To say that the Baltimore Ravens will have a new look on defense in 2019 is an understatement. The team released safety Eric Weddle, saw franchise legend linebacker Terrell Suggs leave for the Arizona Cardinals and watched on helplessly as star linebacker C.J. Mosley was poached by the New York Jets with a massive contract. Outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith also agreed to a contract with the Green Bay Packers.
However, the Ravens fought the departures in earnest, making a big splash by signing free agent safety Earl Thomas to a four-year, $55 million deal. The team also brought on cornerback Justin Bethel via free agency.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at what the Baltimore defense looks like now that the initial wave of free agency is over.
Defensive line: Brandon Williams, Michael Pierce, Willie Henry, Chris Wormley, Zach Sieler
The Ravens are a little light at the defensive line, with only five players on the roster. Williams was a no brainer to be on the team since he was entering into the third year of the contract that he signed in the 2017 offseason. Pierce was given a second-round tender as a restricted free agent, which all but assures that he’ll be back in 2019. Both of those two figure to be starters, or at least players who are on the field for a good bit of time.
Behind them is Henry, who looked like he was going to have a breakout season in 2018 before injuries sent him to injured reserve in late October. There is also Wormley, who figures to have a bigger role on defense in his third season, and Zach Sieler, who Baltimore was excited about last year.
That being said, five defensive linemen is less than the Ravens like to carry, so you can expect the team to take one in the draft as they usually do.
Outside linebackers: Matthew Judon, Tyus Bowser, Tim Williams, Ejuan Price
With the departure of Suggs and Smith, Judon is the most experienced outside linebacker on the team and is also going to be in command of one of the starting spots on the edge. But there’s a gap behind him, as Williams and Bowser don’t have much experience to their names. They will get the chance to compete for a starting job, but it would be a huge surprise if Baltimore did not take an outside linebacker in what is expected to be a defense-heavy draft. Price is purely a camp body.
Inside linebacker: Patrick Onwuasor, Kenny Young, Bam Bradley, Chris Board, Matthew Thomas
Onwuasor and Young already played significant roles on defense in 2018 and with Mosley gone, you can expect the both of them to have even bigger roles in 2019. I’d also expect the Ravens to give Bradley some playing time on defense as well. While Baltimore could take a linebacker in the draft, I think they’ll stand pat with the players they currently have.
Board was a major player on special teams last season, so his spot on the roster is probably safe in 2019. Thomas is just a camp body.
Cornerback: Jimmy Smith, Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Carr, Tavon Young, Anthony Averett, Cyrus Jones, Justin Bethel, Maurice Canady, Jaylen Hill, Robertson Daniel
The Ravens’ cornerback room is going to look a lot like it did in 2018. With Baltimore electing to not release Smith, the team will be keeping its top four corners from 2018. The Ravens held Averett in high regard last year, so I don’t expect them to cut him in his second season.
But after that is where things get crowded. Baltimore recently signed Bethel and he will be competing with Jones, Canady, Hill and Daniel for one, maybe two, spots on the roster. Given the already crowded nature of the position, I would not expect the team to take a corner in the draft.
Safety: Earl Thomas, Tony Jefferson, Anthony Levine, Chuck Clark, Deshon Elliott, Bennett Jackson
Baltimore has a new leader in the backfield with Thomas coming in to replace Weddle after the team released him. But outside of that, the safety rotation looks the same, with Jefferson, Levine, Clark and Elliott coming back. Last season, the Ravens were excited about the rookie Elliott before a fractured forearm landed him on injured reserve in August. If Elliott stays healthy, he might force the team to keep him at the expense of another safety.
Jackson is a camp body. Baltimore could draft a safety, but given the resources that they’ve committed to Thomas and Jefferson, it would likely be another developmental safety from the middle rounds.
