The Baltimore Ravens hope to keep outside linebacker Matthew Judon this offseason. He’s one of the Ravens’ 21 pending free agents and easily their top priority. Expected to make a huge splash if Baltimore allows him to hit free agency, he’s not going to be cheap for the Ravens to re-sign.
But after seeing Judon — alongside Pittsburgh Steelers defender T.J. Watt — getting advice from Denver Broncos pass rusher Von Miller, Baltimore might want to open up their checkbooks now.
At the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl, Miller held a mini pass-rush summit with Watt and Judon during practice. Miller showed them little techniques, including how to shake off initial contact from an offensive lineman.
Judon and Watt would be wise to pay close attention to what Miller was showing them. Miller has had at least 10 sacks in seven of his nine seasons in the league, including 18.5 sacks in 2012. His 106 career sacks average out to just shy of 12 quarterback takedowns per year.
Miller is actually well known for taking young pass rushers under his wing. He holds an annual “pass-rushing summit” every offseason that includes lodging, food and time on the field. His latest one saw 35 players join him and had NFL legend Doug Flutie as a coach to help players deal with more mobile quarterbacks. Miller has helped big names like Melvin Ingram, Aaron Donald and Calais Campbell in recent years.
Baltimore has to be pleased seeing Judon pick Miller’s brain a little at the Pro Bowl. Now they just have to lock him up to a long-term contract or use the franchise tag on him to keep him in town for 2020 in order to use that knowledge.
