Ethan Burke's strong defensive debut could force Ravens to rethink his role

In the Baltimore Ravens’ Week 4 matchup with the Tennessee Titans, undrafted rookie pass rusher Ethan Burke had his first real opportunity to make an impact. He didn’t waste it. Burke played his first 16 defensive snaps in his NFL career and finished the day with a sack.

Impact made.

Burke needed this. He fought his way onto the 53-man roster after cementing himself as a preseason hero. After being a special teams-only guy for the first three games, the Trey Hendrickson injury opened the door for defensive reps. He showed what the Ravens were missing out on, notching the team’s only sack in Sunday’s win.

For a group that has struggled getting sacks, Burke’s immediate production might be a sign he deserves more action. It’s a competitive outside linebacker group, but Jesse Minter shouldn’t have any issue getting him involved.

Baltimore Ravens need to open the door for Ethan Burke on defense

Once Trey Hendrickson returns, it might be right back to square one for Ethan Burke. And Hendrickson is expected to return soon — the finger procedure is expected to be a quick fix to get the star pass rusher to full health and back onto the field. However, Burke may have done enough to leave a lasting memory on Baltimore’s coaching staff.

Between Hendrickson, Mike Green, Tavius Robinson, and Zion Young, there won’t be a ton of chances for Burke. Each of those four guys ahead of him on the depth chart deserves more reps. Hendrickson is elite, Green looked outstanding in Week 4, and Robinson and Young are versatile pieces who do more than enough against the run.

The production just hasn’t been there, though. Someone needs to start running up the sack numbers.

The Ravens are quickly falling behind the 8-ball in that category. While the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions have taken off with 16 and 15 sacks respectively, Baltimore sits with an underwhelming 7 sacks through four contests. That ranks tied for 21st in the NFL.

Now, it’s not entirely a defensive line problem. The unit actually did well in Week 4 even without Hendrickson.

Throw Hendrickson and his 14 pressures back into the mix, and the Ravens shouldn’t really have many problems pressuring quarterbacks. This issue has been bringing them down and locking opposing quarterbacks in the pocket.

Against the Titans, Cam Ward had several scramble drills where he narrowly avoided sacks, and sometimes even turned broken plays into splash plays. The most notable was on a 4th-and-10 play where Ward evaded a collapsing pocket and found Carnell Tate for a 33-yard completion.

If those plays happen against Cam Ward, quarterbacks like Josh Allen and Joe Burrow will have a field day.

Burke’s 6-foot-6 frame and 83-inch reach could help develop an answer to that problem. Obviously, that sack he had on Sunday was more about the defensive scheme and Nnamdi Madubuike clearing the way, but he was able to fire in and trip Ward up before he had time to use his legs.

Of course, Burke is only an undrafted rookie. You can’t expect him to step into a rotational spot and consistently produce. You can’t deny he was impressive in Week 4, though.

Hopefully the Ravens continue to give him more opportunities to see the field on defense. Because every time has, he’s been a playmaker.

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