Kamalei Correa Is Next Man Up At Linebacker

The Baltimore Ravens have a hole to fill at the linebacker position and Kamalei Correa can be that guy.

Out of all the things that will happen to the Baltimore Ravens this offseason, none will compare to the retirement of Zach Orr.

Losing Zach Orr is a major blow to the defense. As an undrafted free agent, he had a career season with the Ravens in 2016. He led the team in tackles and earned 2nd Team All-Pro honors. So the question is now, who will be the replacement? The Ravens could add another linebacker through the draft or through free agency, but they could also stay in house. According to Baltimore Ravens staff Garrett Downing, Kamalei Correa is an option to fill the spot.

High Expectations In 2017

Kamalei Correa did not have the rookie season he wanted in 2016.  It was originally thought that he would compete for the starting job at linebacker, but he was beat out. He played sparingly in nine games and was ultimately placed on injured reserve with a rib injury in December. The injury marked the end of a disappointing rookie campaign. But with the retirement of Orr, a new window of opportunity is now open.

Coming in 2017, there are going to be high expectations for the second round draft pick. Obviously he cannot be an exact replica of Orr but Correa has the potential to be a very good linebacker. At 6’2″ he matches up in height with fellow inside linebacker C.J. Mosley. And as we saw last season, Mosley used that height to his advantage in pass coverage. The two could be a very good pair in the middle for the upcoming season.

Can He Play Inside?

I definitely think Kamalei Correa can play on the inside, but it is going to take some time to adjust.

The Ravens play a 3-4 defense, where there are three lineman up front with four linebackers behind. The four linebackers are made of two on the inside and two on the outside. Last season, Orr and Mosley made up the inside while Suggs and Dumervil played the outside. If Correa wants to step up and be the replacement for Zach Orr, he is going to have to adjust to a different position. His normal position is at outside linebacker, which is the position the Ravens originally intended for him to play. It may seem like an easy transition to just move in to the middle, but it is not that easy.

There are major differences between the outside and inside linebacker. The outside linebacker’s primary responsibilities are to set the edge and rush the passer. As you can see, it plays to the strengths of an Dumervil or Suggs. They are more focused on getting to the quarterback and not necessarily covering the pass. The inside linebacker is focused on calling out defensive signals and communicating with the rest of the defense. They cover the middle of the field in the run and pass game. The best part this situation is that C.J. Mosley has taken on the role of the signal caller for the defense. This takes less pressure off of Correa and allows him to focus on finding the football.