Throughout its history, the Baltimore Ravens have generally been known for great defense. Since the Ravens’ first season in 1996, the team has ranked in the top 10 in Football Outsiders’ Defensive DVOA metrics 21 different times, in the top five in 13 separate seasons, and first overall in four seasons (1999, 2003, 2006, 2011). The 2000 Ravens defense ranked among the greatest in NFL history ranked second in the league behind the Tennessee Titans; the best Ravens defense ever by DVOA was the 2008 unit (-27.6%; Defensive DVOA is better when it’s negative).
The point is that this is not a franchise used to defensive regression. Which is why the 2021 season was so alarming. Baltimore ranked 28th in Defensive DVOA, the worst such ranking since the inaugural season of 1996. The Ravens ranked fourth in run defense… and 30th against the pass.
Injuries certainly played a part. Only Marlon Humphrey and Anthony Averett managed more than 550 snaps among Baltimore’s cornerbacks. Marcus Peters missed the entire season with a torn ACL. Jimmy Smith, who hasn’t played a full season since 2015, lost more games to injuries and COVID. Humphrey was lost for the rest of the season in early December to a torn pectoral muscle.
Things were similarly thin in the Ravens’ safety corps — Deshon Elliott (now with the Lions) managed just six games, and outside of Chuck Clark, things were pretty patchwork back there, and Clark allowed 31 catches on 45 targets for 448 yards, 182 yards after the catch, four touchdowns, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 112.1. Third-round rookie Brandon Stephens played the second-most snaps among Baltimore’s safeties, and he allowed 33 catches on 42 targets for 506 yards, 234 yards after the catch, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 148.6.
Peters coming back to the field will obviously help the cornerback group, but general manager Eric DeCosta and his staff worked overtime in the offseason to build the safety position back up. The Ravens signed former Saints safety Marcus Williams to a five-year, $70 million contract with $37 million guaranteed. Then, they selected Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, the best player in the 2022 draft class according to those people at Touchdown Wire, with the 14th overall pick.
Moves that had to happen if the Ravens were going to get back to the kind of defense expected of the franchise, with some fascinating new wrinkles thrown in.
It’s time to go to the tape and see how it could shake out.
