The Baltimore Ravens’ defense is going to look entirely different in 2026. They made it known they were going to bring back the Baltimore defense of old when they hired Jesse Minter, and their acquisitions have made it clear they’re going to look to do damage on that side of the football. Real damage.
That starts with an elite defensive line. The team signed Trey Hendrickson this offseason to heal their pass rush woes, but they aren’t done. With their No. 45 pick on Friday night, they selected an edge rusher. Zion Young, welcome to Charm City.
With that pick, Minter has a fearsome group of four chess pieces to play with. Hendrickson, Young, Mike Green, and Tavius Robinson all shine in different ways, and with Minter calling the plays, they may look like one of the more terrifying defensive fronts in football.
Baltimore Ravens load Jesse Minter’s defensive front with another talented piece in Zion Young
It’s incredibly refreshing to see this offseason turnaround. The Ravens had just 30 sacks last year, and while Young may not help a ton in that department, at least not yet, he’s an elite run defender off the edge. What makes it better is that he will help everyone feast if he reaches his full potential.
Picture this, Baltimore fans. You have Hendrickson giving you double-digit sacks off one side, Green developing well in year two, Young taking control on rushing downs while turning in enough production as a pass rusher, and Robinson just being a solid all-around contributor. Looking at where they were at last year, it’s a major reload in talent.
Sure, Hendrickson and Green both can struggle against the run. However, that’s what Young is here for. Sure, he’s just a rookie, but that influx of talent on the unit, specifically against the run, can let the starting duo focus on bringing the quarterback down in the backfield. Young will gladly do the dirty work. I mean, he had a jaw-dropping 16.5 tackles for loss with Missouri in 2025.
And as if all that talent isn’t enough, you have Jesse Minter scheming up plays and leading the defense. We saw the type of damage that Minter did as defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers over the last two years. His defenses ranked in the top-10 in sacks in both of those seasons.
That’ll undoubtedly translate to Baltimore, and on paper, it looks like the Ravens have even more talent in the pass rush department than the Chargers did in the Minter years. Hopefully, we see an unreal tone switch where Baltimore goes from one of the worst to one of the best in terms of sacks.
Add us as a preferred source on Google