Ravens defensive line will generate more pass rush
The Baltimore Ravens must have their defensive linemen get into the mix when it comes to rushing the passer:
On the surface, it looks like the Ravens are gearing their defensive line to be a dominant run stuffing unit. They re-signed Brandon Williams, who is essentially the highest paid space eater in football. The Ravens added pass rush help for the second level of their defense with Tyus Bowser and Tim Williams.
Baltimore is covered from a pass rushing standpoint at the outside linebacker position, but the defensive line will push the pocket back too. Baltimore is really setting up their defensive line to go get the quarterback.
Yes, the Ravens traded away Timmy Jernigan but the defensive line got an upgrade at defensive end. Jernigan had the talent to be a sack machine and he had just five sacks in 2016. Adding Chris Wormley will easily replace Jernigan’s production. Adding a healthy Bronson Kaufusi gives Baltimore two defensive ends with pass rushing skills.
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At Michigan, Chris Wormley was a player whose production increased every year. Wormley had two monster seasons to bring his collegiate career to an end. In 2015 he had 14.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. In 2016, he had 7.5 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks.
Wormley is one of those defensive ends who would be a fit in either a 4-3 or a 3-4 defense. His main objective with the Ravens is to play gap sound run defense, but he’ll be expected to chase the passer.
When you look at what he did at BYU, Bronson Kaufusi’s potential stands out. He had 25.5 sacks in four years with the Cougars. That’s why Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta drafted him. They saw this lengthy defensive end with awesome burst and high-end production as a must have player. If Kaufusi didn’t get hurt last year, he would have been a rookie starter. When he gets it going it’s going to be fun.
The bottom line:
Baltimore lost Lawrence Guy but to use a cheesy line, he was just a guy. Don’t get me wrong, Guy was a solid player but he wasn’t making plays in the backfield on a regular basis. Ozzie Newsome opted to part ways with Jernigan’s inconsistency. Mark my words, the Ravens have two young defensive linemen who will help increase the teams’ sack numbers. Don’t forget Michael Peirce is a beast too.
Next: Baltimore Ravens: 5 bold predictions for 2017
The purple and black added outside linebackers. Terrell Suggs looks ready to have another amazing season. The Ravens have young defensive linemen that are about to break out and you cannot double team everybody. The pass rush will be better in 2017. It’s not just because they added linebackers. The defensive line will do more to rush the passer this season.