The Baltimore Ravens 2023 defense was intimidating and caused pressure, turnovers and made offenses uncomfortable. However, Bleacher Report predicts that the Ravens’ defense will not be among the top 5 units in the upcoming season.
The BR NFL Scouting Department ranked every NFL defense following the draft and placed the Ravens as the 6th best defense heading into the season.
The criteria BR used is, “Using last year’s performance as a baseline and considering coaching changes, incoming and outgoing talent we’ve ranked all 32 of the league’s defenses.”
BR wrote, “Todd Monken got a lot of credit for opening up the Ravens offense, but they reached the AFC Championship Game because of a great defense.”
Based on that statement why would BR believe they will not be a top unit again? Well BR explained, “They are losing a substantial amount of coaching and playing talent.”
The Ravens had a large number of free agents heading into the season. Despite this, BR wrote, “There are several main characters sticking around to create a formidable unit.”
The Ravens still have star LB Roquan Smith, who BR writes, “Roquan Smith remains one of the few highly impactful off-ball linebackers in the league.” Smith is the leader on this defense and will look to continue the 2023 success.
BR points out, “He [Smith] leads a front seven that was able to retain Justin Madubuike who had a breakout season with 13 sacks.” Madubuike was one of the biggest bright spots on the 2023 team as he became a game changer for Baltimore and secured a massive payday.
“His versatility and ability to pressure the quarterback on the inside will make life easier for everyone up front and a remodeled coaching staff,” BR wrote.
Ravens’ Defense Lost Key Players in Free Agency
According to Pro Football Reference, the Ravens were the top-ranked defense in points allowed and 6th in yards allowed.
However, the Ravens did lose some crucial defenders that played important roles during the 2023 season. BR wrote, “Jadeveon Clowney was second on the team in sacks last season and will be gone.”
Clowney only trailed Madubuike in terms of sacks and was a key reason that the Ravens led the NFL with 60.0 sacks. The veteran joined his hometown Carolina Panthers, although the Ravens did do their best to bring back the pass-rusher.
The Ravens also lost the other half of their dynamic duo at the linebacking position to a division rival the Pittsburgh Steelers. “Patrick Queen was a perfect running mate for Smith,” BR explained, but now he will be roaming the field in the black and yellow instead.
The Ravens also took a major hit in their secondary with key losses at both CB and safety. BR wrote, “Ronald Darby and Geno Stone were crucial contributors in the secondary.”
Both Darby and Stone stepped up to play significant roles with injuries to veterans Marcus Williams and Marlon Humphrey. However, the Ravens hope to have offset these losses with the drafting of CB Nate Wiggins with their first-round pick.
Coaching Carousel Hits Ravens’ Defense Hard
It was not just the players that flocked away from Baltimore as the coaching staff suffered an exodus as well. BR wrote, “Ask Philadelphia Eagles fans understand the impact of frequent changes in coaching staff.
The Ravens must find replacements for important members of their defensive staff who left. According to Bleacher Report, Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald became a head coach, defensive line coach Anthony Weaver and defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson both got defensive coordinator jobs.
Macdonald became a head coach for the Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks, while Weaver joined the Miami Dolphins and Wilson joined the Tennessee Titans.
The Ravens chose 31-year-old Zach Orr as their new defensive coordinator. He will need to make a strong impression right away.
Orr will have a lot of talented players to work with, but he needs to quickly adjust to a team with high expectations for winning championships.
