Through three games of the 2025 NFL regular season, the Baltimore Ravens have the worst defense in the league. They rank in the bottom three in both the pass and run, giving up 1,245 total yards thus far.
This story sounds awfully familiar for second-year Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr. In his first season leading the unit in 2024, they ranked dead last in many categories for the majority of the season. However, down the final stretch of that campaign, they became a top group in the NFL, ranking first in various major stats.
We are seriously UNDER reacting to the mid-season TURNAROUND by the #Ravens defense going from nearly worst to FIRST over the past 8 weeks. 😮💨😤📈 @heykayadams @Ravens | #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/DcdAW8vepL
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) January 8, 2025
Baltimore has the talent to construct another dramatic midseason turnaround, but they are missing possibly the lead catalyst from last year’s shift. Versatile safety Ar’Darius Washington took over the starting free safety job once the Ravens gave up on the Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson experiments. From that point on, the defense never looked back. Through three weeks, it is clear his impact last year was substantial.
Unfortunately, Washington will not be able to see the field until deep into the 2025 campaign. He tore his Achilles tendon in May and was placed on the PUP list ahead of the regular season. The good news, though, is that it was a clean tear, which means it should lead to a quicker healing and recovery process. Still, while he is targeting a November or December return, it would be a shock to everyone if he could suit up for a game this year.
The former TCU standout is making outstanding progress, though. Since getting surgery in mid-to-late May, Washington has begun anti-gravity treadmill runs.
Some Ravens rehab progress: Isaiah Likely (foot) continues to ramp up, this time with more lateral movement, while Ar’Darius Washington (Achilles) has advanced to anti-gravity treadmill runs.
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) September 10, 2025
🎥 via IG pic.twitter.com/UanetATp3E
Ravens' defense is back to square one without Ar’Darius Washington
Washington was expected to be relatively replaceable this year, especially with the addition of safety Malaki Starks in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. But Starks has struggled to replace the 25-year-old. Slow starts are expected from rookies, but with a rough schedule out of the gates, it could not hurt more.
The Ravens are also missing perhaps their most versatile defender in Washington. He was mostly penciled in at free safety (469 snaps) in 2024, but also played a ton of snaps at slot corner (166) and in the box (177), according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
Washington was elite in coverage, too. His 80.9 defensive grade, per PFF, was second-best among Ravens defenders, and he also registered an elite coverage grade at 86.1, which was 11th best for safeties.
Whether or not Baltimore gets Washington back this season, the problems remain up front with their pass rush. If Orr wants to find any success in 2025, improvements must start there.