State of the Baltimore Ravens: Can Lamar Jackson and Co. avenge last season’s playoff power outage?
Adam Rank, NFL.com
Most important non-QB
Shortly after placing the franchise tag on Madubuike, the Ravens signed him to a four-year, $98 million extension. Madubuike not only led the Ravens with 13 sacks last season but finished tops among all defensive tackles in that category. He also recorded 33 quarterback hits. Just a beastly season of top-tier game-wrecking. Now, I don’t want to be negative here, but that deal is pretty pricey for a guy fresh off his breakout campaign. It’s risky. Madubuike, whose best season prior to 2023 was the 5.5-sack effort in 2022, needs to keep up that domination. All that said, this is the Ravens, and they know what they are doing. So I’m good with it.
For 2024 to be a success, the Ravens MUST:
My answer: A) Win the Super Bowl. There really is no other box to check. The Ravens were so impressive in the 2023 regular season because they basically outclassed all of the good teams that were in their way. It wasn’t like some of those squads that fatten up on the sub-.500 set and then try to squeak out wins against contenders. The Ravens obliterated powerhouses like the Lions and 49ers. They dropped 56 points on the Dolphins. They rolled. But once again, everything soured with a postseason defeat — this time at home against the Chiefs. Baltimore has to win the Super Bowl, or this season can’t be considered a success. Most Ravens fans will agree. The Orioles have a little bit of wiggle room, but not the Ravens. It’s all or nothing.
50 Words or Less: The Old-School Ravens Defense Is Back. Just Ask Travis Kelce.
Ryan Mink, BaltimoreRavens.com
On “Bussin’ With The Boys,” Travis Kelce talked about the thrill of winning on the road in the playoffs – especially at M&T Bank Stadium. “They are the bully. That was a [freaking] physical team. No. 1 defense in the league. They have the old-school Ravens [mentality] we grew up on.”
With the way Baltimore builds a team, as long as you have a healthy Lamar Jackson, you’re going to be in the playoffs. He’s that good. The Ravens still have great depth because of how well they draft and develop, but star power is real.
The Ravens’ offensive line is going to make or break this season. The defense under Zach Orr isn’t going to change much. But right now, there are still a lot of question marks on that line, and if Jackson isn’t protected, it can short-circuit their offensive plans.
Zay Flowers needs more big plays in Year 2 if the Ravens are going to open up the offense. Flowers’ 858 receiving yards ranked 39th in the NFL last season, but his 11.1 yards per catch was tied for 68th. He has the speed and shiftiness to do it.
Ranking the top wide receivers by open-target rate from 2023
Lauren Gray, PFF
5. ZAY FLOWERS, BALTIMORE RAVENS
Total Targets 116
Open Targets 104
Open-Target Rate 89.7%
Zay Flowers led the Ravens’ receiving group in touches (96) and generated a 111.7 passer rating when targeted. The rookie wideout was the only Raven to record a 1,000-yard season. He moved the chains 48 times and tied for a team-high six touchdown catches. Flowers also led the team with 444 yards after the catch, forced 25 missed tackles and had 14 plays of 20-plus yards.
7. NELSON AGHOLOR, BALTIMORE RAVENS
Total Targets 52
Open Targets 45
Open-Target Rate 86.5%
The second Raven to appear on this list, Agholor generated a career-best 121.6 passer rating when targeted in 2023. He was targeted at a 17.9% clip and caught 38 passes for 432 yards. He hauled in five touchdown passes, produced 4.5 yards after the catch on average and recorded 1.10 yards per route run.
Ranking top 20 tight ends for 2024 NFL season: George Kittle takes top spot over Travis Kelce
Jared Dubin, CBS Sports
19. Isaiah Likely, Ravens
Spoiler alert: The Ravens will be the only team with two players on this list. And Likely would [sorry] likely be a lot higher on it if he were on another team and thus had a larger role. During the stretch run of the season without Mark Andrews, Likely posted 19 catches for 291 yards and four scores in the five games that Lamar Jackson also played. He’s a high-level pass-catcher who happens to be in a part-time role.
3. Mark Andrews, Ravens
Andrews remains incredibly talented and incredibly underrated. He’s exceeded 50 receiving yards per game in 5 striaght seasons, averaged 11.6 yards per catch or more in each of them, found the end zone 37 times during that span, and done it all while playing in a two- or three-tight end rotation and missing several games due to injuries. (Not to mention his quarterback missing time as well.) He’s an elite pass-catcher whenever he’s on the field, and he’s Lamar Jackson’s go-to guy. Total stud.
Ravens Sign Veteran WR
Jon Alfano, Sports Illustrated
Kirkwood is set to enter his seventh NFL season, but has yet to really break through. The 29-year-old has just 24 receptions for 294 yards and three touchdowns throughout his career.
The New Jersey native began his career with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2018, joined the Carolina Panthers in 2020 then returned to the Saints’ practice squad in 2022. As such, him joining the Ravens marks his first time outside the NFC South.
While Kirkwood has struggled to catch on in the NFL, he does have good size at 6-3 and 215 pounds. The Temple product also suited up for a career-high 13 games last season. At worst, he’s a nice bit of extra depth for the Ravens throughout the offseason.