The Baltimore Ravens are a bit of an enigma right now.
On defense, the departure of some impact defensive players in free agency and questions around the pass rush are some major red flags for Baltimore. Meanwhile, a new and unknown offensive scheme, lack of proven production at wide receiver and quarterback Lamar Jackson’s inconsistent mechanics are concerns on offense. That’s led the Ravens to be all over the place in rankings and odds this offseason. Simply put, no one really knows what to expect from this team in 2019.
However, I contend that consistency — not pure talent or elite production — is the key for Baltimore this season. If the Ravens can become more consistent in a few major areas, they’ll improve over last season and could become the best overall team in the league.
On defense, it all starts and perhaps ends with the pass rush. The losses of outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs opens up fresh concerns about the Ravens’ ability to harass quarterbacks. But remember this wasn’t exactly the team’s strongest unit last season either. The Ravens generated 26 of their 43 total sacks in just four games (Week 1, Week 5, Week 6 and Week 16). Baltimore finished the season with one or fewer sacks in nine of their 17 games.
While there’s hope the Ravens’ young players will be able to step up to fill the void left by Smith and Suggs’ departures, there are some consistency issues there as well. De facto leader of the outside linebackers, Matthew Judon, has 15 sacks over the last two seasons. But much like the rest of the pass rush, he hasn’t been terribly consistent in those numbers. Seven of Judon’s sacks come in just three games, meaning it took 29 games to get the other eight sacks.
Behind Judon are even more question marks. Tim Williams and Tyus Bowser have yet to turn into the players many expected they’d be when they were selected in the 2017 NFL draft. Baltimore brought in Shane Ray and Pernell McPhee this offseason to bolster the group, but both players have also been inconsistent in recent years due to injuries. The addition of Jaylon Ferguson in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft brings promise and potential but any draft pick is effectively an educated guess that may or may not produce immediately or ever.
The Ravens don’t need 75 sacks in a season, though that would be nice. With arguably the best and deepest secondary in the NFL right now, Baltimore simply needs their pass rush to be more consistent. If they can get after the quarterback in each and every game, especially in critical moments, they’ll do enough to put themselves in positions to win each and every game.
It’s not just the defense that needs to become more consistent in order to be a better team. The offense is perhaps the least consistent unit in the league. Last season, we saw the Ravens’ offense throw the ball effectively and run the ball effectively . . . just never at the same time. We saw them march down the field but fall apart in the red zone. Turnovers were a problem in a few games as well. However, the offense will ultimately thrive or falter due to quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Jackson is a truly unique and dangerous talent that deserves respect for what he does well. But while he’s great with his legs, it’s his arm that needs to become more consistent. We saw flashes of greatness from Jackson last season. He’d put a ball in a 1-foot window where only the intended receiver could make the catch on one play. But then follow it up with a one-hopper to a wide-open receiver just a few feet away. Jackson had a case of happy feet and inconsistent mechanics, common for mobile quarterbacks making the transition to the NFL but still something that has to improve in order to be a more balanced offense. Cue an offseason montage of Jackson working on his mechanics.
If Jackson can improve his accuracy from improving his mechanics, he’ll be well on the way to steadying the offense. If Jackson can make defenses worry about his ability to throw the ball as well as run it, Baltimore’s offense could truly be one of the most dangerous in the league. New offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s new scheme will likely use indecision from the defense to create mismatches and openings. But once again, it all depends on how Jackson develops as a passer to create that indecision and take advantage of it. Of course, the Ravens’ pass catchers have to help Jackson out by doing a better job of catching the football — a sore spot for Baltimore over the last few years.
The Ravens once again blew up their wide receiver corps this offseason. It’s the second-consecutive season Baltimore has outright released or let a majority of their starting wide receivers leave in free agency. Largely due to problems catching the football and producing on a regular basis, the Ravens have gotten a lot younger this year in order to combat the problem. But with all the speed and size Baltimore has at wide receiver now, there are still some concerns about the unit being able to secure the football and produce regularly.
While Willie Snead led the Ravens in receptions last season and is one of the few receivers to return this year, he had a few big drops. Marquise Brown had seven drops last season, leading the top wide receivers in the 2019 NFL draft, according to PFF. Tight end Hayden Hurst came into the 2018 draft well known for being sure-handed but had a few bad drops last season as well.
The drops are added to a group with very little in the way of proven production. Brown and Miles Boykin are rookies, while Jordan Lasley and Jaleel Scott weren’t active for a single game in their rookie seasons last year. In fact, only five of the 13 receivers on the Ravens’ roster have ever caught a regular-season pass before.
Injuries are another major concern for Baltimore’s pass catchers. Brown has been dealing with a Lisfranc injury that required surgery prior to the 2019 draft and has yet to truly practice for the Ravens yet. Boykin had a nagging hamstring injury throughout OTAs and Scott was on injured reserve last season. Hurst battled through a foot injury of his own last season that required a screw to be inserted. Though he’s been practicing, Snead had offseason surgery on one of his fingers — something to watch for a player catching footballs for a living.
Baltimore’s pass catchers have to do a much better job of getting separation this season to assist in Jackson’s development as a passer. But staying healthy and catching the football have been frequent problems for the unit over the years as well. Consistency in all of those areas is needed for the Ravens’ offense to be as dynamic as it can be and to help out a defense that has their own issues.
As I stated before, Baltimore doesn’t need to be the highest rated at any one thing this season. But they have to do a much better job of regularly generating production in a few spots if they want to improve. The Ravens were good last year but consistency is the hallmark of a great team. If Baltimore wants to get back to the playoffs and make a serious run at the Super Bowl, consistency — not pure talent — will be the thing that gets them there.
