Yahoo Finance After 14-win season, Ravens address biggest weakness by stocking up at DL
For a season in which so much went right — starting with Lamar Jackson’s ascension to NFL MVP — it was quite something how glaring the Baltimore Ravens’ biggest weakness was.
Simply put, the Ravens couldn’t generate pressure on the defensive line unless they were blitzing. So they blitzed a lot. More than any team in the league at 54.4 percent of their plays, well ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 44.3 percent.
If this offseason is any indication, that’s not something the Ravens want to repeat.
Ravens add Michael Brockers, Calais Campbell
The 24 hours preceding and succeeding the start of legal tampering were busy for the Ravens.
They sent a fifth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars to pick up veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell, traded former first-round tight end Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons for a second-round pick and added former Los Angeles Rams defensive end Michael Brockers on a three-year, $30 million deal.
The addition of Campbell and Brockers will help remake the team’s defensive line, with the two likely flanking Pro Bowler Brandon Williams on the interior line.
Campbell is a five-time Pro Bowler who has seemed immune to Father Time at 34 years old, tallying 31.5 sacks in three years with Jacksonville. Brockers is one of the best run-stuffers in the league and added three sacks last season.
The Ravens' new-look defensive line is now led by:
* Brandon Williams: 6-1, 335
* Calais Campbell: 6-8, 300 pounds
* Michael Brockers: 6-5, 305
Three behemoths, three forces against the run.— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 16, 2020
Both players figure to help a defensive line that totaled just four sacks last year, fewer than the season total of Tennessee Titans cornerback Logan Ryan.
Nearly all of the Ravens’ pass rush came from their linebackers and secondary. That came to a head in the Ravens’ divisional-round loss to the Titans, when the team’s only sack came from safety Earl Thomas while Derrick Henry hammered them up the middle.
Outside linebacker Matthew Judon led the team with 9.5 sacks last year, and was hit with the franchise tag last week. If the Ravens can figure out a way to keep his $16.3 million under the tag on the books, the pressure up front could improve a defense that already ranked fourth in the league by DVOA last year.
More help coming via draft
Even if Brockers is the Ravens’ lone notable addition in free agency, that doesn’t mean the team is done improving this offseason.
Following the Hurst trade, the Ravens now have their first-round pick (28th overall), two second-round picks (55th and 60th), two third-round picks (92nd and 106th) and two fourth-round picks (129th and 134th).
That should give general manager Eric DeCosta plenty of availability to shore up a team that is already stacked, though needs to address its interior offensive line after the retirement of team legend Marshal Yanda.
When will the Ravens pay Lamar Jackson?
Of course, all of these big moves come with the hard truth that the Ravens can only do them for so long.
Jackson is entering his third season in the league, which means he is, at most, three years from hitting free agency. If the reigning MVP maintains his level of play, he will be in line for a monster contract soon, and that means the team will be capable of far fewer splashy moves.
But that’s for the team to think about in a few years. For now, the Ravens can say they had a 14-win team last year and possibly got even better.
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