The Ravens offseason can be split into two parts: BC & AC: Before Contract & After Contract. The Ravens looked to be in for a season of pain regardless of the outcome with Lamar Jackson under the non-exclusive franchise tag. Unable to take part in the first few weeks of free agency due to cap constraints. Todd Monken drafted in as OC to start the post-Jackson era and then Odell Beckham Jr signed for over market value.
Once Lamar signed, it all looked rosier. Because the skill positions, particularly receiver has been retooled and the Ravens, as ever, drafted well. It will be interesting to see how Jackson develops in a pass-first offence having been apparently limited since 2019 in Greg Roman’s run-heavy offence. Are the Ravens back to fighting weight among the AFC heavy weights or has a slow start to the offseason held them back?
Some dead wood has been trimmed, such as Sammy Watkins, Kenyan Drake and Jason Pierre-Paul but the major losses are Marcus Peters, who struggled on his return from a torn ACL last season and Ben Powers, creating a competition at Guard.
Ravens 2023 Schedule
September: Week 1- September 10th, 6:00pm (BST): Vs Houston Texans
Week 2- September 17th, 6:00pm: @ Cincinnati Bengals
Week 3- September 24th, 6:00pm: Vs Indianapolis Colts
October: Week 4 – October 1st, 6:00pm: @ Cleveland Browns
Week 5- October 8th, 6:00pm: @ Pittsburgh Steelers
LONDON GAME Week 6 – October 15th, 2:30pm: LONDON GAME – Vs Tennessee Titans
Week 7- October 22nd, 6:00pm: Vs Detroit Lions
Week 8- October 29th, 8:25pm: @ Arizona Cardinals
November: Week 9- November 5th, 6:00pm: Seattle Seahawks
Week 10- November 12th, 6:00pm: Vs Cleveland Browns
Last AFC North game Week 11- November 17th, 1:15am: Vs Cincinnati Bengals
Week 12- November 27th, 1:20am: @ LA Chargers
BYE Week 13 – Bye Week
December: Week 14- December 10th, 6:00pm: Vs LA Rams
Week 15- December 18th, 1:20am: @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 16- December 26th, 1:15am: @ San Francisco 49ers
New Year’s Eve Week 17- December 31st, 6:00pm: Vs Miami Dolphins
January: Week 18- January 7th, TBD: Vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Coaching Staff
General Manager: Eric DeCosta
Head Coach: John Harbaugh
Offensive Coordinator: Todd Monken
Defensive Coordinator: Mike Macdonald
Special Teams Coordinator: Chris Horton
Players In
Via Trade
Free Agents
Josh Johnson, QB
Melvin Gordan, RB
Odell Beckham Jr., WR
Nelson Agholor, WR
Laquon Treadwell, WR
Sam Mustipher, IOL
Angelo Blackson, DE
Arthur Maulet, CB
Rock Ya-Sin, CB
Draft Picks
First round, Pick 22: Zay Flowers, WR
Third round, Pick 86: Trenton Simpson, LB
Fourth round, Pick 124: Tavius Robinson, Edge
Fifth round Pick 157: Kyu Blu Kelly, CB
Sixth round, Pick 199: Malaesala Aumavae-Laula, IOL
Seventh round, Pic 229: Andrew Vorhees, IOL
Players Out
Kenyan Drake, RB
Sammy Watkins, WR
Mike Thomas, WR
Andy Isabella, WR
Demarcus Robinson, WR
Ben Powers, OL
Trystan Colon, OL
Ja’Wuan James, OT
Josh Oliver, TE
Vince Biegel, LB
Justin Houston, LB
Steven Means, LB
Jason Pierre-Paul, LB
Kyle Fuller, CB
BoPete Keyes, CB
Marcus Peters, CB
Kevon Seymour, CB
Ravens Projected starters
Offence
QB: Lamar Jackson
RB: J.K. Dobbins
WR: Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers
TE: Mark Andrews
LT: Ronnie Stanley
LG: Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu
C: Tyler Linderbaum
RG: Kevin Zeitler
RT: Morgan Moses
Defence
DE: Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo
DT: Travis Jones, Michael Pierce
LB: Roquan Smith, Patrick Queen
CB: Marlon Humphrey, Rock Ya-Sin, Jalyn Armour-Davis
S: Marcus Williams, Kyle Hamilton
Looking at the Ravens now
After locking down Lamar Jackson, the main concern on offence is at LG, with Ben Powers now gone. Rookie Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu could well start, having been drafted in the Tom Brady slot (sixth round, 199th overall). That is a big concern for the Ravens ground and pound game, as well as the development of Jackson as a pocket passer. John Simpson is the alternative option, but the Ravens look liable to pressure up the middle. Baltimore will also be hoping that Morgan Moses elevates his play or Daniel Faalele steps up at Right Tackle.
There are bigger concerns on defence. While the Ravens are strong at linebacker and safety, there are legitimate concerns at Tackle and Cornerback. The losses of Brandon Williams and Calais Campbell over the last couple of years have made the Ravens quite light up the middle and liable to run-heavy offences like the Titans. At Cornerback, Marcus Peters was not himself last year but his leadership will be a miss. Now suddenly Baltimore is reliant on Rock Ya-Sin & Jalyn Armour-Davis opposite Marlon Humphrey. It hurts even more with the loss of the versatility of Chuck Clark in the secondary.
2023 Star Player
Lamar Jackson aside, the offence goes with Ronnie Stanley’s fitness, having played 18 times since the fabled 2019 season. That said, 11 of those games were last season showing signs of progress.
2023 Breakout player
Ojabo was always expected to effectively be a redshirt having dropped to the second round after tearing his Achilles in draft prep. He forced a fumble and had a sack in his two games at the end of the season, proving his playmaking ability. Now with a full offseason of prep, it is his time to shine and lead the Ravens’ pass rush.
Marlon Humphrey is as close to a shutdown corner as you get in the NFL today. He had three interceptions, 7 pass deflections and forced a fumble in 2022. The fifth year pro allowed 590 yards and had 71 tackles last season.
Baltimore Ravens Season Expectations
The Ravens season will depend a lot on the fitness of Lamar Jackson down the stretch. If he is healthy late in the season, which he hasn’t been since 2019, the Ravens are capable of challenging the AFC elite. He also needs to improve his play when healthy, having struggled for periods in each of the last three seasons. The Ravens have restocked their offensive talent to support the cause.
The biggest challenge will be a crowded AFC North and a crowded AFC playoff field. The Ravens have the talent to earn a spot as one of the top seven teams in the conference but everything has to break right for them to earn a home playoff game. However, any true Ravens fan will know that the flock perform best when unfancied on the road with their backs against the wall. It gives them support when they come out swinging!
Banner image: Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will lead them once more. Image from baltimorebeatdown.com
Not sure you have the perception right on Titans running over us. King Henry’s stat line against Ravens last season: 18-40 2.22 a carry with a long run of 8. Calais Campbell missing from loss list. No reference to our exceptional special teams – Duvernay or Tucker. Also no reference to either of our TE especially 2nd year gem
Isiah Likely. Ricard the FB is a beast too. Our biggest issue is pass rush.