Jan 3, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) is sacked by Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw (91) and Ravens outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil (58) in the fourth quarter in the 2014 AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Heinz Field. The Ravens won 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Linebacker, much like defensive line, was a position of obvious strength for the Baltimore Ravens in 2014. It projects to be much of the same in 2015, though there are some concerns heading forward.
The Ravens didn’t do much in the draft to shore up the position, even though their outstanding outside linebacker duo of Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs are heading into the twilight of their respective careers.
Not to say that the two are going to suddenly fall off a cliff this season. Last year saw a big bounceback from the dynamic duo, one that is obviously at least partially a product of strong defensive line play.
With Brandon Williams hogging up blockers in the middle, Suggs and Dumervil were free to tee off on quarterbacks all year long.
Even with Haloti Ngata in Detroit, I expect this year to be much of the same. And the Ravens figure to be even better on the inside, with C.J. Mosley continuing his rapid ascension to stardom.
With those lofty expectations in mind, let’s take a deeper look at the current state of the 2015 Baltimore Ravens roster at the linebacker position and make some early predictions.
Next: Outside Linebackers