Maryland’s OWINGS MILLS The offensive line for the Baltimore Ravens is beginning to gel after an essentially positive showing against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday night in the preseason opener. With just over three weeks until Baltimore travels to Kansas City to begin the regular season against the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, the other major question going into training camp still stands.
Is there enough edge pressure on the Ravens to produce a consistent pass rush and offset Jadeveon Clowney’s offseason departure?
Chuck Smith, the coach of pass rush, seemed like the ideal guy 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.”
With 60 sacks in the previous season, Baltimore topped the league. They were able to do this by utilizing a variety of players and a selfless defensive strategy that allowed several players to rush the passer. There was at least one sack in sixteen players. At the beginning of training camp, two of the players who had nine or more were not even on the squad.
Signed with the Ravens just three days before their second preseason game, Clowney finished with 9 1/2 sacks. After Week 3 of the regular season, Kyle Van Noy, who ended with a career-high nine sacks, signed a contract with Baltimore.
Kyle Van Noy returned to the Ravens on a two-year deal after having a career-best nine sacks in 2023. (Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
Due to their performance, there were rumors that the Ravens will try to bolster their edge rush unit in the preseason once more. There are not many high-quality solutions available, though. The most skilled edge rusher available is Yannick Ngakoue, but his debut season with the Ravens was not a good fit for him.
Though they are both currently dissatisfied with their contract circumstances, veterans Matthew Judon of the New England Patriots and Haason Reddick of the New York Jets have been discussed as possible trade targets. It would be difficult for general manager Eric DeCosta to trade assets for the player and sign him to a big contract extension given that he has repeatedly stressed the need for the Ravens to be frugal with their limited salary space.
The Ravens also appear committed to giving some of their young edge rushers a chance to make an impression this season. Odafe Oweh has been one of the team’s camp standouts, so they are really happy about him. Oweh, who finished the previous season with five sacks in 13 games, will be a “A-list rusher,” according to Smith, and he will gain from seeing more plays this year. Van Noy and Oweh will start together.
However, what worries me about them is their shallowness. Due to Achilles and ACL problems, 2022 second-round pick David Ojabo has only appeared in five games over his two NFL seasons, and he is still awaiting medical clearance to play. Adisa Isaac, a rookie third-round selection, has only participated in a few sessions after missing several months due to recurring hamstring problems. Though he only had one sack as a rookie and has not regularly stood out in training camp, Smith was all over Tavius Robinson, a fourth-round pick from the previous year.
Baltimore badly needs one, if not two of those guys, to emerge as weekly pass-rush threats.
“All of them are learning at different paces,” Van Noy said Monday. “Some have been injured, some have been on the field a lot. I would just say confidence is the main thing that I’ve seen. The confidence to really know their job and then the confidence of making plays and being able to feed off of one and stacking another. This next whole week we’ve seen progression, but then you’ll see it in this next game the progression of just that confidence. I really think it’s going to continue to show each and every game.”
Smith didn’t sound overly concerned either.
“My goal is to really impact quarterbacks by beating them up, simple as that,” he said. “If we beat up the quarterbacks, and his ending is not always the way he wants, then we had an impact, and the numbers will come.”
Injury updates
Star safety Kyle Hamilton was back working out on a side field with head athletic trainer Adrian Dixon the day after he suffered a left leg injury that stunned the Sunday audience at training camp and prompted expressions of worry from teammates and coaches. Hamilton did not practice, but his on-field appearance was a glaring sign that Baltimore had avoided a huge blow with its All-Pro safety.
“He’s good,” coach John Harbaugh said. “It’s kind of a minor, I’d say, a sprain, and so he got out there and moved around a little bit today, and (he’ll) just kind of progress each day a little more.”
Rashod Bateman, a wide receiver, returned to practice following a week-long absence due to what seemed to be a rib/midsection injury. Bateman only completed warm-ups, a few one-on-one and team exercises, and not much else.
“He’ll be fine,” Harbaugh said. “He’s trying to get himself out there as much as he can, and he’ll be out there soon.”
T.J. Tampa, a rookie cornerback selected in the fourth round by the Ravens, made his training camp debut on Monday after being activated off the physically unable to perform list. Tampa worked on individual exercises and warmed up before moving to a side field to run.
Ten Ravens players were not in practice: defensive backs Hamilton, Nate Wiggins (shoulder), Arthur Maulet (knee), running back Rasheen Ali (stinger), wide receiver Russell Gage (undisclosed), center Tyler Linderbaum (neck), and quarterback Chris Board (concussion) and Quincy Roche (undisclosed).
Other thoughts, observations
• Lamar Jackson’s competitive nature is widely known, and it also shows in real-world situations. Jackson chastised running back Justice Hill early in Monday’s practice for not being where he was supposed to be on a route. Later, after Nelson Agholor dropped a pass, Jackson vented his fury. The crew of the referee was also not spared. Jackson sensed security. Marcus Williams was not penalized for pass interference on Isaiah Likely, a tight end. With video evidence from the Ravens’ tablets off to the side of the field, Jackson questioned two referees after the play. Jackson achieved his goal when the referees confirmed that Williams had most likely interfered.
• Anthony Miller, a newly signed wide receiver, has played with some fire in just two workouts. He got free for a deep reception after shaking safety Daryl Worley in a one-on-one rep. Miller found Jackson for a 28-yard completion down the far sideline while the entire squad was in play. Harbaugh strode over to congratulate Miller. With cuts due by August 27, Miller, a second-round selection of the Chicago Bears in 2018 who has not played in a game since 2021, does not have much time to convince the coaching staff. There are one or two potential open receiver spots, though, and none of the rivals have stood out on a daily basis.
• During practice on Monday, a few of the young defensive backs performed admirably. A number of times, nickel corner/safety Ar’Darius Washington got his hands on the ball, one rising to intercept a deep middle pass from Jackson intended for Agholor. This summer, undrafted rookie Bump Cooper Jr. had his best practice. He excelled in one-on-one drills and then forced a couple mistakes in team exercises. After a pleasant one-on-one meeting, Jalyn Armour-Davis engaged Jackson in seven-on-seven practice. Jackson misfired, hitting Agholor with a ball that Armour-Davis caught. Not everything went well for Armour-Davis, though, as rookie tight end Qadir Ismail stiff-armed him to the ground during one play.
• Chris Collier, an undrafted rookie running back, had a rough start to the day when defensive tackle Travis Jones batted the ball out of his hands. However, Collier answered with a couple of great runs and a deep pass on a wheel route from Emory Jones.
• In an effort to relieve kicker Justin Tucker and punter Jordan Stout of some of their workload, the Ravens signed Jack Browning, a former San Diego State punter and kickoff returner, to their roster on Sunday. Browning had a few of chances to try field goals, but he missed the first two. His initial effort hooked so hard to the left that the ball went down toward the lake next to the far field instead of the kicking net behind the upright. As his new teammates applauded him, Browning made his third 45-yard field goal attempt. Jackson sprinted over to give the kicker a pat on his helmet and shoulder pads.
• Former NFL head coach and NBC sports analyst Jason Garrett spoke with Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti after practice, reminding him of how a decision both men made may have altered the future of the team. In 2008, following Bisciotti’s somewhat unexpected decision to remove Super Bowl-winning head coach Brian Billick, Baltimore was in the market for a new head coach. Garrett was initially extended an opportunity by Bisciotti to become the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. However, after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones added assistant head coach to his job, Garrett turned down Bisciotti’s offer. Rather, Harbaugh was hired, and he is getting ready for his 17th season in charge. Under Harbaugh, the Ravens have advanced to the postseason eleven times.
(Top photo of Odafe Oweh: Terrance Williams / Associated Press)
