Position Review/Preview: Quarterbacks
Clifton Brown, BaltimoreRavens.com
What to Watch This Offseason
Instead of learning a new system, Jackson can spend a healthy offseason mentally and physically preparing to take Baltimore’s offense to a new level from Day 1 of training camp. Head Coach John Harbaugh said Jackson will have even more input into the offensive setup.
“We have an opportunity to pick up where we are and dig deeper with what we can give Lamar,” Harbaugh said. “You say Lamar has the keys to the offense, now you build the offense, it’s like setting up a car. If Lamar’s the driver, he has to be involved in the setup of the car even more.
“Last year, that wasn’t even possible. This year, he’s going to be involved. Next year, it won’t be a new day every single day. I’m looking forward to that process.”
Huntley has spent four seasons with Baltimore, making 10 starts including a playoff game. If he does not re-sign, the Ravens will need a new backup quarterback. Cunningham is an intriguing prospect who was a dual-threat star at Louisville, but he doesn’t have much NFL experience. The Ravens could bring back Johnson or another veteran to compete for the backup job.
Will the Ravens designate Justin Madubuike with the franchise tag? The choice should be clear.
Jonas Shaffer, The Baltimore Banner
Madubuike’s pass-rushing talent alone would make him indispensable. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, his 64 quarterback pressures in 2023 tied for the second most of any Ravens player since 2016, behind only Clowney last season. Over the past two years, he also posted the Ravens’ third- and sixth-best pressure-to-sack rates in a single season (22.9% in 2022, 20.3% in 2023). Quite simply, the Ravens’ prolific pass rush last year was notably better with Madubuike than without him.
His value extends to the Ravens’ run defense, too. With Madubuike on the field in 2023, according to TruMedia, the Ravens ranked sixth in success rate, 11th in expected points added per play against designed runs and 12th in yards before contact per rush. Without Madubuike, their run defense ranked 20th, 20th and 24th, respectively.
Madubuike’s well-rounded contributions last season — a 14.6% pass rush win rate and 9.9% run stop rate, according to PFF — put him in elite company, not only among the NFL’s top interior pass rushers…but also among the Ravens’ best-ever seasons at the position.
And there’s reason to believe Madubuike, one of the Ravens’ most durable players, can sustain his production, if not improve on it. His pressure rate has improved each of the past three seasons, according to NGS, from 5.1% to 6.5% to an elite 13.1%. His average get-off time has sped up, too; he needed only 0.94 seconds after the snap to cross the line of scrimmage in 2023, one of the NFL’s better marks and a tick faster than in 2021 (1.09 seconds) and 2022 (0.98 seconds).
NFL salary cap cut candidates for all 32 teams: Nick Chubb, Joe Mixon among possibilities
Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic
Possible cut: LB Tyus Bowser
The Ravens need to create some cap room, and that could lead to a handful of cost-cutting moves, potentially involving veterans like offensive tackles Morgan Moses and Ronnie Stanley as well as fullback Patrick Ricard. However, Bowser is the most likely cap cut. The 28-year-old spent the entire 2023 season on the non-football injury list as a mysterious offseason knee injury, which the team hoped would only keep him out for the first half of training camp, cost him the entire season. He’s a solid player when healthy, but he’s missed 27 games over the past two seasons. Creating $5.5 million of space by jettisoning Bowser feels like a no-brainer.
2024 NFL Draft: Strengths, weaknesses for the top running back prospects
Trevor Sikkema, PFF
TREY BENSON, FLORIDA STATE
Strengths
Benson has a powerful build, with good size and strength in his legs. He is an explosive athlete with difference-making burst and top speed. He can convert speed-to-power quickly for yards after contact and broken tackles. He is a fundamentally sound pass blocker with a good base and the necessary strength to hold up.
Weaknesses
Benson is a little stiff in his lateral movements, lacking some of the wiggle of the other top backs in this class. When carrying the ball, the base of his footwork is narrow, which makes it easier for him to get tripped up. His high missed tackles figures are more about speed-to-power and erasing pursuit angles than one-cut elusiveness. He is an athlete first, so tends to miss open cutback lanes in favor of getting to the sideline as soon as possible. As a receiver, he lets passes come into the body rather than extending his hands.
2024 NFL mock draft 2.0: Four quarterbacks selected in first eight picks
Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com
30. Baltimore Ravens
Georgia · OT · Junior
The Ravens have grown accustomed to seeing really talented players fall into their lap. Snagging Mims at No. 30 would qualify as another example of this.