As the Baltimore Ravens headed into to the 2014 season, the general consensus among fans and analysts alike was optimistic with one exception, cornerback depth. Now looking toward the 2015 season, the Ravens are in the same situation, except this year, outside linebacker depth is the team’s big flaw.
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Relying on Asa Jackson and Chykie Brown, two totally unproven players, to step up into nickel and dime back roles last season didn’t work. Brown was released midseason, while Jackson struggled in the few games he was healthy enough to play in. Further, the lack of depth was further exposed with a new injury seemingly every week. When Jimmy Smith went down for the season, the Ravens’ Super Bowl aspirations did too.
After signing Kyle Arrington, drafting Tray Walker and uncovering Rashaan Melvin late in 2014, the Ravens are much deeper at cornerback this year. Unfortunately, the offseason that has been so kind to the secondary has been much harder on the pass rush, as Haloti Ngata and Pernell McPhee both will be playing in the NFC North next season.
Timmy Jernigan is up to the task of replacing Ngata, but does anyone really think the Ravens can replace McPhee’s impact with the collection of run-stuffers and no-names that backup Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil?
The only established player behind the top two is Courtney Upshaw, who has three sacks in three seasons. He is a nice player who has a lot of value on rushing downs, but to expect Upshaw to magically gain explosiveness and pass rush moves in his fourth season is a bit much. Upshaw could find success pushing the pocket from the inside with a bull rush (as detailed in a previous article). From the outside, though, he’s a non-factor rushing the passer.
Behind Upshaw? Only more question marks. Za’Darius Smith, a fourth-round pick, plays a lot like Pernell McPhee, getting by more on hustle than athleticism. Their college numbers were fairly similar as well.
Pernell McPhee
Za’Darius Smith
The differences between the two in terms of athleticism are negligible as well. McPhee had longer arms and better short-area quickness at the NFL Combine, while Smith managed more reps of the bench press, better jumps and a better 40. But like McPhee and Upshaw, Smith will probably be best served rushing from the inside, where hustle and strength can make up for a lack of explosion. If he develops some pass rush moves, Smith could even take some reps from Upshaw in this role. That’s a big if, though. This gif is indicative of Smith’s (boxed in yellow) lack of a pass rush repertoire.
The unknown is Steven Means, a freakish athlete with little production in his resume. Means put on a show at his pro day in 2013: 4.68 in the 40, 38.5″ in the vertical jump, 21 bench press reps and 10’8″ in the broad jump. However, Means actually ran a slower three-cone drill than McPhee did, indicating that Means operates best on a straight line.
That isn’t necessarily a deal breaker for an edge rusher as long as he has fast hands and a good burst off the line. Whether he has those attributes, though, is a complete unknown, as Means barely played in his first two seasons.
There are no other options. In fact, the Ravens only have four listed outside linebackers on their roster right now (Means is listed as a defensive end). A move may be coming, especially when teams start making cuts in training camp. For now, though, the depth at outside linebacker stands out as a huge concern. An injury to either Elvis Dumervil or Terrell Suggs would cripple the pass rush, just as an injury to Jimmy Smith crippled the Ravens’ secondary last year.
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.