Grading out the Depth Chart (Defense)

[WNCRavensFan]

No grades, just my opinions

DL - the Ravens have one of the better interior lines in the NFL, headlined by Madubuike who, if he replicates last season, will be an All Pro candidate again. Mads, Michael Pierce and Travis Jones form a top tier trio; if you don't believe me about Jones, ask around the league, they know. As Pierce gets older I expect Jones will get even more snaps. Broderick Washington did not have a good year in 2023 but improved as it went along. Brent Urban has become a rock solid veteran that you can count on being at least average. The one problem with this unit, if I were to name one, is that they can be gashed at times by a potent running game... however I believe that has more to do with how little help they were getting from the back seven. The Ravens will sacrifice the occasional big run to shut down the passing game.

EDGE - Last season, the late signings of Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy made the unit an unexpected strength. Van Noy is back, a year older, and Clowney is gone. Contrary to popular belief, Odafe Oweh was excellent as a rotational player last season - but can he take on a starter's work load? I think this is the year he shuts his critics up, like Justin Madubuike and Patrick Queen did last season. As far as David Ojabo, I don't expect anything from him until he proves he's 100% back from his big injury. Tavius Robinson was a pleasant surprise as a rookie and looks like yet another mid-late round defensive hit. Malik Harrison shuts down the run when he's outside. Then we still have Malik Hamm who lit last pre-season on fire, and rookie Adisa Isaac. Bottom line, I don't think this group is that bad, and it does have depth, but it's the weakest starting unit.

LB - Roquan Smith is one of the top three off ball LBs in the league, along with Fred Warner and Demario Davis. As long as he's on the field, this unit will be good to go. If it wants to reach the heights from last season however (All Pro 1st and 2nd team) then Trenton Simpson needs to step in for Patrick Queen in the WILL role. He has a similar athletic makeup and he showed flashes last season, but can he be consistent? Depth is a concern here. Malik Harrison didn't do well as a MIKE. Josh Ross is limited athletically. Chris Board should be (but probably won't be) ST only. There may be a player not on the team now, that plays off ball LB during the season.

CB - Depth was an issue, and that was solved emphatically in the draft. Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stevens begin as the starters and we'll see how long it takes Nate Wiggins to take away snaps. But really you expect all three to be out there as "Nickel is the new Base". Even if Wiggins and/or TJ Tampa need a half season to acclimate, Arthur Maulet can hold down the fort. So the question is whether the team carries 5 or 6 CBs and what that means for Pepe Williams and Jalyn Armour-Davis.

S - If we expect a 3 CB look then it'll just be Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton at safety. Will that impact Hamilton's ability to wreak havoc around the LOS? We'll see. The depth here may be even thinner than LB. Ar'Darius Washington is the only vet and he can't seem to stay healthy. Then you have three 7th/UDFA rookies. If any position will be filled with a late signing, this is it. There are still a good number of interesting names floating in free agency, albeit they're all on the back nine of their careers.

[JimZipCode]

DL
LB
CB
Safeties

I'd break them out differently: more by functional role than traditional position group. Something like:

iDL
Edge
off-ball LB
Boundary CB
Nickel CB
Box Safety
Deep Safety

I don't know if that's the right breakdown; if everyone would agree those are the roles. But if we go ahead and use that list:

iDL: A. Madubuike elevates this group; he's one of the best in the league.

Edge: Huge question mark. C+, giving some credit for potential??

off-ball LB: A+. Roquan & Trenton Simp will terrorize.

Boundary CB: A. Brandon Stephens, Marlo, the 1st-rd pick + other rookie.

Nickel CB: A+ if we grade Kyle Hamilton here. Maybe B- otherwise? I like Maulet & Pepe, when they're healthy. And didn't Ardarius W play some slot last year?

Box Safety: A+ if we grade Kyle Hamilton here. Maybe C otherwise?

Deep Safety: A-. I'd love to see more impact plays from Marcus Williams. On the other hand, I might be under-valuing him because he's usually offscreen, and his range + steadiness make opportunities for other players.



I tell you what: if Doctor Rush coaxes a real pass rush from his guys, we're back in the CCG and he's the Assistant Coach of the Year. This squad is a monster if they can muster a pass rush.

[Ravens4Real]

I think the defense takes a step back this year. Hopefully the offense manages to take another step forward.

[Gleeful_Mourner]

Culex, thanks for starting an interesting discussion, but you are way too kind. When I taught, you’d be considered as “Easy A.”

[Culex]

Culex, thanks for starting an interesting discussion, but you are way too kind. When I taught, you’d be considered as “Easy A.”

Lol!

Well, im a big fan of this defense and it was in my opinion the best in the league last season

[Dale]

Just throw it out there. This was one of the things that has to be considered when rating/ranking these groups, offense, defense, and STs.

How good is your coaching staff in getting the players to play to their potential. How do the players adapt to the schemes/system?

We lost some very good defensive coaches this off season. What will be their impact on the defense's performance.

[PGCountyRaven85]

DL: A+.. our sack daddy lives here on the DL. To have a pass rushing DT is a huge boost and he was also our TFL daddy. The group from last season that ranked among the leagues best in stopping the run remains in tact. Gotta give them their respect here with an A+.

LB: A-.. led by Roquan Smith leading the team in tackles. The big story here is Trenton Simpson who I believe will prove to be an upgrade over Queen. We lost Clowney.. but Van Noy returns coming off one of his best seasons. The big pressure is on the African "O" brothers that need to prove they have a long term place on this team by playing a full season productively.

CB: A-.. Yeah I said it! This is a good looking group. Hump is Hump and Stephens continues to improve significantly. All eyes are on Wiggins who has the potential of becoming our best corner one day. A guy that you may just be able to leave on an island against opposing #1 corners in a couple years. I like that kid TJ Tampa too (no pun intended). That name alone just sounds like a solid corner.

Safeties: A+.. We have the best safety in the league in Kyle Hamilton and it's not even debateable. Marcus Williams when healthy can still ball which is where my only concern is if he goes down, there is not much there now with Geno Stone gone. Good thing is, Brandon Stephens is capable of filling in at safety if need be.

Overall, it all depends on how Orr utilizes this group that still has the potential of being the best in the league again.

Safety, I’d give an A-, but if they somehow snag Quandrey Diggs or Justin Simmons, then it goes back up to an A+


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[BcRaven]

Practice Report: Odafe Oweh Dominates at OTAs :

https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news...port-dominates

" Oweh dominated during Tuesday's Organized Team Activities practice at the Under Armour Performance Center, both as a pass rusher and run defender.

Oweh flashed on a half-dozen or more plays. His pressure created a desperate throwaway during a red-zone drill from the 5-yard line. He made another stop five yards deep in the backfield on an outside run by Justice Hill. "


... Bc

[Ravenswintitle]

Some OTA news [emoji106]

The other thread has migrated to rugby

[BcRaven]

Ravens expect to have David Ojabo back sometime in training camp :

" Ravens head coach John Harbaugh provided an update on edge rusher David Ojabo’s return from a partially torn ACL on Thursday.

Ojabo suffered the injury last September and had season-ending surgery in November, so it’s no surprise that he has not been cleared for football activities at this point. Harbaugh said that the current timeline has the team expecting to get the 2022 second-rounder back on the field at training camp this summer.

“His timeline, I believe, is somewhere in training camp,” Ojabo said, via the team’s website. “It won’t be minicamp, but it’s at some point in time once we get back for training camp.”

Ojabo tore his Achilles while training for the draft and only played two games as a rookie before his three-game cameo last season. The Ravens could use a longer run in the lineup for a player who is seen as a big part of their pass rushing plans in 2024. "

Are we really counting on him?... Bc

[jonboy79]

Ravens expect to have David Ojabo back sometime in training camp :

" Ravens head coach John Harbaugh provided an update on edge rusher David Ojabo’s return from a partially torn ACL on Thursday.

Ojabo suffered the injury last September and had season-ending surgery in November, so it’s no surprise that he has not been cleared for football activities at this point. Harbaugh said that the current timeline has the team expecting to get the 2022 second-rounder back on the field at training camp this summer.

“His timeline, I believe, is somewhere in training camp,” Ojabo said, via the team’s website. “It won’t be minicamp, but it’s at some point in time once we get back for training camp.”

Ojabo tore his Achilles while training for the draft and only played two games as a rookie before his three-game cameo last season. The Ravens could use a longer run in the lineup for a player who is seen as a big part of their pass rushing plans in 2024. "

Are we really counting on him?... Bc

Counting on him to be a 4th or 5th edge.


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[Dale]

OLB/EDGE will improve as the season goes along. Bringing in Chuck Smith last season was great. I can't wait to see what he does this season with Oweh, Robinson, and Isaac among others. It's sad that Ojabo has not been given the opportunity to spend more time with Chuck.

I hope that Chuck Smith is here for years to come. He's a great coach. Maybe we can give him a new position or promotion. It would be sad to lose him in the future.