Moving Tyus Bowser to inside linebacker could be worthwhile for Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens should consider moving Tyus Bowser to the inside linebacker position. Here is why:

Tyus Bowser is a great athlete but he hasn’t gotten much of an opportunity on the field. With Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith leaving this offseason, one would think that this was his golden chance to get reps at outside linebacker. He may be better suited to be an inside linebacker. Let’s break this whole thing down.

Bowser has the ability to cover and he isn’t purely a pass rusher. His best season at Houston was 8.5 sacks; he came into the league as a good pass rusher. Bowser is a player that doesn’t have to be pegged in one job. Tim Williams is purely an outside linebacker who wants to get to the quarterback. Bowser has the tools to do a bit of everything, which is why he was a second round pick.

Moving him to inside linebacker as a player who rotates in and out of the game with Kenny Young doesn’t preclude him to just inside linebacker. The Ravens could still line him up on the edge when they want to. Bowser may do better as an inside linebacker. With a 6’3″ frame and a build just shy of 250 pounds, he doesn’t have the ideal build on the outside.

This move hinges on the readiness of Jaylon Ferguson. If Ferguson is ready to make a major contribution right away, the Ravens could get away with splitting snaps between Ferguson and Tim Williams. With Matt Judon as an every down player opposite of them, this could be an intriguing situation.

The Ravens run a 3-4 defense but remember that Don Martindale likes a lot of pre-snap movement and pressure can come from left, right or right up the middle. Having an inside linebacker with the pass rushing skill set is an exciting idea. It makes the guessing game more challenging when the Ravens show pressure before the snap.

It should be noted that the move to inside linebacker didn’t exactly go well for Kamalei Correa. The Ravens risk moving Bowser out of the position that he feels comfortable in. That’s the reason not to experiment with him. That being said, the Ravens need to get some value out of this second round pick eventually. It’s a make or break season for Bowser. If this gives him more value to the team they have to go for it.

The Ravens haven’t made too many moves to the linebacker positions and both outside and inside linebacker seem to be an area of need. The Ravens probably like what they have. If they get creative with it, Bowser could be a real weapon for the defense.