Ravens: 3 biggest weaknesses on the team’s roster

3. The Ravens pass rush is still a weakness

If you’ve been keeping up with Ravens’ news even a little bit, you probably already know this one.

Matt Judon left for New England, Yannick Ngakoue for Las Vegas, and now the Ravens have…very few dependable pass-rushers.

Baltimore’s two projected starters, Tyus Bowser and Pernell McPhee, have struggled to record consistent pressures in past seasons. As much as the Ravens love a good blitz, if Baltimore wants to be an elite team they will need to up their edge-rushing game.

The Ravens’ outside linebacker class has potential, just not proven potential. Younger talent like Bowser and even the rookies will be expected to step up, but the fact that Baltimore desperately needs these players to perform might be putting too much pressure on them too soon.

Bowser has been waiting in the wings for this opportunity since 2019, when he started to accumulate decent numbers — five sacks, three tackles for loss, and 10 quarterback hits.

Last year, he recorded similar stats while also being heavily relied upon in coverage. Bowser could just be the Ravens’ best-kept secret heading into the 2021 season, but only time will tell.

Rookies Odafe Oweh and Daelin Hayes still need time to develop because they are, well, rookies. Drafting Hayes was one of the more emotional storylines for the franchise since the Ravens had always been Hayes’ childhood favorite team, but Baltimore will need more than just devoted love and loyalty from the rookie.

Both Oweh and Hayes performed respectably on their college teams, but expecting the two rookies to make an immediate impact at one of the toughest positions in the sport seems absurd.

So, the gaping hole remains. Keep an eye on Ravens’ edge rushers to see who, if anybody, can fill it.