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2018 Baltimore Ravens: Who will lead the team in sacks?

By Richard Bradshaw

BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 3: Quarterback Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions is sacked by outside linebacker Matt Judon #99 and outside linebacker Terrell Suggs #55 of the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on December 3, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 3: Quarterback Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions is sacked by outside linebacker Matt Judon #99 and outside linebacker Terrell Suggs #55 of the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on December 3, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CA – OCTOBER 08: EJ Manuel #3 of the Oakland Raiders is hit by Willie Henry #69 of the Baltimore Ravens during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 8, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – OCTOBER 08: EJ Manuel #3 of the Oakland Raiders is hit by Willie Henry #69 of the Baltimore Ravens during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 8, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Willie Henry:

Is Willie Henry ready to breakout in 2018? Perhaps.

Henry brings to the table a lot of the same things former Raven Timmy Jernigan did before he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Henry is the best pass rusher on the defensive line and could prove to be extremely valuable to the Ravens defense in 2018. The ability to create pressure from the trenches is huge and something Baltimore lacked in 2017. Perhaps a healthy Willie Henry can change that for this season.

Asking Henry to put up double-digit sacks and be J.J. Watt is entirely unrealistic, but he should still be able to put together a solid season with solid production. 10 sacks might be crazy, but less-than five seems too low. Hopefully Henry can exceed expectations and deliver a tremendous 2018.

High: 6.5/Low: 3.5/Prediction: 5.0

Verdict:

This Ravens defense should return to form in the sack department. While this Ravens defense doesn’t seem like it could lead the NFL in sacks, 40-45+ sacks seems within reach. What’s so nice about this, however, is that the Ravens sack production will come from across the board and not be inflated by a single contributor.

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Picking a winner is tough because of potential, but Terrell Suggs is probably going to be my bet. He’s the safe option to do so. Matt Judon shouldn’t be too far behind, but the dark-horse here is Tim Williams. Solid production fro the rest is gladly accepted, but they seem to be just a step-or-two behind the guys up top.

With a dominant secondary and a healthy defensive front-seven, the Ravens defense looks to improve one what was a solid 2017 season. Not much has changed, but there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about this year’s defense. The turnovers will be a plenty, but the pass rush is what will help to separate Baltimore from the pack.

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