The Baltimore Ravens will open the preseason against the Philadelphia Eagles for the second year in a row at home in M&T Bank Stadium on Friday night. With starting jobs, rotational roles and depth spots on both sides of the ball up for grabs, here are 15 players on defense to watch for in the team’s first taste of exhibition action.

ILB Trenton Simpson – The second-year pro is slated to ascend to the starting lineup as the replacement for 2023 Pro Bowler and second team All Pro selection Patrick Queen who he sat behind as a rookie and departed in free agency. Of the projected starters on defense, the 2023 third-rounder will likely see the most playing time given his overall lack of experience so he could see as much as a whole quarter or half of work.

CB Nate Wiggins – Simpson’s former college teammate at Clemson was the Ravens’ first-round pick this year and fans will get their first look at him in live action against Eagles. According to reports from training camp, the speedy rookie is a quick learner and the game isn’t moving too fast for him. Wiggins will get a chance to showcase his talents and all he has learned thus far against an actual opponent.

OLB David Ojabo – The third-year pro’s career thus far has been hampered and halted by injuries. Given he is still recovering from a partially torn ACL that cut his 2023 season short, it remains to be seen how much playing time he’ll receive in this game. It would be good for his confidence to get some live reps against backup-level competition as he continues to build and ramp up for the regular season. The Ravens will need him to step up to help replace the production and impact of three-time Pro Bowler Jadeveon Clowney who signed elsewhere in free agency.

CB Jalyn Armour-Davis – The third-year pro has been having a strong training camp thus far and head coach John Harbaugh went as far as to say he has been “playing like a starter.” On the initial depth chart, the 2022 fourth-rounder was listed ahead of Wiggins as a primary backup to Brandon Stephens and he’ll have a chance to make a strong case to keep that spot if he can stay healthy and carry over his strong play to the preseason.

DT Broderick Washington – Even though he recorded a career-high two sacks last year, the fifth-year pro took a step back in impact, playing time and overall production in 2023. Washington will be looking to bounce back in a big way in 2024 starting in the preseason when he will likely see plenty of action in the first half of games starting on Friday.

CB Damarion Williams – With veteran nickel Arthur Maulet sidelined after undergoing arthrosporic knee surgery, the third-year pro has a prime opportunity to boost his stock by getting plenty of slot reps during the preseason. Much like Armour-Davis, his fellow 2022 fourth-rounder, Williams has been plagued with the injury bug during his first two seasons in the league but is finally healthy and ready to capitalize on his chance at extended playing time.

OLB Tavius Robinson – The second-year pro played a lot of snaps on early downs as a run defender in the first half of his rookie season. After packing on more muscle and having a whole offseason to further familiarize himself with the scheme, the 2023 fourth-rounder will get to show off more of his pass-rushing prowess in the preseason starting with the opener.

DB Ar’Darius Washington – The fourth-year pro is another case in which injuries have prevented him from seizing a bigger role in the defense despite how well he has played when healthy. An undrafted free agent in 2021, he will see the field early and often during the preseason and will likely be one of the physical tone-setters of the unit in each game.

ILB Josh Ross – The third-year pro will be competing with seventh-year pro Chris Board and two players on this list yet to be revealed for one of the reserve spots behind Simpson and two-time All Pro Roquan Smith. Performances in the preseason on both defense and special teams will go a long in determining who makes the final cut and Board will be tough to beat in both aspects of the game so he might just be fighting for the fourth and final spot assuming the Ravens keep more defensive backs than linebackers this year.

DB Sanoussi Kane – The seventh-round rookie safety out of Purdue has been making plays in training camp and will be looking to prove he can do the same in games as he tries to carve out a role in a loaded Ravens’ secondary while also making his presence felt on special teams as well.

OLB Joe Evans – The undrafted rookie out of Iowa has a better chance of making the team now than he did at the beginning of training camp following the season-ending ACL tear suffered by 2023 undrafted gem Malik Harrison. Nevertheless, to convince the Ravens that he could be the man for the job and they won’t need to turn to the veteran market like they did last year, he will need to show what he can do in live action against other opponents over the next few weeks.

DB Beau Brade – The rookie safety is one of two undrafted University of Maryland products trying to make the team this year. Even with the addition of two-time Pro Bowler Eddie Jackson, he still stands the best chance of the two to contend for a spot on the initial 53-man roster. He will need to have a hell of a preseason to cement his spot as a depth piece and core special team and Friday night will be his first chance.

ILB Deion Jennings – The rookie out of Rutgers will be vying to be the next in a long successful line of Ravens undrafted off-ball linebackers to make the team as a rookie and hopefully make a name for himself someday. That journey begins against the Eagles where he will have to show he can be a force on special teams as well as defense.

DE Tramel Walthour – The Ravens have a rich history of unearthing talented undrafted defensive linemen as well and the rookie out of Georgia could keep that pipeline flowing with a strong showing in the preseason. Since the team is short on players who are natural five-techniques, Walthour could play himself into serious roster contention.

ILB Yvandy Rigby – Everything that was said about Jennings applies to the undrafted rookie out of Temple who dealt with a minor injury at the onset of training camp but returned to practice last week.