Baltimore Ravens stock report: Who’s hot, who’s not week one
By Jake Lippman
Who’s hot on defense:
Yesterday’s game showcased an impressive secondary, although without Earl Thomas, Brandon Carr, and a banged up Jimmy Smith, the secondary was lock-down allowing less than 200 passing yards and intercepting two passes. Deshon Elliott and Chuck Clark both had solid games and looked confident and prepared. Elliott flew around the field, and Clark almost made a huge play dropping an interception, but he also forced a fumble. Tavon Young looked impressive in his return guarding tight ends and slot receivers alike.
Rookie linebackers Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison made their debuts and both impressed. Queen led the team in tackles with eight and had a sack and a forced fumble on a run from Nick Chubb, stopping the Browns offense from marching down the field. Harrison had four tackles and showcased an ability to stop the run and guard the pass. Veteran L.J Fort was a solid presence and a clear leader to Queen and Harrison, he also forced a fumble on special teams when the Browns tried to run a fake punt. Thank you Cleveland Browns for running a fake punt in the first quarter!
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On the defensive front quite possibly their best defensive player of the day, was their biggest addition this offseason Calais Campbell. Campbell set the pace for the game, on the first series batting a pass that got intercepted by Marlon Humphrey. Campbell batted down two other passes, one of which was in the open field. At 6’8 he is a huge addition for the Ravens defensive front. Another big performer was Jihad Ward, last season Ward had 6 total tackles; in week one he had 6 total tackles. Ward was a huge factor for the team especially on run defense.
At 6’5 and 280 pounds Ward has the versatility to play inside and outside and was highly effective, he can also rush the passer. Rookie fifth round pick Broderick Washington Jr. surprisingly played a lot of snaps and was effective in stopping the run. He made a big run stop and looks like he could be apart of the rotation moving forward.