The Baltimore Ravens defense has been nothing short of elite. The offense is pretty good in its own right, but the 9-3 record at the bye week is a symbol of how strong the Ravens' defense has been.
What is so impressive about the Ravens is how deep they go on their defense. To highlight that depth, we are going to rank the 15 best players on the Ravens defense. There have been 20 players who have had a serious impact on this unit; which ones are most important?
Honorable Mention: Broderick Washington, Tavius Robinson, Rock Ya-Sin, Malik Harrison, Brent Urban, Daryl Worley
These have had their moments but just did not make the cut. They would sit from 16-20 this season, which speaks to the depth that this group has.
15. Travis Jones, DT
Travis Jones has taken a step forward in his second NFL season. Jones has gone from playing 34.5% of the defensive snaps to 36.2% this season. However, despite that small increase, he is up from five pressures on 162 pass rush snaps to 11 pressures on 182 pass rush snaps.
Also, he went from 15 stops on 176 run defense snaps to 15 stops on 109 run defense snaps. It is clear that he is playing much better. The Ravens have moved him a bit more up and down the defensive line this year, as well.
Still, you thought he might play a little bit more. The success of both Michael Pierce and Justin Madubuike has caused the Ravens to play Travis Jones and Broderick Washington less, making them appear in the bottom 15 to 20 slots. It will be interesting to see if Jones plays more after the bye week to preserve the veterans for the playoffs.