As previously reported and expected, the Baltimore Ravens are bringing back defensive end Jihad Ward. According to the team’s Twitter account, they’ve re-signed Ward to a one-year deal.
Baltimore has worked hard to bring back several of their key contributors for last season. Though Ward was added late, he quickly found a role for himself at defensive end and helped transform the Ravens’ defense from one of the worst units in the league into a fourth-place ranking by the end of the season. Ward played in 11 games for Baltimore in 2019, playing 38% of the entire season’s defensive snaps. He accounted for two fumble recoveries and one sack over those games.
It’s another step in the Ravens’ attempts to revamp their defensive line. Baltimore traded for Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell, signed former Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers and re-signed Justin Ellis. All these moves should help the Ravens stuff the run better, something they struggled with at times last season and ultimately was the reason for their early departure in the playoffs.
