Believe it or not, we're just a week away from the start of the 2023 NFL regular season and from watching our beloved Baltimore Ravens play real football again since they last did so last January. Time flies, Flock.
Although the main storylines coming out of the Ravens realm this offseason had to do with the offensive side of the ball, that doesn't mean the defense doesn't deserves some comments and discussion.
In fact, the D of Baltimore might be the deciding factor of the upcoming season and the unit moving the needle toward Super Bowl contention.
After the Ravens named their initial 53-man roster and applied some final touches to it through the week leading up to the regular-season kick-off, here are Ebony Bird's Positional Power Rankings for the defensive groups of the Ravens.
4. Defensive Line
The defensive unit operates primarily in a 3-4 base defense, featuring Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington as defensive ends alongside nose tackle Michael Pierce. While not an elite unit, it's a solid, dependable group.
Baltimore rarely deploys a four-man defensive line, typically relying on a five-man rotation, including the starters and depth players. That might actually be good news for the unit, if only because it lacks depth and talent the further down the depth chart you go.
Travis Jones and Brent Urban would add a couple of warm bodies to the depth, but they're not needle movers so it's about right to rank the front-line of the defensive corps this low among all D-units.
3. EDGE / Linebackers
If we had separated the pass-rushers/EDGE players from the inside linebackers we might have ended up with the former group ranking dead-last and the latter ranking first among Ravens defensive position groups.
The ILB duo of Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen, with Smith's performance earning him a record-breaking contract extension, is perhaps one of the best in the league if not the absolute best. Queen, once a bit overwhelmed, flourished playing alongside Smith once Baltimore acquired him via trade midway through 2022.
However, the outside-linebackers and edge rushers unit present concerns. Veteran Tyus Bowser's placement on IR will force him to miss a month, and the Ravens had to enter free agency late to sign former no. 1 pick Jadeveon Clowney to bolster the position. David Ojabo has struggled a lot, Odafeh Oweh is still developing and nothing otherworldly at this point
Again, the full second-line of defense including all linebackers (inside and outside) makes for a solid group but it features both the best (Roquan) and the worst (Ojabo) members of the whole Ravens' defensive roster across the line.
2. Safeties
While the starting duo of Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams is one of the greatest deep-D units in the NFL, there are some concerns past them.
Hamilton's transition to a full-time safety role is a significant move, leaving the nickel cornerback spot open for others. However, the scarcity of cornerbacks may force Hamilton into slot coverage. We're assuming he'll stay at safety and that's what makes this ranking possible.
Depth includes Geno Stone, Brandon Stephens, and Ar'Darius Washington. While not extensive, their versatility is valuable. Both Stephens and Washington have experience at cornerback and safety, providing flexibility.
The Ravens' safety depth chart may be limited, but it features two absolute stars in Hamilton and Williams and solid rotational players.
1. Cornerbacks
In an ideal scenario, Marlon Humphrey and Rock Ya-Sin are expected to return as the starting duo by Week 2 or Week 3 at the latest. Until then, the Ravens will rely on late free-agent signing Ronald Darby as their CB1, along with one of the supposed "depth" players.
We're assuming fully healthy units here, though, so it makes sense to have the corners of the Ravens as the best unit as a whole after the addition of Rock Ya-Sin and veteran Ronald Darby this offseason, as well as boasting a surefire stud in Humphrey.
The nickel cornerback position drops the quality of the whole unit as a whole, but not even that is enough to beat this unit as the best across the full defensive roster of the Ravens.
Arthur Maulet and Ar'Darius Washington will compete to start in the slot, with Ronald Darby, Jalyn Armour-Davis, Brandon Stephens, and Kevon Seymour as the other members capable of playing the position on a rotational basis.