ExtremeRavens Posted September 2 Posted September 2 The Ravens have been considered one of the best drafting teams in the NFL ever since they moved from Cleveland to Baltimore for the 1996 season, and it’s hard to argue against that sentiment. After all, the team’s first two selections were a pair of Pro Football Hall of Famers in offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden and middle linebacker Ray Lewis. In 2024, the Ravens will have to show if that reputation still holds. Gone are veterans such as running backs Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins and Melvin Gordon III, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., offensive linemen John Simpson, Morgan Moses and Kevin Zeitler, inside linebacker Patrick Queen and three defensive assistants, as well as Joe D’Alessandris, the team’s late offensive line coach. Even though they don’t want to admit it, the Ravens are in a modest rebuild hindered by some salary cap restrictions. They still have to sign extensions with prominent players such as safety Kyle Hamilton and center Tyler Linderbaum in the immediate future. So, the current team is like one of those “The Price is Right” shows. Hey, guards Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele, come on down. Unfortunately, both are here to stay for a while. The alternatives aren’t good, and that was clearly evident in the Ravens’ 30-7 preseason loss to the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 24. “We have a lot of really good young players; and we’re going to have more challenges, because looking out in the next couple years, starting after this season, we’re going to have some really, really good players that we can extend,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said. “It’s going to be challenging, but we’re going to try to keep as much of our young talent here in Baltimore as we can.” “We can’t do it all the time, but that’s a mission that we have,” DeCosta added. “I love that we have so many good young players, and they keep emerging, and we keep seeing these guys develop. It’s great in one way, but in the other way, it’s hard because we can’t keep every single player. But we’re going to try to keep as many guys as we can. So, I think our future is very bright.” On offense, the Ravens are thin on the line and at wide receiver. Because of a knee injury, Vorhees missed all of his rookie season a year ago and should be making his first NFL start at left guard Thursday night in the season opener against the Chiefs in Kansas City. After two preseason games, he has played like a rookie with a lack of consistency. The 6-foot-8, 380-pound Faalele has played both tackle spots over the past two seasons filling in for Ronnie Stanley and Patrick Mekari, but he faces a new challenge on the interior. There aren’t too many guards in the NFL with his size. Faalele has struggled with hand placement, knee bend and working into the second and third levels, but he has gotten better since the start of training camp. Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman has yet to prove he can be a No. 1 target, Mike Preston writes. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) The Ravens have a capable group of receivers with speedster Zay Flowers in the slot and Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely providing a double threat at tight end. Veteran receiver Nelson Agholor can line up anywhere. But the scary part is whether 2021 first-round draft pick Rashod Bateman can finally develop into a true No. 1 receiver on the outside. Will he sulk if he doesn’t get involved in the offense right away? He is the X-factor. “It’s just really an opportunity for Rashod to show what he can do consistently,” DeCosta said. “I think a big part of that is him staying on the field, playing and catching the ball. He runs great routes, he’s tough. He wants to be good. He has the talent to do it, and he needs the opportunities, and the other half of that is staying healthy.” Some of the Ravens’ recent draft classes have been successful. Flowers, a 2023 first-round pick, had 77 catches for 858 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie last season, and Likely finished with 30 receptions for 411 yards and five touchdowns in his second year while filling in for an injured Andrews. Defensively, the Ravens aren’t in much better shape. They gave up a lot of rushing yards in three preseason games, but that won’t happen with nose tackle Michael Pierce, defensive end Justin Madubuike and middle linebacker Roquan Smith back in the starting lineup. But after Smith, the Ravens have linebackers Chris Board and Malik Harrison, both of whom are limited in coverage. Second-year player Trent Simpson will join Smith on the inside and he was efficient as a tackler in the preseason, but how many did he make within 4-5 yards of the line of scrimmage? That’s a concern. Third-year defensive tackle Travis Jones played well in training camp, but not so well in preseason games. The same can be said for outside linebackers Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo, who were drafted to revitalize the pass rush. In the case of Ojabo, leg injuries have forced him to miss the past two seasons. Oweh’s situation is different because he just hasn’t played at a consistent level for someone drafted in the first round. He dominated in training camp this summer and was held out of preseason games. It’s an interesting mix that coach John Harbaugh has to bring together. The Ravens have a decent blend of high-caliber talent with quarterback Lamar Jackson, running back Derrick Henry and possibly the improved play of left tackle Ronnie Stanley. On defense, Madubuike wants to prove that his 13 sacks a year ago were no fluke, and neither were the nine contributed by outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy. As for Smith, he might be the best middle linebacker in the game, certainly the best in Baltimore since Lewis. But the recent death of D’Alessandris will slow the development of the offensive line, and the team lost assistants Anthony Weaver (Miami Dolphins) and Dennard Wilson (Tennessee Titans) to defensive coordinator positions elsewhere. Also, former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald was named the coach of the Seattle Seahawks. The Ravens have enough prime-time players to jell, but it will come down to the development of young talent, especially on the offensive line. The organization has to prove again that its reputation is legitimate. If not, this season could be a struggle. View the full article Quote
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