With the Baltimore Ravens struggling in the pass rush category, a player in Matthew Judon could be the answer at the position for years to come.
The Ravens have always had tenacious defensive players throughout their history, whether it is Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata. Another one of those players is Terrell Suggs. He has held down the pass rush for the Ravens for many years. Unfortunately, father time is catching up to him. Now, the Ravens must now look for an heir to the great pass rusher and it could be Matt Judon.
One of the biggest deficiencies suffered by the Ravens defense last season was the pass rush. Ranked in the bottom-half of the league in sacks, the Ravens failed to get penetration to the quarterback and left other teams with a plethora of time to throw. Coming into this offseason, one of the major needs thrown out was a pass rusher.
Looking in free agency, most of the zenith pass rushers have been taken off the market by the franchise tag. Therefore, the most logical way to find a good pass rusher, without over-paying a mediocre one, is through the draft. Fortunately, the Ravens have some promising young pass rushers, one by the name of Matthew Judon.
With Elvis Dumervil out for a lot of the year, Judon was thrusted into a significant role in the rotation. During the preseason, he showed his dexterity, recording 3.0 sacks in 4 games. During the regular season, he started out slow. Once he got going, he performed excellent, logging 4.0 sacks in 5 games (from Weeks 7-13). Elvis Dumervil then came back and took over his spot, but it was obvious that there was something there.
When asked about the pass rush situation, Coach Harbaugh and Ozzie Newsome both conveyed the same message: develop the guys you have on the roster now. Za’Darius Smith is another guy on the roster, but you can never have enough guys that can get to the quarterback. Matthew Judon has the most potential to develop into a supreme talent.
The Bottom Line:
With so many needs this offseason at several different positions, some of the positions will have to be filled with guys they already have. Last year was Judon’s rookie year. He knows how to get to the quarterback and the Ravens need him to step up.
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Terrell Suggs is only getting older, unfortunately. We all hope he can be our James Harrison and play until he is 100, but he can’t. The Ravens have to have guys to step into that position. The Ravens defense has to become feared again. Matt Judon can have a breakout year this year and help the Ravens’ defense get back to establishing dominance.