In part 1 of this two-part piece, I examined the changes the Ravens made to their defensive line and how those changes may influence the Ravens personnel choices and scheme in the upcoming season. One of the major take-aways was the shift from 2 down, run stuffing defensive tackles to an increase in length, athleticism and versatility.
At the Inside Linebacker position, there also appears to be a clear desire to improve versatility and athleticism. The Ravens got a lot faster at the position by drafting Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison, who ran 4.5 and 4.66 40s at the NFL combine, respectively.
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Versatility is also improved here as the Ravens now have three ILBs, along with veteran L.J. Fort, that can theoretically play all three downs. It will be interesting to see how these players are deployed considering how the Ravens have utilized the ILB position in recent years. Dating back to Ray Lewis’ tenure, the Ravens have traditionally kept one LB on the field for all three downs. After Lewis retired, Daryl Smith bridged the gap until C.J. Mosley took over manning the middle of the defense.
In 2018, Mosley’s last year as a Raven, the team went to a full-time platoon at the Will LB position employing a very functional rotation of Kenny Young, Patrick Onwuasor, and Anthony as the Dime LB. When Mosley left in free agency, Young and Onwuasor were promoted to the starting Will and Mike ILBs. Most Ravens fans will remember that this did not end well. Young was benched before being sent to the Rams in the Marcus Peters trade and Onwuasor dealt with an injury, missed several games, and was eventually relegated to a small role in a 3 way platoon.
While Young and Onwuasor did not pan out for the Ravens, mid-season acquisitions Josh Bynes and Fort fit right in immediately. Neither player was a 3 down LB for the Ravens, but they did lead the ILB platoon with Bynes taking over as the Mike LB on early downs while Fort played more coverage snaps along with Onwuasor. Chuck Clark also played a significant percentage of his snaps as the Dime LB for the Ravens and was very effective both in run support and as a blitzer.
The platoon worked for the Ravens as Bynes and Fort were both savvy veterans that played within themselves and their roles in the defense. It was not however, an ideal scenario for the defense; enter Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison. Not only were Queen and Harrison considered to be two of the better LB prospects in the 2020 draft, but they also complement each other exceptionally well.
As mentioned previously, both rookie LBs are exceptional athletes, but they excel in different aspects of the game. Queen is smaller, quicker, and excels on passing downs where he can be used as a blitzer or in coverage where he possesses strong instincts, and he also demonstrates a smooth back-pedal and quick hips that allow him to achieve impressive depth in his drops. Harrison may not possess the coverage chops of Patrick Queen, but he has the size and technique to add real value against the run. He’s not afraid to take on blocks and plug holes which should allow Queen to run free and make plays. He’s also a capable blitzer and has good awareness and instincts in zone coverage.
With these two young linebackers and a re-imagined defensive line, the Ravens should be able to be more dynamic and versatile. In 2019 the Ravens played a Dime LB close to 50% of the time. This provided superior coverage ability than what would be offered by 2 LBs, but the Ravens run defense suffered allowing a Franchise worst mark of 4.4 YPC. If the Ravens new LBs can prove to be effective against the pass, it should allow them to keep 2 LBs on the field more often which should improve the run defense. This will also have a synergistic effect with the defensive line that looks to be a much more capable group of pass-rushers meaning the defense won’t be as reliant on playing 3 or 4 OLBs to generate a pass-rush. Having players that are formidable against the run and the pass could be a game change for the Ravens defense in 2020.
All together, Wink Martindale’s defense will have a world of options in any given situation. They can go heavy with 4 defensive lineman and 3 stand up LBs in a traditional 4-3 look or they can still go light with 6 DBs and 3-4 OLBs or any combination in between.
Ravens Analyst
Gabe is an avid fan of the NFL and Ravens football. He grew up in Westminster, MD, and attended college at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Biology. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and now works as a R&D Scientist developing Transplant Diagnostics assays. Gabe has appeared as a guest on 105.7 The Fan.