Last season’s disaster in the defensive backfield has been discussed ad nauseum, and nearly every player from that mess is returning. Add in Kyle Arrington, Kendrick Lewis and Tray Walker, though, and there is reason for optimism. How much optimism? Let’s take a look.

Secondary PFF Grades

Obviously, Pro Football Focus is not the only way to gauge a player’s performance, but it provides a useful baseline. And PFF’s grades indicate what Ravens fans saw all last season: The only two truly effective DBs in Baltimore last year were Jimmy Smith and Will Hill (ignoring Darian Stewart‘s positive grade, which is baffling). The two combined to play just 18 games.

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2015’s group looks much better. Jimmy Smith is healthy again and should play more than eight games. Lardarius Webb is healthier and should be improved. Kendrick Lewis gives up far fewer big plays than Darian Stewart did. Will Hill remains and should play a full season this year if he stays out of trouble. Kyle Arrington is a huge upgrade over Asa Jackson and Matt Elam in the slot, and Rashaan Melvin proved to be quality depth last year.

There are a few battles to watch here, though.

Most prominently, Elam and Hill are supposedly battling for the starting strong safety spot. In one corner, the Ravens’ highest-rated defensive back from last season, returning in even better shape. In the other, the Ravens’ lowest-rated defensive back from last season who has yet to prove he can tackle at an NFL level, having missed 16 tackles last year. By comparison, Hill missed just five tackles. Until Elam proves he can wrap up and bring down a ball carrier, he is no threat to Hill. Then again, Jimmy Smith magically learned ball skills in his third season, so maybe Elam can learn to tackle.

As an aside, if Elam does have a similar third-year leap to Smith’s, maybe the Ravens would be best served playing him alongside Will Hill, rather than Kendrick Lewis. The athleticism and youth there would be tantalizing. The Ravens seem intent on Lewis starting though, so this is probably a non-starter.

Regardless, with Hill available the whole season and Lewis’ steady veteran presence, the Ravens’ safeties will be better. That means fewer big plays for opposing passing attacks.

The weakness at cornerback often had a different effect last season, as opposing quarterbacks were able to dink and dunk their way up the field against the Ravens’ secondary, regardless of the safety play. The Ravens only gave up 11.4 yards per completion, the 15th best mark in the league. They allowed the 11th highest completion percentage, though. Teams were not gaining that much per pass, but they were consistently gaining yards through the air.

With Webb and Smith healthy, that should change. Defensive coordinator Dean Pees will be able to play his cornerbacks closer to the line of scrimmage, limiting opponents’ ability to pick up first down after first down on short passes.

Kyle Arrington can join the top two right at the line of scrimmage, as he is more physical than his diminutive frame suggests.

Pees has been loathe to play bump and run coverage for much of his time in Baltimore, but with the most talented core of CBs he has ever coached, there is no excuse for him not to ratchet up the aggressiveness.

And ultimately, much of the defense’s performance comes down to Pees. He is arguably the best front-seven coach in the game, dialing up creative blitz packages and unique formations that stuff the run and get after quarterbacks. In the defensive backfield, though, Pees has often settled for conservative coverages. The lack of talent last year necessitated this, but he still needs to prove he can make use of all the news weapons in his arsenal.

In sum, expectations should be high. Ozzie Newsome masterfully turned one of the worst secondaries in the NFL into a potential strength, and he did it on the cheap. There are still too many questions to feel completely comfortable, but at least the Ravens aren’t counting on Asa Jackson and Chykie Brown anymore. It will be better. That should be the expectation.How much better is among the biggest questions facing the Ravens as they head into 2015.

Shawn Brubaker
Shawn Brubaker

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.

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