Ravens believe in their edge rush options despite slow start to training camp
Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic
Do the Ravens have enough on the edge to generate a steady pass rush and make up for the offseason departure of Jadeveon Clowney?
Pass rush coach Chuck Smith seemed like the right person to ask.
“I really don’t even care what people think (being) honest with you, because at the end of the day, we’re going to go out and do our best,” Smith said following Monday’s practice. “Everybody wants to be the best pass rush in the league, but from my standpoint and the guys’, if it doesn’t happen, we’re not going to be like, ‘Aw, man.’ We’re going to get back to the drawing board and see what happens moving forward.”
The Ravens also seem determined to give a few of their young edge rushers an opportunity to break out this year. They feel very good about Odafe Oweh — he’s been one of the team’s camp standouts. Smith said Oweh, who had five sacks in 13 games last season, will be an “A-list rusher” and benefit from playing more snaps this year. Oweh will start alongside Van Noy.
But it’s the lack of depth behind them that’s a concern. David Ojabo, a 2022 second-round pick, has played just five games in two NFL seasons because of Achilles and ACL injuries — and he still hasn’t been cleared medically to play. Rookie third-round pick Adisa Isaac only has a few practices under his belt after being sidelined for a couple of months with persistent hamstring issues. Smith raved about Tavius Robinson, a fourth-round pick last year, but he only had one sack as a rookie and hasn’t stood out consistently in training camp.
Best, worst quarterback-wide receiver pairings by catchable target rate in 2023
Thomas Valentine, PFF
Highest Catchable Target Rates
5. LAMAR JACKSON AND NELSON AGHOLOR — BALTIMORE RAVENS
Agholor was brought in as a depth piece for the Ravens in the 2023 offseason and, despite starting just three games, managed to become a vital part of the offense. The former Eagles first-round pick caught 38 passes for 432 yards and five touchdowns and earned a 61.6 PFF overall grade on the season. Lamar Jackson’s improvements as a pocket passer led to his second MVP award, as well as an 83.0 PFF passing grade — the highest of his career — and his connection with Agholor helped nurture that.
The veteran receiver caught 83.0% of his catchable targets from Jackson, becoming a valuable slot option for the Ravens before signing another one-year extension with the team in the offseason.
Lowest Catchable Target Rates
5. LAMAR JACKSON AND ODELL BECKHAM JR. — BALTIMORE RAVENS
After missing the entirety of the 2022 NFL season, Odell Beckham Jr. suited up for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 and made a suitable impact, earning a 75.4 PFF overall grade — his highest since his final season with the Giants in 2018. Beckham caught 39 passes for 599 yards and three touchdowns while helping the Ravens finish as the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Despite the impact, the Jackson and Beckham connection wasn’t always on the same page. Beckham had the highest average target depth of his career (15.0 yards), and just 61.2% of his targets were catchable.
Ranking all 32 RB1s heading into 2024 NFL season: Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry top pecking order
Maurice Jones-Drew, NFL.com
Rank: 2
Baltimore Ravens · Year 9
2023 stats: 17 games | 280 att | 1,167 rush yds | 4.2 ypc | 12 rush TDs | 28 rec | 214 rec yds | 0 rec TDs | 0 fumbles lost
In each of the last five seasons, the Ravens’ leading rusher has been … a quarterback. As good as Lamar Jackson is in the run game — it’s no wonder Baltimore has fielded a top-three ground attack every season since drafting the dynamic dual-threat — Henry adds a physical, downhill element that will take the offense to the next level. The 6-foot-2, 247-pounder is one of the best backs of his generation, and the Ravens know “King Henry” can practically hit 1,000 yards in his sleep. This is the perfect spot for the 30-year-old to add to his already-illustrious career.
How Ravens’ Patrick Ricard is helping lead ‘resurgence’ of NFL fullbacks
Brian Wacker, The Baltimore Sun
What’s behind the rebirth? While defenses have gotten smaller and faster to combat offenses that have become smaller and faster with the rise of the passing game over the past two decades, fullbacks now have a chance to use their size to their advantage.
“Football is a very cyclic game,” former New England Patriots fullback James Develin said in a recent interview with Not For Long Media. “The fullback position isn’t dead … now there’s an opportunity to exploit defenses in these smaller packages and put 500 pounds in the backfield, put two tight ends on the field and run out of 22 [two tight ends, two running backs] and just smash mouth football again.”
“There’s always going to be a requirement for a guy like Pat — if you have a guy like Pat,” coach John Harbaugh said. “The questions last year were pretty much kind of debunked. He played a lot, and I think it’s going to be the same thing this year.
“He’ll be out there playing, and we’ll find a lot of great roles for him to do. The nice thing is, he can actually run routes and catch the ball, and that’s something that people kind of take for granted that he wouldn’t be able to do.”
How the Ravens Are Navigating the Unknown of the Dynamic Kickoff
Matt Ryan, BaltimoreRavens.com
“We’ve kind of had it from the start,” Brown said. “… From our original plan, we’ve kind of seen the play morph into where it is this moment. I think the play’s going to morph into something in two weeks, in two months, in two years. … We’re creating a play that’s never happened in the history of the game.”
With the Dynamic Kickoff on a one-year trial this season, moving it to the 35-yard line could happen if teams continue intentionally kicking the ball into the end zone. Brown pointed out that as kickers become more accurate on 50+ yard field goals, giving teams a free 35 yards will put them a couple of first downs away from a makeable kick, so coaches will be more inclined to put the ball in play.
“That’s not a lot of data when you’re talking about trying to figure something out,” Horton said. “… It’s still not a lot considering how many kickoffs with the old rules you can go back and watch and you’re like, ‘The angles, this is it. This is the line.’ … You don’t know. We just got to come out here and we have to keep on working on it.”