What We Learned From Offseason Ravens Wired
Clifton Brown, BaltimoreRavens.com
The Ravens wanted Nate Wiggins badly despite their need at offensive tackle.
Head Coach John Harbaugh and General Manager Eric DeCosta both loved first-round cornerback Nate Wiggins, even though offensive line was a bigger need.
The Ravens doubted Wiggins would still be available at No. 30 when the first round began. However, the draft started with an unprecedented 14 straight offensive selections, a development that pushed defensive players like Wiggins farther down than expected.
With Wiggins still available, Harbaugh had anxious moments waiting for the Cowboys to pick at No. 29.
“Corners are hanging on. I just don’t want to get my hopes up,” Harbaugh said. “Because then I’m going to be shattered into a million pieces.”
DeCosta was on the phone fielding calls about potential trades, but he also hoped the Cowboys wouldn’t take Wiggins one pick before Baltimore was on the clock. He correctly anticipated that Dallas would take offensive tackle Tyler Guyton of Oklahoma, a player that was widely linked to Baltimore as a possible pick.
“If they take Guyton, I’m going to pick,” DeCosta said to another team. “But if they don’t take Guyton, call me back.”
Once the Cowboys took Guyton the Ravens took Wiggins and celebrated.
Five things to watch for at Ravens OTAs, including a new defensive coordinator and intriguing rookies
Brian Wacker, The Baltimore Sun
How will Derrick Henry impact the Ravens’ offense?
Henry is the best back to line up alongside Jackson in his career, having topped the 1,000-yard mark five of the past six seasons and scoring 68 rushing touchdowns in that span with the Tennessee Titans. Jackson, meanwhile, has led Baltimore in rushing each of the past five seasons, an NFL record for quarterbacks, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
How will the two jell in an offense that underwent an overhaul last year to be more spread out and pass-friendly?
We won’t really know until training camp, but it’ll be fascinating to see Jackson and Henry, two of the most dynamic and explosive players in the NFL, on the field together for the first time. Their chemistry will go a long way toward determining the Ravens’ success.
What kind of defensive coordinator will Zach Orr be and what about other coaching changes?
With Mike Macdonald now the coach of the Seattle Seahawks, former Ravens inside linebackers coach Zach Orr takes over as defensive coordinator. It will be his first time calling plays at any level.
At 31, he’s the second-second-youngest defensive coordinator in the league, behind the Arizona Cardinals’ Nick Rallis, and there are four Ravens, including outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy and defensive end Brent Urban, who are older than Orr. The expectation is twofold: He’ll use the same system as Macdonald, perhaps with some tweaks, and he’ll bring the same intensity and energy he had as a player. Put another way, he shows much more emotion than his predecessor.
PFF Quarterback Rankings: All 32 starters ahead of the 2024 NFL season
Trevor Sikkema, PFF
TIER 2: THE ELITE
2. LAMAR JACKSON, BALTIMORE RAVENS
Three quarterbacks have won MVP since 2018: Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson — each twice. In a new offense in 2023, Jackson earned the highest single-season passing grade of his career (83.0). He also passed for a career-high 4,102 yards with a career-best 25 big-time throws.
All that happened while he kept his turnover-worthy play rate below 3.0% and added unmatched rushing ability. Jackson is in a tier with Joe Burrow and Josh Allen, but if we’re ranking these guys, I wouldn’t be giving Jackson the respect he has earned if I didn’t put him at No. 2 as the reigning MVP.
2024 NFL season: 49ers, Ravens, Lions among teams most likely to replace Chiefs as Super Bowl champs
Jeffri Chadiha, NFL.com
2023 record: 13-4
The Ravens open the NFL season in Kansas City, so we’ll have an early read on how ready this team is to make another run at supplanting the Chiefs as conference champs. It’s also a safe bet that Baltimore won’t beat itself like it did in last year’s AFC Championship Game loss. It’s still impossible to understand why the Ravens would veer so far from their identity in that contest — by essentially ignoring their vaunted running attack — but what’s done is done. Baltimore now must prove that it can create another shot at a championship after being the top seed in last year’s AFC postseason. Lamar Jackson won the league’s Most Valuable Player award by maturing in a diversified offense that is flush with weapons. The arrival of running back Derrick Henry gives the Ravens a monstrous threat in the backfield (even if he is 30 years old), while the eventual return of speedy ball-carrier Keaton Mitchell (who tore his ACL in December) will also make Jackson’s job that much easier.
There’s an obvious loss on defense with former coordinator Mike Macdonald becoming the head coach in Seattle, but his replacement, Zach Orr, was coaching the team’s inside linebackers prior to his promotion. There shouldn’t be much change in a unit that was the best in the league last season. Really, the only thing keeping the Ravens from overtaking Kansas City is the mental aspect. The Chiefs usually have found ways to overcome Baltimore in the past, which tends to get in the heads of opponents. The Ravens were the better team on paper when the 2023 regular season ended. They need to find a way to prove that on the field when it matters most.
2024 NFL win totals, AFC North: Browns could take step back, Steelers and Bengals have major QB questions
Will Bronson, CBS Sports
Baltimore Ravens
Over 11.5 (+125) / Under 11.5 (-145)
This is a massive total for a team that experienced a lot of turnover this offseason. Granted, Lamar Jackson and the skill-position guys are largely the same in their second year with Todd Monken, with one notable addition: Derrick Henry. That’s a big boy add and if Henry is still his old self it could be a dynamic boost. But attrition on the offensive line is a worry, even if the Ravens now boast an entirely homegrown unit blocking up front. They’re right about drafting and development often and if it’s the case here, the offense won’t skip a beat. But it’s fair to be concerned. Defensively there’s even more lost. Mike Macdonald is gone; Zach Orr has drawn rave reviews but it’s asking a lot for a first-year DC to replace what Macdonald did before leaving to coach the Seahawks. Patrick Queen, Geno Stone and Jadeveon Clowney also left in free agency. They actually underperformed their point differential from last year and had a losing record in one-score games. I wouldn’t bank on massive regression, not with this coaching staff and a two-time MVP. There are just too many question marks to take the over for the highest preseason win total in football in May.
Lean: Over 11.5 (+125)