Ebony Bird
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Baltimore Ravens Q&A Potential surprise roster cuts and more

By Chris Schisler

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 25: Wide Receiver Chris Moore #10 of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball in the first quarter against the Oakland Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 25: Wide Receiver Chris Moore #10 of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball in the first quarter against the Oakland Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images) /
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ORCHARD PARK, NY – DECEMBER 8: Ronnie Stanley #79 of the Baltimore Ravens looks to make a block for Mark Ingram #21 as he runs the ball during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on December 8, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. Baltimore beats Buffalo 24 to 17. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY – DECEMBER 8: Ronnie Stanley #79 of the Baltimore Ravens looks to make a block for Mark Ingram #21 as he runs the ball during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on December 8, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. Baltimore beats Buffalo 24 to 17. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images) /

The next questions:

@briski715 asks: If you can only afford to keep one as contracts expire who are you keeping, Stanley or Humphrey?

Answer: This is a hard one. I’m going to have to go with Ronnie Stanley. The one year the Ravens had a top 10 draft pick they got their franchise left tackle. Being bad is the most likely way to land a player of Stanley’s caliber at the left tackle position. With the trajectory the Ravens have taken and the fact that John Harbaugh has had only one losing season, a top 10 pick isn’t coming anytime soon. It’s hard to find a Marlon Humphrey caliber cornerback. It’s still much more difficult to find a left tackle like Stanley. Worrying about the left tackle position is something that the purple and black really should avoid.

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A post Humphrey Ravens team would still have Marcus Peters and Tavon Young. Last season Peters was able re-establish himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Young is a very good nickel cornerback. Neither match Humphrey’s ability to be a shutdown player, however they give the secondary a lot of skill.

Eric DeCosta inked Peters to a contract that keeps him in Baltimore through the 2022 season. Young’s contract also expires at the end of the 2022 season. That’s enough talent at the cornerback position to get by. It’s also doubtful that DeCosta will go through many years without shuffling new talent into the secondary. Losing a player like Humphrey wouldn’t be ideal, yet it could be survivable with the right plan.

Losing Stanley would be horrible. The Ravens can’t move Orlando Brown Jr. to the left side. Brown Jr. will probably be a right tackle for his entire career. The left tackle position is one of the most important positions on the entire football field. I have a hard time imagining the Ravens letting either player go. They are both elite players who are very important members of the team. While they are equals in terms of talent, Stanley is the player you just can’t let get away.

@parham_russ asks: My biggest question is actually the coaching staff. I’m curious to see if this offense will have more of a quick-strike element to it when they’re in a situation of a shootout. Will Ravens blitz more than 50%

Answer: The Ravens may add more of a quick strike element but they should stay true to their identity. The Ravens want to run the football well and eat up a lot of the game clock with their offense on the field. More big plays will make things easier and the amount of speed the Ravens have should lead to more big plays. The long drives that the Ravens had last year were able to ice the opposing offense and completely tire out the opposing defense. The Ravens still want to have 12-14 play drives that take up over half of a quarter. The goal shouldn’t be to stop doing this, but to rely on this kind of drive less.

Much of the offseason was about the need to be less reliant on the blitz. They added interior pass rush with Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe. They also drafted Justin Madubuike, which should help them the same way. Don Martindale is an aggressive defensive coordinator who likes to play mind games with the opponent. Will the Ravens blitz a lot? In comparison to other teams the answer is probably a yes. Will the Ravens blitz over 50 percent of the time? Nope. They won’t have to.

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