2020 Baltimore Ravens defense looks nearly completed
Continuity is key:
Last year’s defense was a great unit; you don’t walk into the stats that we just went over by accident. When you have stalwarts like Matt Judon, Brandon Williams, Marlon Humphrey, and Earl Thomas you expect those kinds of numbers. Luckily for the Baltimore Ravens, all of those guys and others will be back for 2020.
Having a stable core of veterans and playmakers is what makes good defenses great. Thomas was the biggest addition to the defense last year, but he was joining a secondary that featured Humphrey, Jimmy Smith, Tavon Young, and ex-Raven Tony Jefferson. The secondary was looking sick in a good way before his addition thanks to the talent and depth. Thomas seemingly put that group over the top.
light. Related Story. 3 predictions based on Baltimore Ravens additions to the defense
In the front-seven, meanwhile, Judon and Williams captained a unit that also had guys like Michael Pierce and Patrick Onwuasor. The front-seven lost three major contributors (Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley, and Za’Darius Smith) in one offseason, but they still played well because of the strong leadership upfront.
2020 is different than last year for one major reason: there won’t be as many departures. There were a lot of major players from last year’s defense set to hit the Free Agency market, but so far only Pierce has moved on from Baltimore after signing with the Minnesota Vikings. Onwuasor remains a free agent as of writing this, but Smith and linebacker/safety Anthony Levine have all come back for the team. Onwuasor could still be in the cards to come back for 2020, too.
Having that strong continuity will be what keeps this Ravens defense strong throughout.