The Baltimore Ravens invested in their defense. In theory the defense is set for the next few seasons give or take a couple of spots. The Cleveland Browns just got more offense. The Pittsburgh Steelers already had a lot of offense. Building the defense may not have been a bad idea:
The Baltimore Ravens have ignored their offense, but that’s not the talking point today. We know that. That’s why we expect this offseason to be the time of the offense. The story today is that the Ravens defensive focus could end up paying off in 2018.
The Browns just got a lot better on offense. Jarvis Landry and Josh Gordon now have a competent quarterback (Tyrod Taylor) in Cleveland no matter who the Browns take with their two first round picks. Think about how many elite players the Ravens have to see twice a year in the AFC North. They have to contend with Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, Ben Roethlisberger, A.J. Green, Landry and Gordon. If the Ravens hadn’t locked up most of their defense and provided some young talent they would be in a world of hurt.
Newsome wanted to stay in a win now mindset but he couldn’t fix everything. The talent in the division may have dictated that the defense came first. The good news is that the job of constructing a solid defense is already mostly done. If the Ravens spend this offseason fixing their offense like they fixed their defense last offseason, the Ravens could have a really strong roster in September.
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The plan may grow more fruitful with some player development
A lot of the Ravens defensive focus came in the 2017 NFL Draft. They took Marlon Humphrey, Tyus Bowser, Tim Williams, Chris Wormley and Chuck Clark all in the same draft. The Ravens were hoping to get a better rotation at the outside linebacker position to keep Terrell Suggs fresh for the whole season.
This plan may work out better in 2018, with Suggs being a year older. Not only is necessity the father of the timely fix, but both Bowser and Williams will have a full season under their belt. If Bowser and Williams can get three to five sacks each, just imagine how deadly the Ravens pass rush will be. Terrell Suggs is coming off a great season. Matt Judon is blossoming into a star; there is no doubting that he can get the job done. When the next season comes around, Judon could show even more progress. Judon has the potential to become one of the best in the entire NFL.
Willie Henry looked like a brand new player in his second season. That progression could continue in the next season. If Chris Wormley can start to deliver, the defensive line may end up being surprisingly good. We’re playing with some if’s and could be’s, and that is not lost on me. However the youthful defensive front could be a sight to see, especially with a healthy Brent Urban coming back.
Focusing on the offense is now a lot easier:
Marlon Humphrey looks poised to be something special. Tavon Young showed a lot of promise in 2016 and he will be a welcomed addition in 2016. Maurice Cannady proved that he can play and by the way, Jimmy Smith is elite when he’s on the field. Now Dean Pees is gone, so the Ravens defense may actually become aggressive with all this talent.
The Ravens defense is set. All the Ravens have to do is focus on the offense. When the Ravens roster is examined the weaknesses are not hard to find. They need a bunch of targets for their passing game. The Ravens missed out on Jarvis Landry, that just means they have to go to the next man on the list. The fact that Jarvis Landry is now paired up with Josh Gordon, in Cleveland is a little concerning, however this makes the Ravens investment in Humphrey look so much more worth it.
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The Ravens built their defense. It’s good enough to win with. They just have to build a competent offense to be a winner. The Ravens went all defense last offseason. This year they can go all offense and they will have a balanced roster. Will they do it? We’ll see. The fact that they can accomplish it is enough to merit a little optimism. The Ravens built their defense up last year but it could really start to pay off now.