Eleven regular-season wins and a trip to the AFC championship game notwithstanding, one area the Ravens desperately needed to address was the team's lack of punch in the return game.
And after a fairly active offseason and a similar preseason, the race to be the Ravens' primary return specialist has essentially boiled down to two players: veteran Chris Carr and rookie Lardarius Webb.
Coach John Harbaugh made that clear after Thursday's practice when he was asked about getting repetitions for a return group that had also included Yamon Figurs and Jayson Foster.
"We've got guys we want to look at," Harbaugh said. "We've also got guys that haven't had a lot of experience, and I'm talking about Lardarius Webb basically. He's a guy that needs a certain amount of reps because we have plans for him, and the other guys are going to have to take a back seat to that and get the reps where they can get them. But we're trying to get all of those guys in and take a look at them. We know Chris Carr is going to be here and Lardarius Webb is in our plans at this point, and then we just have to get those guys ready and work from there."
That leaves out Figurs, the only player in franchise history to return a kick and a punt for touchdowns in the same season and whose spot on the roster isn't secure with the Ravens hosting a crowded wide receiver position.
"That's the NFL for you," Figurs said. "We bring in good people all the time."
Carr and Webb can each make fairly compelling cases as to why he should get the nod as the team's returner in the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 13.
Carr finished in the top 13 in both kick and punt returns with the Tennessee Titans last season and was persuaded by the Ravens to sign a two-year, $5 million deal. Webb's versatility as a returner and cornerback convinced the organization to invest a third-round pick in the former Nicholls State standout this past April.
The man who is in the unenviable position of choosing between Carr and Webb is Jerry Rosburg. But rather than fret over the anxiety that goes into such a momentous decision, the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator is happy to be in such a position.
"It's certainly better to have the opportunity to pick from those guys than not having one," Rosburg said. "That's why we went out and got Chris, and Lardarius was valuable for us in the draft for those reasons. ... So we think we have an opportunity to have depth at that position as we approach the season."
