Training Camp is over and the 2016 NFL season is nearly upon us. The Ravens are 2-0 in the preseason for anyone who is keeping track, but how the team performs in the games that actually count is the focus of most fans. In their successful 2014 season, the Ravens leaned heavily on strong offensive line play and what was probably the best pass-rush in the NFL. In 2015 injuries and lack of quality depth led to a steep drop off in play in these two critical areas. Can the OL and pass-rush bounce back after a rough year?
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In 2016, the Ravens will be featuring two new starters on the left side of the offensive line. Ronnie Stanley, the 6th overall pick in the 2016 draft, will be the starting LT after the departure of Eugene Monroe. John Urschel, who has been a back-up the past two seasons, is penciled in as the starting LG after Kelechi Osemele signed a mammoth deal with the Oakland Raiders. While Center Jeremy Zuttah, RG Marshal Yanda and RT Ricky Wagner are all returning starters, Zuttah is coming back from season ending injury and Wagner had some major struggles in 2015. Yanda, who may be the best all-around offensive lineman in the NFL, is the only real known quantity heading into 2016. So should Ravens fans be concerned? In a word, yes.
There is plenty of room for concern, but there is also a lot of potential with this group. Ronnie Stanley was the 6th overall pick for a reason. He’s a smooth operator at LT with quick feet and great size. So far he looks the part of an NFL LT. Zuttah was having a very solid season at center in 2015 before the injuries cut his season short. There is room to hope that he will come back strong to anchor the offensive line. Wagner was a standout performer in 2014 and there is reason to believe nagging injuries held him down in 2015. He’s still a young player with room to improve. The biggest question mark is Urschel as his time starting has been very up and down.
Often the biggest hurdle to climb for the offensive line is continuity and at least so far into this young season there have been no major injuries, although rookie Alex Lewis has had to take some first team snaps at both LG and LT, and he may be in the mix to start at LG . If injuries do crop up, this unit and the offense in general could be in for a long season as the depth behind the starters ranges from poor to unproven. The Ravens are going to most likely lean on the offensive line as they look to establish the run game this year. We all know QB Joe Flacco is coming back from a major injury, and there are numerous injury-related question marks in the receiving corps as well. The OL is going to have to protect the QB and open up running lanes for the Ravens’ stable of backs. If the team is going to succeed the OL must stay healthy and perform well.
Changing direction from the offensive line, another big question mark for the Ravens is the health and ability of their edge rushers. This past week we have seen the Ravens’ two veteran OLBs Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil come off the PUP and start practicing. The Ravens do have two interesting rookies in Kamalei Correa and Matt Judon in addition to second year player Za’Darius Smith, but there is no doubt the team’s pass-rush will largely depend on Suggs and Dumervil who combined for 29 sacks the last time they played a full season together. Their ability to rush the passer is absolutely critical to the Ravens defensive scheme. Will the Ravens defense be able to bounce back from a lackluster 2015?
Once again, the answer to this question is going to largely be dependent on the health of the starting OLBs. The Ravens don’t have the interior pass-rushers to generate a consistent pass-rush without the players on the edge demanding attention, and they also don’t have the coverage players on the back-end to be a blitz heavy defense that manufactures pressure. I expect to see a number of snaps going to the young edge-rushers, but Suggs and Dumervil should be the staples at OLB in most passing situations. If they are both healthy and back in form, I absolutely think the Ravens defense can get back to being a top 10 unit, but it is a very big IF. Frankly, we will have to wait and see until week 1 rolls around to know for sure as it is unlikely that either veteran sees many snaps in the preseason.
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.