Nacua can develop into a quality starter, he could find a role in Don ‘Wink’ Martindale’s defense.“Kai [Nacua] is a good football player. He’s a little banged up, which in training camp that happens. He hasn’t said a word; he just comes into work and works every day. He’s done a nice job. He’s starting to gather the defense as well,” Martindale said during training camp, via the team’s official website.Standing at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Nacua was a playmaker in college. In four years at BYU, he recorded 14 interceptions, 12 pass breakups, one forced fumble and 165 total tackles.Although he went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft, he posted impressive numbers at his pro day. Nacua ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash while posting a 39-inch vertical jump Terrell Suggs Jersey , per Draft Scout. Nacua eventually was signed to Cleveland’s practice squad following the 2017 preseason, but he was promoted to the 53-man roster before week one. He appeared in all 16 games for the Browns but was waived in April. This might not be the only move the Ravens make before week three as they reportedly hadten offensive linemen in for workouts on Saturday morning. Baltimore will try to bounce back against the Broncos after suffering a crushing 34-23 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night. Heading into a crucial matchup with their most hated rival, the Baltimore Ravens have dropped two straight games and leave much to be desired with their 4-4 record. The 2018 season is starting to form an eerily familiar narrative. A story arc in which the Ravens narrowly miss a wild card berth, left to draft just between the full rebuild franchises and the teams on the cusp of breaking through in 2019. Call it pessimism or realism, but the Ravens front office has floundered in the years since sending Ray Lewis into retirement with a Super Bowl ring. With just a singular postseason victory since hoisting the Lombardi almost five years ago, the Ravens have faded into the background of the NFL landscape. Attempting to infuse hope into a disgruntled and disappointed fan base, Baltimore has cycled through coordinators and continuously made humble but strategic additions to try to revive Joe Flacco’s tenure as the franchise quarterback. After becoming Super Bowl MVP, Flacco received an inflated contract that has proven to be more of a crippling cap constraint than an worthwhile investment for the organization. In drafting Lamar Jackson in April, the Ravens followed their own ineffective playbook. The move was just bold enough to bring excitement and speculation into Baltimore’s offseason. However, questions about Jackson’s ability to become an NFL-caliber quarterback kept the status quo, never truly threatening Flacco’s position on the depth chart. Time and time again, Baltimore has flirted with dramatic change only to make incremental tweaks to a team that has failed to make any real noise since 2014. In a league that is defined by parity, rapid change and evolving strategy, to be stagnant is to become inconsequential. The Ravens have not finished with double digit wins in three seasons, yet have won just enough contests to push them down draft boards. In the last four drafts Authentic Ronnie Stanley Jersey , Baltimore has selected in the top 10 just once, drafting Ronnie Stanley with the sixth overall pick in 2016. In that same draft, the currently undefeated Los Angeles Rams traded up to select Jared Goff and the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles did the same to pick Carson Wentz. More aggressive franchises have rebuilt their rosters, transformed their coaching staff and revamped their front office personnel. In contrast, Baltimore has attempted to lean on their trademark defense without success. Ravens Rankings 2015-2018YearTotal Offense Rank (YPG) Total Defense Rank (YPG) YearTotal Offense Rank (YPG) Total Defense Rank (YPG) Through eight games, the Ravens have improved compared to prior years, yet find themselves on the fringe entering a season-defining home game against the Steelers. If the Ravens fall short on Sunday, Baltimore will have a losing record and just one divisional victory on the year. With the AFC West likely to have two postseason representatives in the Chiefs and Chargers, the Ravens will be in familiar territory, fighting until the waning seconds of Week 17 to clinch that final wild card spot. If Baltimore fails to reach the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, it is hard to envision a scenario where John Harbaugh keeps his job. With Eric DeCosta set to take over for Ozzie Newsome in 2019, the timing would be optimal for the new general manager to start positioning the franchise in an entirely new direction.