According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Baltimore Ravens have agreed to a deal with Michael Brockers to the tune of three years and $30 million. Here is why it’s a huge win for the Ravens.
When you look at the two major additions for the Baltimore Ravens you see the goal Eric DeCosta had. He wanted a dominant defensive line. The addition of Calais Campbell was the first major step to that goal. Michael Brockers coming to the Ravens completes that objective.
The big picture is that the Ravens have three forces to be reckoned with on the defensive line. Campbell and Brockers are your new defensive ends. Brandon Williams is your dominant nose guard. There aren’t enough double teams to go around. The Ravens are going to own the line of scrimmage.
That’s the big picture, yet we need to focus on what Brockers brings to the table himself. Brockers is a very productive defensive lineman. He was in on 63 tackles in 2019 and had three sacks. He”s a player who is going to generate pressure and he will be disruptive in the backfield. Brockers will take up blockers and allow the linebackers to rack up higher statistical totals.
To put that in perspective, Michael Pierce had 35 combined tackles and half of a sack. Chris Wormley had 33 combined tackles and 1.5 sacks while Williams totaled 34 combined tackles and one sack. Tackle numbers matter for defensive linemen. Every single tackle is a play made.
The #Ravens are giving former #Rams DT Michael Brockers a 3-year, $30M deal, source said. His versatility had several teams interested.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2020
The Ravens have the one of the most formidable 3-4 defensive line groupings in the entire NFL. Campbell is 6’8″ and 300 pounds. Brockers is 6’5″ and 305 pounds. Brandon Williams is 6’1″ and weighs in at 336 pounds. The length the purple and black now have at defensive end is a huge upgrade. That length equals more reach in run defense and it offers a hurdle for quarterbacks to account for in the passing game.
The moves to solidify the defensive line feel like a way to fix problems that Derrick Henry exploited in the Ravens short time in the playoffs. The Ravens will be able to win more battles up front with their defensive linemen.
Not only will the Ravens get more interior pass rush without the need to rely on blitzes, but they will also improve the play of their outside linebackers. It’s all connected. Outside linebackers get the attention yet 3-4 defensive ends are about the most underrated commodity in football.
Bringing in Brockers is a great way to maximize the investment made in Campbell. The Ravens now have three defensive linemen that can force double teams. The balance in talent across the defensive front means that Campbell is going to be an absolute game wrecker in 2020. The Ravens are an inside linebacker away from having a front seven that matches their awesome secondary.
The moral of the story is that the Ravens are better at stopping the run and better at getting to the quarterback. All the sudden Chris Womley, who is a decent player is just part of the rotation, rather than a starter. The amount of talent on the defensive line just went up exponentially.