Ravens have a budding solution to Tavius Robinson void in Ethan Burke

Tavius Robinson is one of those players who does everything. When the Baltimore Ravens learned he’d be out for the year with a pectoral injury, they knew it’d be a difficult void to fill. Luckily, they have hope — Ethan Burke is showing real promise.

Usually you can’t ask an undrafted rookie to fill a starting spot in a pinch. Burke feels different, though. He blossomed in the preseason, and in limited reps, he’s stayed in tune in the regular season.

In Baltimore’s first game without Robinson in Week 7, Burke was their best defender, per Pro Football Focus. He finished with a 78.5 overall grade, totaling 1 pressure and 2 stops.

It was only 17 defensive snaps, but Burke proved he can hang with the big dogs. More snaps need to come in Week 8.

Baltimore Ravens should let Ethan Burke take on a larger role moving forward

In a perfect world, the Ravens see Zion Young take strides and emerge as Tavius Robinson’s replacement. That doesn’t seem to be the case right now. The second-round rookie’s run defense has been decent; unfortunately, his pass-rush play isn’t coming around yet.

Ethan Burke is proving more ready for the role.

Burke has looked effective as a pass rusher with 1 sack, 4 pressures, and 1 QB hit, and is a solid run defender. He’s registered a 67.3 PFF run-defense grade. Sure, he isn’t looking as flashy as Robinson, but he’s playing smart football.

While the defense’s performance against the Cincinnati Bengals was putrid, Burke did his job. He held his ground, trusted his eyes and instincts, and even made Joe Burrow uncomfortable.

That’s a showing worthy of more opportunities.

Much of what Burke has flashed thus far looks eerily similar to Robinson in some ways, too.

Burke can match Robinson's alignment versatility by lining up on the inside or outside shoulder of the offensive tackle. That flexibility helps Jesse Minter draw up schemes without missing a beat, even in Robinson's absence.

It’s not just where he plays the game, though. It’s how Burke plays the game. He’s doing it well.

Pass-rushing chops, run defense, gap integrity, timely plays, sure-fire tackling, toughness — all these traits that can describe Robinson can describe Burke when he’s at his best. Burke still lacks down-to-down disruptiveness, but there's undeniable optimism about his trajectory.

Against the Buffalo Bills, Burke should see more snaps. He may be held to a limited role for most of the year — he’s an undrafted rookie after all. However, with the way he’s playing, he deserves more of a purpose on defense.

The 23-year-old is playing like someone you can trust. His discipline is admirable. And as Josh Allen looms on Baltimore’s schedule, the defensive line must be as disciplined as possible. If you’re out of position or miss a tackle, Allen will expose it in a big way. Ravens fans know that too well.

I’m not asking for a massive boost in reps; all I’m saying is Burke should get a bit more attention. Let him continue to prove himself.

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