On Saturday, Jay Higgins IV and Keyon Martin, the shiniest new pieces in the Ravens’ chest of toys, were asked to consider the question that is tearing their fan base apart: Had they done enough to make the 53-man roster of a Super Bowl contender?

Higgins smiled. Martin shrugged. They couldn’t say. They didn’t know, either.

“It’s really not up to me anymore,” said Higgins, an inside linebacker with a nose for the ball. “I can live with the results.”

“That’s not really my call,” said Martin, a nickel back who continued a breakout preseason by returning an interception for a touchdown in the Ravens’ 30-3 win Saturday over the Washington Commanders in Landover. “If I did, I did. If I didn’t, I didn’t.”

Tuesday will bring bad news for much of the Ravens’ 90-man roster, which will be trimmed to 53 players by the NFL’s 4 p.m. deadline. But even the most dreaded news — that an undrafted rookie like Higgins or Martin would be waived to make room for (gasp!) a fourth veteran running back — is not that bad. Nor does it signal the beginning of the end in Baltimore.

Over the league’s past five cut-down days, only three Ravens have been claimed off waivers. Running back Nate McCrary (2021), who never suited up for the Denver Broncos before returning to Baltimore, was the only undrafted rookie. Second-year safety Nigel Warrior (2021) played just four games for the Seattle Seahawks. Rookie cornerback Kyu Kelly (2023) appeared in eight games for three teams in Year 1, then found a new home in Year 2.

The biggest success story for a recent preseason castoff might be offensive lineman Tyre Phillips, who landed with the Giants after the Ravens waived him a day after finalizing their initial roster. But even Phillips, a 15-game starter over three seasons in New York, never graded out as a top-90 tackle on Pro Football Focus.

The Ravens know what they have in Baltimore. And, maybe more important, they know what they can build in Baltimore.

“We develop our players, we bring them in, and we give them reps,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “We’re not practicing for [only] an hour and 10 minutes out here. We’re out here. We’re giving these guys reps. … We try to develop them, because we think if you sign with the Ravens, you should get coached, and you should get every opportunity to have a fair shot. It’s not just a token opportunity. [It’s] a real opportunity. We feel like, as coaches, that’s our job, to develop every guy on the roster.”

And what a roster it is. Perfect? No, but deep and talented, even after injuries to tight end Isaiah Likely (foot) and rookie offensive lineman Emery Jones Jr. (shoulder). The players at the bottom of the depth chart decide games in August. The players at the top decide games in September. The Ravens should have the advantage there, too.

Their Week 1 starting lineup is expected to feature 11 players named to last year’s Pro Bowl, plus about a dozen other returning starters. Even the most valid roster concerns — can Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele upgrade the guard position? Is inside linebacker Trenton Simpson a weak link in the defense? How reliable is rookie kicker Tyler Loop? — might amount to champagne problems.

Other contenders seem to have it worse. The defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs are hoping to protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ blind side with two first-time starters and expecting to lose wide receiver Rashee Rice to a suspension. The Buffalo Bills seem likely to start former Ravens reserve Tre’Davious White at cornerback in Week 1 and could be without leading wide receiver Khalil Shakir (ankle) in their season-opening playoff rematch. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a 41-year-old quarterback. The Cincinnati Bengals might not have a functional defense.

Even the defending Super Bowl champions have a glaring hole. The Philadelphia Eagles, owners of perhaps the NFL’s most talented roster, still need another starting outside cornerback.

The Ravens? For now, they’re good.

“I don’t think we’re scouring” for outside help, Harbaugh said, though he acknowledged that there was always a chance some would arrive. “I mean, I know that they [the Ravens’ front office] are scouring. I know they know everybody. But I would be hard-pressed for me to think that we’d bring somebody in here that would be better than who we have.”

General manager Eric DeCosta and Harbaugh had Sunday to review the film of Saturday’s preseason finale. The Ravens practiced Monday. They’ll practice again Tuesday afternoon, some for the last time in Owings Mills.

The Ravens’ first 53-man roster, Harbaugh said, is “pretty much” known. On Tuesday afternoon, it’ll be finalized. On Wednesday, the team’s practice squad will be set.

On Sept. 7, the Ravens’ season kicks off in Orchard Park, New York, and the evaluations will start all over again. Only then, the Ravens won’t be judged by the players they keep. They’ll be judged by the teams they beat.