The Baltimore Ravens have a good problem to have at linebacker. Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson have been holding it down in the middle in 2026, but Teddye Buchanan is making his way back into the rotation.
Jesse Minter must figure out a way to get him more snaps. And he knows it.
“As Teddye has come back and proven to be capable of playing more snaps, we’ll certainly try to find ways to get use out of both him and Trent,” Minter said. “Those guys are gonna become some of our better guys, and it’s about finding our best guys for each situation.”
Against the Atlanta Falcons, Buchanan’s re-emergence into the equation may be exactly what the Ravens need. Roquan Smith is the All-Pro-caliber leader, Trenton Simpson is excellent in pursuit, and Teddye Buchanan is a surefire tackler. That’s a fearsome trio that could help keep Atlanta’s offense at bay in Week 5.
Baltimore Ravens need more Teddye Buchanan in Week 5
Let’s get one thing straight: Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson deserve to start again on Sunday. They’re far from the problem on defense and have been a rock-solid duo. Smith is having an exceptional year in coverage and has only missed two tackles; Simpson is breaking out as a real weapon for Jesse Minter.
Teddye Buchanan would add another quality linebacker, though. And you can never have too much of a good thing.
Buchanan has a chance to be an important part of the rotation in Week 5. He saw 3 snaps in Week 3, but that number jumped to 11 in Week 4. Could another jump be on the way on Sunday Night Football?
It should be.
For a team that’s struggled as much with open-field tackling late in games, Buchanan is becoming a necessity for the Ravens. He posted 93 combined tackles in his rookie campaign. More importantly, he had just an 8.6% missed-tackle rate. That’s elite territory for a rookie linebacker.
When the dangerous Bijan Robinson is standing on the other side of the line of scrimmage, Baltimore’s defense needs a trusted tackler like Buchanan. Robinson is as slippery as it gets, forcing a 33.3% missed-tackle rate (8th in the NFL) and running for 212 yards after contact (2nd in the NFL).
With the fear of Robinson lingering, Buchanan should become a key part of Minter’s unit against the Falcons.
The Ravens could truly use all three linebackers on the field at the same time. We saw it a little bit last week, and we should see more of it this week. Running Smith, Simpson, and Buchanan out there would make life slightly more difficult for Atlanta’s run game, which has run the ball 139 times (2nd in the NFL).
Obviously, in passing situations there won’t be opportunities to run such schemes. Putting two off-ball linebackers on the field would almost always be an immediate mismatch. However, Simpson’s versatility as a pass rusher gives Minter endless possibilities.
As Baltimore looks to finally put together a complete defensive performance, Buchanan could give Minter another valuable piece to help make it happen.
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