Josh Reed· Aug 8, 2026
Reed argues fans are overreacting to Ravens camp standouts: rookie Ja'Kobi Lane won't unseat Rashod Bateman as the No. 2 receiver, and fifth-round rookie Adam Randall is at best battling for the No. 3 running back job behind Derrick Henry and Justice Hill, with both Randall and Rasheen Ali likely making the roster as special-teamers.
“All that being said, even if Randall absolutely balls out in the preseason, he's still likely only battling for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart behind five-time Pro Bowler Derrick Henry and fellow veteran Justice Hill.”
published in writing · Sports Illustrated · read the original →
6 checkable claims — 4 depth chart calls and 2 roster spot calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 6 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 6 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 4 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one.
Where this call stands in the room
Rashod Bateman · 2026 season8 calls from 5 pundits between 1 and 2. Josh Reed said 2. the room's median is 2. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
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Who this take is about
6 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Roster Spot CallsRasheen AliBaltimore RavensAug 8, 2026
Rasheen Ali to make the roster
“The most likely scenario is that both players make the team and primarily play on special teams”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- BAL
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Rasheen Ali
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Justice Hill to be 2nd on the depth chart
“Hill remains one of the best pass-catching and protecting players at the position in the league, making him the favorite to retain his role as the preferred third-down backfield option”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Adam Randall to be 3rd on the depth chart
“he's still likely only battling for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart behind five-time Pro Bowler Derrick Henry and fellow veteran Justice Hill”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Rashod Bateman to be 2nd on the depth chart
“to say that he's shown enough in just a few padded practices and no game action to overtake someone like Bateman ... is overly optimistic and premature”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Adam Randall to make the roster
“The most likely scenario is that both players make the team and primarily play on special teams”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Derrick Henry to be 1st on the depth chart
“With Henry as the unquestioned starter, slated to receive the bulk of the carries and snaps at the position”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Chris SimmsScore Predictions · Baltimore RavensHit · 98Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver.
- Nate TiceGame Outcome Picks · Baltimore RavensHit · 100Tice matched his guest on every Week 3 game, picking the Ravens over the Cowboys, the Jaguars over the Patriots in a close game, the Broncos to upset the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears and the Lions over the Jets.
- Steven RuizGame Outcome Picks · Baltimore RavensHit · 100Previewing Week 3, Ruiz picked the Ravens to beat the Cowboys in Brazil, Jacksonville over New England in a low-scoring game, an upset by the Broncos over the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears, the Lions over the Jets, and his Hail Mary that Houston beats Indianapolis by two touchdowns.
- Tracy SandlerGame Outcome Picks · Baltimore RavensHit · 100Sandler predicted Caleb Williams would miss two to three weeks with his hamstring injury, and in the picks segment took the Broncos, Ravens, Vikings, Bills and Bears (switching off an earlier Tampa pick).
- Carmen VitaliGame Outcome Picks · Baltimore RavensHit · 100In the show's weekly picks segment Vitali took the Broncos over the Rams, the Ravens over the Cowboys in Rio, Tampa at home over Minnesota, the Bills over the Chargers and the Eagles on the road in Chicago. She also agreed that Caleb Williams would be out roughly two to three weeks.
- Nick WrightScore Predictions · Baltimore RavensHit · 100On his Week 3 pick show, Nick Wright gave straight-up final-score predictions for five games, calling blowouts by Seattle over Washington and Kansas City over Miami, a Jacksonville home win over New England, a narrow New Orleans win over the Raiders and a low-scoring Baltimore win over Dallas in Brazil. He also called Seattle the best team in the NFL with the league's best defense.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Jonah ColemanMiss · 0In his Week 3 waiver column, Fitzmaurice makes several depth-chart calls around injuries: Jonah Coleman leading Denver's backfield, Marcus Mariota taking over in Washington, Michael Penix Jr. starting once healthy, and Malik Washington serving as Miami's top receiver, plus availability expectations for Detroit's injured safeties.
- Fox SportsDepth Chart Calls · Michael Penix Jr.Hit · 100Fox Sports states that a healthy Tua Tagovailoa will serve as Atlanta's backup quarterback in Week 3, with Michael Penix Jr. handling the starting duties against Green Bay.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Aaron JonesHit · 100In previewing the 10 most intriguing fantasy performers of Week 2, Fitzmaurice expects Atlanta's quarterback problems to persist with Tua Tagovailoa unlikely to play and Michael Penix Jr. not ready to return, flags Falcons slot corner Billy Bowman Jr. as a possible Week 2 returnee, and describes Aaron Jones as Minnesota's lead back and Kaelon Black as the clear backup to Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco.
- Matt SeveranceDepth Chart Calls · Deshaun WatsonHit · 100The CBS Sports preview backs Tampa Bay to beat Cleveland in the Bucs' Week 2 home opener, and states that Deshaun Watson — not Shedeur Sanders — will be Cleveland's starting quarterback in Week 2.
- Rafael ZamoranoDepth Chart Calls · Deshaun WatsonHit · 100Zamorano reports Watson will start Week 2 at Tampa Bay and suggests there's little reason to expect improvement, raising the possibility Watson's five-year contract never yields more than single-digit wins.
- Rich HribarDepth Chart Calls · Tua TagovailoaMiss · 0Hribar expects Tua Tagovailoa to be Atlanta's starting quarterback for Week 2 while Michael Penix stays out, with Penix's return closer to Week 4. He is unenthusiastic about the Falcons' offense either way and treats Bryce Young as a fringe fantasy starter.