As the Ravens come off their bye week, it is a good time to consider the state of the team and the events that have led them to a disappointing 3-4 record to start the season. In part 1, I took a look at the offseason moves on the offensive side of the ball. The Ravens made a number of changes for better or worse, with turnover and lack of depth along the OL sticking out as a major weakness on the team. This time around, I will address the offseason moves that were made in an attempt to improve the different position groups on defense.
(You can discuss how the Ravens offseason moves affected the 2016 team on our message boards)
Secondary:
One of the major issues that has plagued the Ravens for several seasons is the play of the secondary, whether it be due to injuries or just and overall lack of talent. Safety Will Hill was released by the Ravens in the offseason after a failed drug test, and to fill the void he left behind the Ravens signed All-Pro Safety Eric Weddle, an UFA who had played his entire career in San Diego. Weddle would be paired with DB Lardarius Webb who made the transition from CB to Safety at the tail end of the 2015 season.
Weddle has long been viewed as a great player and leader, and he has proven to be just that in his short time in Baltimore. The secondary has been much improved this season, in large part to Weddle’s presence. The communication breakdowns and blown coverages that were all too frequent now seem to be a thing of the past with Weddle acting as a field general. The Ravens also re-signed CB Shareece Wright who they acquired mid-season in 2015. Wright played well for the Ravens down the stretch last year, but he has struggled with injuries and poor play in 2016. Webb has also struggled at times playing safety, taking poor angles of pursuit and in general not making the necessary plays. The team also signed CB Jarraud Powers, previously of the Arizona Cardinals and drafted two CBs: Tavon Young in the 4th round and Maurice Canady in the 7th. Canady made the team, but was put on IR, while Young has been one of the team’s standout defenders through the first 7 weeks. Powers has also played well for the Ravens, mostly playing the nickel CB role with Young moving into a starting role opposite Jimmy Smith.
The Weddle signing looks like an A+ move, but the “experiment” of moving Webb to safety has not payed off as hoped, in fact I would expect Webb to see a diminished role in the 2nd half of the season. Jimmy Smith has also looked more like his old-self after a difficult 2015 campaign. Overall, the additions of Weddle and Tavon Young, have greatly improved the secondary, although injuries have hurt the team at inopportune times exposing the back-end depth players ( see week 6 vs Odell Beckham and the NY Giants ).
Defensive Line:
The Ravens did not make many changes along the defensive line in the offseason, with most players returning aside from DE Chris Canty. Regardless, the Ravens have long believed in building a strong DL and added three rookies through the draft and free agency. DE Bronson Kaufusi is a promising talent taken in the 3rd round, but unfortunately suffered an injury in TC. The Ravens also drafted DT Willie Henry in the 4th round, but he has not yet suited up for the team on game-day despite showing some flashes in the pre-season. The biggest contributor among newcomers has easily been UDFA Michael Pierce, who has logged considerable snaps and has shown flashes as a pass-rusher to go along with his stout run defense. Pierce looks like a potential diamond in the rough and could move into a starting role in the future if NT Brandon Williams moves in free agency. The Ravens clearly want to have depth up front and their investments along the DL have payed dividends with the team boasting one of the premier run defenses in the NFL.
Linebacker:
The Ravens declined to re-sign OLB Courtney Upshaw, released veteran ILB Daryl Smith in the offseason, and cut former 2nd round pick Arthur Brown in the pre-season in an attempt to get younger and faster on defense. OLBs Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil were expected to return to play significant roles after injuries limited both players in 2015.
To replace the departed players, the Ravens invested 2nd and 5th round picks in LB Kamalei Correa and OLB Matt Judon respectively. Correa was seen as kind of a jack of all trades LB that can be play both inside and outside, playing the run, dropping in coverage and rushing the passer off the edge or as a blitzer. Judon is an OLB/DE whose main role is in to rush the passer. Both rookies have seen limited playing time and have varied degrees of success, while 3rd year LB Zach Orr has stepped into the starting ILB role next to C.J. Mosley and acquitted himself well, especially as a run defender. There have been some issues for the LBs in pass-coverage, especially when Mosley was sidelined. I would like to see Correa on the field more often as opposed to veteran Albert McClellan as Correa is much faster and brings more versatility.
Overall, the unit still lacks speed and has some depth issues, but there is some young talent that has a lot of potential. However, for the LB position group to be successful moving forward, Suggs and Dumervil have to get on the field and produce as pass-rushers. The Ravens need to have a more consistent pass-rush for the defense to hold up.
The defense is certainly an improved unit with Eric Weddle being the key addition. His signing along with a healthy Jimmy Smith has greatly improved the play of the secondary. Tavon Young has been a revelation at CB, and Anthony Levine has played well as a reserve DB/dime LB. Unfortunately, Lardarius Webb has not transitioned well to playing safety and has been a liability at times. Look for Matt Elam or Levine to press him for playing time in the second half of the season. The defensive line is deep thanks to the addition of Michael Pierce and the often overlooked contributions from DE Lawrence Guy and DE Brent Urban. Timmy Jernigan is the Ravens best player along the DL and is emerging as one of the top interior defensive lineman in the NFL. The LBs have had significant injuries, and the lack of depth has been problematic at times, but overall the production and playmaking has improved since 2015. I think the front office did a good job of reloading on the defensive side of the football, and there is young talent at many positions ready to take on larger roles in the future. While there have been hiccups at times this season, the defense rates in the top 10 in almost all statistical categories and is not the reason why the Ravens have struggled to win games.
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.