Ravens' once-great defense facing more questions than answers
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent the last 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast."
The Baltimore Ravens are one of the NFL’s top organizations. Historically, it's been the Ravens' defense that's superior to the offense - a margin that usually wasn’t close. But after a 2015 season where Baltimore was ravaged by injury, it's a pivotal year for this proud franchise. And it's the defense where the most questions currently lie.
Gone are the days when Ray Lewis and Ed Reed dominated on the defensive side of the ball for Baltimore. But Lewis and Reed, two future Hall of Famers, weren’t the only impact guys on the Ravens’ defense over that great stretch. Looking at the defense now, Baltimore not only lacks star power but also depth - especially in the back half.
The Ravens were tied for the league low in turnovers created last year, middle of the road in sacks, and 21st and 23rd against the run and pass, respectively. Injuries played a big part in that, but they don't totally account for their problems.
Are the stars good enough?
The most well known names here are Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, and free-agent addition Eric Weddle. Suggs is rehabbing an Achilles injury and isn’t a sure thing to be ready for the start of camp. Dumervil had foot surgery and could miss the entire preseason. Weddle is new to the team and is coming off a down year for the San Diego Chargers in 2015. Oh, and those three players are a combined 96 years old.
In fact, even when everyone on the defense is healthy, it's Brandon Williams who is Baltimore’s best defensive player. Williams is the prototypical nose tackle with extreme power, girth, and leverage. He moves well for his dimensions, but such a player is limited in the impact he can make in today’s NFL, as Williams isn't a force against the pass. And while Williams is very impressive, Haloti Ngata he is not.
Two other big names on the defense are former first-round picks Jimmy Smith and C.J. Mosley. Both have a lot of ability and have had NFL success, but are also coming off down years. It's imperative for Smith and Mosley to step back up to what they are capable of in order for the defense to even be among the best dozen or so in the NFL in 2016.
Draft busts loom large
Speaking of early-round picks, going back to the 2010 draft class, you can see why the Ravens are in the defensive predicament they're in. Their first selection in 2010 was Sergio Kindle followed by Terrence Cody. In 2011, it was Smith, and in 2012 it was Courtney Upshaw. In the 2013 first round, they selected Matt Elam and Arthur Brown in the second. Mosley was their first pick in 2014 followed by Timmy Jernigan and Terrence Brooks. In reviewing those picks, it's pretty apparent Baltimore hasn't drafted well on the defensive side of the ball.
They're very much hoping that trend changes with the current draft class that includes Kamalei Correa, Bronson Kaufusi, and Tavon Young, all drafted after the Ravens used the sixth overall pick on Ronnie Stanley.
Setting expectations
So, where are the strengths and weaknesses of Baltimore’s 2016 defense?
The optimist would say the Ravens are still very strong with their edge pass-rush in Suggs and Dumervil with Correa waiting in the wings. Za’Darius Smith also did some good things while Suggs was sidelined. At defensive tackle, Williams is an obvious strength and Jernigan should develop into a solid upfield complement with some young developing depth in Carl Davis and Willie Henry to go along with Lawrence Guy, who played solidly in 2015.
The optimist would also say Mosley, Smith, and Weddle all should regain the top form they once showed, and Lardarius Webb, who's missed a lot of time with injuries over the past two seasons, should continue to transition fine to safety from cornerback.
However, the pessimist would disagree in a number of areas. How much can Suggs, Dumervil, Mosley, Smith, and Weddle be trusted to regain their once-impressive form? Is Webb really equipped for safety? Who is the other second-level player next to Smith? Are cover men like Young, Kyle Arrington, Jerraud Powers, Shareece Wright, and Will Davis ready or flat-out good enough to play a lot of snaps? Two of the cornerbacks listed are going to be on the field quite a bit along with Smith in sub-package defenses. Plus, even at his best, Smith has never proven to be a true No. 1 cornerback. And hey, as is the case with every defense, injuries are set in store.
The realist however, would take the stance that there are more questions than answers with Baltimore’s defense, which is something we just haven’t been accustomed to over the years. Fortunately, Marc Trestman’s offense looks very much like an improving unit … but that's a topic for another day.