ExtremeRavens Posted July 26 Posted July 26 Outside linebackers coach Chuck Smith was the Ravens’ unsung hero last season. This year, Baltimore will need another strong effort from him to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Gone is the team’s top outside threat from a year ago in Jadeveon Clowney, who had 9 1/2 of the Ravens’ league-leading 60 sacks. They still have tackle Justin Madubuike, who recorded a team-leading 13 sacks in 2023, but the rest of the pass rushers — with the exception of veteran Kyle Van Noy — are unproven. Smith became the pass rushing guru last season, his first with the team. He had 58 1/2 sacks in his nine-year NFL career, eight of those with Atlanta and one with Carolina. At the NFL owners meetings in late March, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said that he expected young outside linebackers Odafe Oweh and David Oweh to have breakout seasons. That’s a stretch even with Smith, who was hired two years too late. The Ravens had only 34 sacks in 2021 and 48 in 2022. “I’d probably say the mentality of being a dominant pass rusher,” Oweh said of what he has learned from Smith. “Something that he always says is, ‘Finish the rep with a rip,’ so you know, he’s bringing that as well. Just trying to be a savant in pass rushing. He brings that to the table.” Like most teams in the NFL, the Ravens rely on a lot of pressure packages, especially off the edges with linebackers and defensive backs. But in the postseason, the best teams usually advance by winning individual matchups along the front four, which is what the Kansas City Chiefs did to the Ravens in the AFC championship game with four sacks in a 17-10 victory. New Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr is working to find the right combinations, but he believes he has the talent. “I think the production can be made by a lot of those guys, a lot of candidates in that room,” Orr said of his outside linebackers. “Obviously, you’ve got David Ojabo, and we’ve got Kyle, which helps out. ‘Daf’ [Oweh] — we expect him to have a big year. ‘T-Rob’ [Tavius Robinson], Malik Hamm … I mean, there are a lot of guys. But I don’t think the production just has to come from that room. “You mentioned Travis Jones earlier. Madubuike, Michael Pierce, ‘Broddy’ [Broderick] Washington. That whole front, the linebackers, blitzes.” Ravens outside linebacker Odafe Oweh practices shedding blockers with assistant linebackers coach Matt Robinson during training camp. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) It’s understandable why Orr is so excited. Training camp is less than a week old and coaches always praise their players, but there are more questions than answers. Oweh has been outstanding in camp, but he showed the same dominance in 2022. Then he disappeared in the second half of the season and finished with three sacks. The Ravens picked up Oweh’s fifth-year option in late April, which keeps him under contract through 2025, but this is his fourth season in the NFL. Thirteen career sacks is not enough for a former first-round pick. “He’s looked very good,” Harbaugh said of Oweh in this training camp. “I’m hoping that he has — I guess you’d call it a breakout year if you want to call it that, make those plays on the quarterback. He had a lot of pressures last year and wants to take it to the next level and go ahead and get the quarterback on the ground. “I’m sure he wants to do that, and then just continue to be an explosive player. I mean he can really move and run around and be disruptive. That’s what I’m hoping for and expecting.” The Ravens have the same wishful thinking for Ojabo, a second-round pick out of Michigan in 2022. But Ojabo was placed on injured reserve during his rookie season with a torn Achilles tendon and then again in September last year with a torn ACL. In two years, he has played in five games with only four tackles and one sack. “Breakout” might not be the right term. He needs to just get on the field consistently. “He is ready,” Oweh said of Ojabo, his former high school teammate. “He’s just waiting to show you guys all that when it’s sharpened and ready. I have complete faith in him. He’s a guy who just wants everything to be all together before he shows you. He’s going to be ready, trust me.” Ravens defensive lineman Justin Madubuike, center, tries to shield blockers during training camp. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) Oweh spent some time training with Ojabo and Madubuike in Atlanta during the offseason. They wanted to get some tips from Madubuike, especially after he signed a four-year, $98 million contract in early March. They were all ears. “Yes, I had to tap in,” Oweh said. “‘What were you doing, man? Was it something that you were eating or what you’re watching?’ It was good to see him work and have a good camaraderie with the brothers.” The Ravens still have Van Noy, an 11-year veteran at the age of 33. There were some teams in the NFL who gave up on him last season, but he played well for the Ravens. This year, Van Noy will probably draw more attention from offensive lines because Clowney is no longer on the other side, having signed with Carolina in late March. That’s even more reason why Oweh and Ojabo have to play well. The Ravens, though, have some other interesting young prospects such as the 6-6, 262-pound Robinson, a fourth-round pick last season from Mississippi. They also have Hamm, a 2023 undrafted free agent from Lafayette and City College, and Trenton Simpson, who is expected to start in place of inside linebacker Patrick Queen after he left for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Queen became a pass-rushing threat once the Ravens gave him the freedom to roam after moving him from the middle to the weak side nearly a year and a half ago. He finished with five sacks each of the past two seasons. Simpson, a third-round pick out of Clemson in 2023, has as much speed, but nowhere near the experience. “I think it’s a talented roster, so, me, honestly, I’m not really surprised in any type of way,” Orr said. “Now, once we start getting the pads on and really start getting to some real, real football, I think guys will start to maybe separate themselves, and we’ll be able to see.” Translation: Smith has to become the unsung hero again. “You guys didn’t even know that we were going to get 60 sacks last year, so it’s just kind of the same mentality,” Oweh said. “We’re just trying to hunt. We’re going to continue to hunt and continue to get better under Chuck. We still have Kyle. Kyle made a lot of great plays for us, as well. I’m very grateful for what Jadeveon brought and what he also taught me and everything, but it’s the next man up. So, we’re ready.” View the full article Quote
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