The season is approaching. The editorial staff of DNA of Sports invites you to take stock of the strengths and weaknesses of the 32 franchises. Today, the Baltimore Ravens 2023. You can find all the presentations by clicking on this link.
A new season full of ambition, a new season marred by injuries, including that of the team’s star player. So close, yet so far from the Chiefs, Bengals and Bills, who have ruled the AFC for three years. So close thanks to the talent of their quarterback, the excellence of their head coach and their sports management. So far because of a crude and simplistic passing game, light years away from modern NFL standards, and injuries, again and again. Blame it on bad luck or the worst medical staff in the league, according to the players themselvessurveyed by their union.
Perhaps the beginning of an explanation for Lamar Jackson’s reluctance to rush his return from injury at the end of last season, before feeling 100%. Perhaps a factor also explaining his desire to sign a record contract, the imbroglio which punctuated the Ravens’ offseason, but now behind the main interested parties. Jackson has his huge contract and the financial security that comes with it, Baltimore has his quarterback, saving himself a headache for the next five years.
All that remains is the terrain and the multiple changes which, on paper, no longer leave room for red herrings. If defeat is never forbidden in a league with certainties as volatile as the NFL, rising to the level of the finest flower of the conference is an imperative. And for the first time in the Jackson era, a real possibility.
Last season: 10 wins, 7 losses, eliminated in the 1st round of the playoffs
Movements in the off-season
Notable arrivals: Nelson Agholor (WR), Odell Beckham Jr. (WR), Rock Ya-Sin (CB), Sam Mustipher (C), Josh Johnson (QB), Angelo Blackson (DT), Laquon Treadwell (WR), Melvin Gordon (RB), Arthur Maulet (CB), Tyler Ott (LS), Ronald Darby (CB), Jadeveon Clowney (OLB).
Resignatures: Trayvon Mullen (CB), Nick Moore (LS), Justice Hill (RB), Geno Stone (S), Del’Shawn Phillips (LB), Kristian Welch (LB), Tarik Black (WR), Kevon Seymour (CB), Tyler Huntley (QB), Lamar Jackson (QB).
Draft: Zay Flowers (WR), Trenton Simpson (LB), Tavius Robinson (DE), Kyu Blu Kelly (CB), Malaesala Aumavae–Laulu (OT), Andrew Vorhees (G).
Notable departures: Chuck Clark (S), Calais Campbell (DE), Ben Powers (G), Josh Oliver (TE), Trystan Colon (C), Daelin Hayes (OLB), Demarcus Robinson (WR), Marcus Peters (CB) , Andy Isabella (WR), Mike Thomas (WR), Kenyan Drake (RB), Justin Houston (OLB), Vince Biegel (OLB), Kyle Fuller (CB), Ja’Wuan James (OT), Steven Means (OLB) , Jason Pierre-Paul (OLB), Sammy Watkins (WR).
To oblivion the tensions around his contractual situation, the tweet – since deleted – revealing his trade request… Lamar Jackson is indeed a Raven. Beyond its most important employee, the franchise has made a point of giving him what he has sorely lacked in recent seasons: high-level receivers. Nelson Agholor and Odell Beckham Jr. during free agency, Zay Flowers drafted. That, plus Rashod Bateman’s return from injury, and the receiving corps looks a lot different than the one in which Demarcus Robinson was a prime target.
Besides the departure of Ben Powers, the Ravens offense seems better equipped for the contests against the behemoths of the conference. As for the defense, we will have to build on the remarkable second half of the season and bet on the continuity of the system to counterbalance the fluctuations in personnel. Rock Ya-Sin, Ronald Darby and Jadeveon Clowney will surely have to take on bigger roles than initially expected.
The strong points)
Looking forward to seeing Anthony Richardson and seeing Justin Fields again at the highest level, the crown of best rushing quarterback of all time remains in the possession of Lamar Jackson. His very presence on the field alters the opposing defensive plans and the geometry of the field for his teammates. Jackson is an offensive system on his own.
When he was in uniform last season, the Ravens offense was the 4th best in the league. She was also 9th in the pass, with very basic and rightly decried concepts. With receivers apt to stand out, the excellence of Mark Andrews and, above all, the arrival of a new offensive coordinator, Todd Monken, preceded by his reputation for stealing the leather, loading the box with eight defenders could be a matter of suicide. You will have to carefully choose your poison to defend against the Ravens.
If Jackson is the alpha and omega of the Ravens’ ambitions, Roquan Smith is his defensive counterpart. Arrived in the middle of last season in Maryland, he transformed the face of the defensive squad. So that the price paid by Eric DeCosta to acquire itAnd his record contract extension are not subject to any debate today. Maybe they would have been in another team, in another defensive system. Not in Baltimore, not in defense of Mike Macdonald, where Patrick Queen has suddenly transformed into a functional and successful NFL player. Rookie Trenton Simpson and quasi-rookie David Ojabo will just have to follow the guide to make the group of linebackers the jewel of the Ravens defense.
The weak spots)
The other side of front seven of the Ravens is, conversely, a big question mark. The only player with above-average pressure rating in 2022 was Justin Houston, who will play for the Panthers this season. Who will be the No. 1 pass rusher for this defence? Newly signed Jadeveon Clowney is more of a pocket crusher who shines against the run than a straight-up quarterback chaser. In the absence of an obvious answer, the solution will likely be a collegial effort orchestrated by Mike Macdonald.
Especially since behind, the backfield, a huge point of satisfaction last year, is unstable even before the start of the season. It is already recorded that Marlon Humphrey will miss the first games after his foot operation. Rock Ya-Sin, injured in the knee, and Arthur Maulet, in the hamstring, have just returned to training. As for the veteran Ronald Darby, recruited to fill in the absences, he is coming back from a rupture of the cruciate ligaments of the knee.
We are not far from the confidence released by the quintet Chuck Clark-Marcus Williams-Kyle Hamilton-Marlon Humphrey-Marcus Peters in 2022. Hamilton, who was supposed to find his natural position as safety, could thus start the season at the post of nickel corner. , leaving Geno Stone to give the reply to Marcus Williams. John Harbaugh and Mike Macdonald still have a week to find the winning combination.
The X factor: the couple Todd Monken-Lamar Jackson
In three decades of coaching, Todd Monken has built a reputation as an artificer. Everywhere he went, his attacks produced yards through the air and touchdowns, with innovative concepts year after year. His successful stint at the University of Georgia perfected his philosophy with the incorporation of quarterback runs, as he would appeal to Lamar Jackson.
This philosophy, much more evolved and adapted to modern football than that of his predecessor, Greg Roman, is supposed to unlock a whole new level of the game of Jackson and, a fortiori, that of the Ravens. Last season, under Roman, Baltimore played 11-man (1 running back, 1 tight end, 3 receivers) on 11.6% of his plays, when the league average was 61%… Almost another sport.
With the rest of John Harbaugh’s coaching staff unchanged, the hope is that Todd Monken will add his aerial skill to the Ravens’ ground game, which remains a benchmark. The challenge will be to seamlessly mix the runs of Lamar Jackson with more contemporary passing concepts, in the manner of the Eagles and Jalen Hurts.
If and only if mayonnaise takes between the quarterback and his new offensive coordinator. Lamar Jackson may have reached a glass ceiling at the pass that will prevent him from joining the elite of the elite of his position. The signs at our disposal – his MVP season, his success in personnel 11 despite the reduced sample, his last two seasons without a receiver worthy of the name – suggest that he has room for improvement. But failure remains a possibility.
Player to watch: Zay Flowers
The pocket-sized rookie is one of those players who transcends their size and weight. Ball in hand, it is simply electric. He will not be asked to be the No. 1 receiver, but he could well become one in spite of himself. Odell Beckham Jr. hasn’t played in the NFL since February 2022 and, despite a relative revival in Los Angeles, his days as a superstar wide receiver thwarting double-deals seem to be over. As for Rashod Bateman, he has yet to prove his body can last an entire NFL season.
In an offense that will feature one of the best tight ends in the league and one of the most threatening ground games, 1-on-1 opportunities should be aplenty for Zay Flowers. ACC defenders who have experienced him will tell you he is a nightmare to contain.
2023 Baltimore Ravens Schedule
Texans, @Bengals, Colts, @Browns, @Steelers, @Titans (London), Lions, @Cardinals, Seahawks, Browns, Bengals, @Chargers, Bye, Rams, @Jaguars, @49ers, Dolphins, Steelers.
The audio preview of the podcast
In summary
Since the MVP season of Lamar Jackson, the Ravens have failed to repeat similar success in the regular season and have only a small victory in the playoffs in their pocket. For Jackson, John Harbaugh and the franchise as a whole, there have always been legitimate excuses for their lack of continued success.
Few, very few quarterbacks would have done better with Greg Roman as offensive coordinator, such a weak receiving corps, a carousel of injured running backs and a still incomplete offensive line. Few, very few coaches would have won 53 matches in five seasons under such circumstances.
But at the dawn of the 2023 season, the time for excuses seems over. Nelson Agholor, who would have been undoubtedly the Ravens’ No. 1 receiver in 2022, is now fourth in the hierarchy, a sign of the squad’s strengthening. Ronnie Stanley is finally healthy to start the year. Greg Roman has made way for one of the brightest offensive minds in the game’s recent history, whether in the NFL or at the college level. If the defense gets any closer to the highs it reached late last season, many of the lingering questions around the franchise’s key figures will be answered in 17 games.
