Division Rivals Will Test Baltimore Ravens New Defense

Big Ben And Andy Dalton Will See If the Baltimore Ravens Secondary Is Fixed…

The Baltimore Ravens have struggled in pass defense for a few seasons now. The Ravens made a commitment to the secondary this off-season. First they re-signed Shareece Wright. Next they added a veteran stud at the safety position in Eric Weddle. Drafting Tavon Young and signing Jerraud Powers should help as well.

The Ravens have clearly added to their secondary this off-season but it will be tested by their division rivals. The Pittsburgh Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown leading one of the best passing attacks in football. The Cincinnati Bengals still have A.J. Green and the big tight end, Tyler Eifert.

Taking care of business in your division makes or breaks the season. The Ravens have their customary two games with each of their division rivals. This means two games against A.J. Green and two games against Antonio Brown. The Ravens have two games against the Cleveland Browns, but that shouldn’t be a problem.

Shareece Wright is the key to success in 2016. Wright was added to the mix in the middle of last season. While things started awfully for Wright, he played really well towards the end of the season. If Wright continues to click going forward the Ravens have a pretty solid secondary.

In this scenario, Smith and Wright are your corners on the outside. Jerraud Powers takes the nickel spot. Eric Weddle’s range, football IQ and leadership will solve a ton of problems for the Ravens secondary. All the Ravens would need is competent play from Ladarius Webb, Terrence Brooks or Kendrick Lewis and the secondary is complete.

If Wright struggles the secondary will be in trouble. In this scenario the Ravens will have to lean on Weddle to be a dynamic game changer. If the cornerback position is a problem, the pass rush will have to be immaculate.

In a perfect world the Ravens would have taken the concerns completely away from the secondary. In reality Ozzie Newsome and company did their best and prepared themselves with pass rush to compensate, just in case.

Next: Baltimore Ravens: Consistency At Top Is Key

The secondary will be tested early and often next season. It must be especially sharp against the Ravens AFC North foes.