In the aftermath of an offseason which saw the departure of Haloti Ngata and Pernell McPhee, the Baltimore Ravens may look to Courtney Upshaw to fill the void. That might be a cause for concern. Never viewed as a pass rush threat to begin with, further film study only confirms the prevailing assumption that Upshaw is a sub-par pass rusher from the edge.
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A few sources, primarily the Baltimore Ravens’ own website, have touted the idea of Upshaw replacing Pernell McPhee’s pressure. Because McPhee was listed as an outside linebacker, this idea has been met with some scoffing, as Ravens fans recognize how poor Upshaw has been as an edge rusher to this point in his career.
There is hope, however.
To delve into expectations for Upshaw, a review of last year’s most productive set is necessary.
This four-man rush was among the most productive in football. When healthy, Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs form the best combo of edge rushers in the league. Timmy Jernigan and Haloti Ngata were interchangeable in this set: both excelled at pushing the pocket and shedding interior blockers. Upshaw would be asked to play Pernell McPhee’s role here, rushing from the interior, and he has a chance to succeed in this role.
What made McPhee special in this role was not his overwhelming athleticism (his combine numbers were dreadful), but rather effort and hand-fighting. McPhee had a knack for shedding blockers and slipping through cracks to pressure the quarterback. Because he was rushing from the interior, quarterbacks were able to see him coming and get the ball out, hence his low sack number. Still, that pressure was invaluable and helped create sacks for that dynamic duo of edge rushers.
Upshaw’s role would be the same as McPhee’s. He would need to shed blockers and push the pocket, keeping quarterbacks from stepping up and allowing the edge rushers to clean up. That will require some improved hand use, but Upshaw has done reasonably well rushing from the interior to this point in his career.
Take a look at this play against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Ravens sent a variation of their traditional four-man rush here, with Dumervil and Suggs on the outside and Upshaw and McPhee rushing from the interior. The center (correctly) decided to double-team McPhee with the left guard, leaving Upshaw in a one-on-one situation. Upshaw used a nice rip move to get by the right guard and was the first player to get pressure on the play.
Unable to step up in the pocket and distracted by the rush, Blake Bortles eluded Upshaw and Suggs before finally hitting the turf courtesy of Dumervil.
This is what the Ravens need from Upshaw this year more consistently: interior pressure. It’s something he has proven capable of doing, but he needs to develop some more moves to become the force that McPhee was. McPhee is among the best hand fighters in the game, making him a very difficult player to block. If Upshaw’s first move fails, he usually just settles for an attempted bull rush with minimal effort to shed the block. That’s an issue that needs to be corrected.
Still, there is hope here, more than I expected when I first reviewed his tape. There is enough there to believe Upshaw will hold off rookie Za’Darius Smith for at least one season.
Shawn began his writing career with Bleacher Report as a Ravens featured columnist and Breaking News Team writer. He moved on to write for Yahoo! and work on the Ravens Central Radio podcast. Most recently, he was an Editor at the Baltimore Wire. Shawn is a 2013 graduate of the Catholic University of America.