In four days, the Ravens begin their preseason schedule as they will host the NFC Champion Panthers on Thursday night.
Can you believe it? Football is back!
All fans eagerly await the return of football, even if it is preseason. They’re especially anticipatory if their favorite team had a terrible season the year prior (like the Ravens did).
What should you be looking for this season? Which players might make a difference in helping the team invert its record from the previous season? Which draft pick is poised to be a main contributor from Week 1?
This is the first part of a series where I’ll list those players who I believe to be most critical for the Ravens this season. Obviously, every Ravens player is important, as football is the ultimate team game. This is a list, though, that looks at players who are on on track for a breakout season, play a position at which the Ravens desperately need help, or are stepping up to take a leadership role.
Players 20-17
No. 20: CB Tavon Young
Depending on who you ask, the 2015 Ravens pass defense was either a train wreck or very underrated.
Last season, Baltimore finished 10th in the league in passing yard allowed per game (233.6). However, they finished 27th in opposing quarterback rating (99.6).
The Ravens added veteran Eric Weddle to team up with Lardarius Webb as their two starting safeties. Even if a new player and a converted safety work well together, that still leaves the cornerback portion of the secondary lacking.
Baltimore has Jimmy Smith as their top cornerback, but he still hasn’t put all his skills to use simultaneously for an extended period of time. I honestly think Smith is able to make plays, and plenty of them, but his lack of durability is holding him back. He’s started just 45 out of a potential 80 games in his career.
Enter: Tavon Young. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Young, a cornerback from Temple, is eager to make his mark as a professional.
In college, he was able to stick to short routes and track the ball on deep routes. When he makes a play, he lets you know about it.
Young is entering into a situation where he’ll be counted on to contribute early and often. That could understandably overwhelm a rookie, but as far as he’s concerned, he feels right at home.
Young was literally ready to go, even ready on draft day. After being drafted, he immediately left for M&T Bank Stadium so he could celebrate Baltimore’s draft with its fans at M&T Bank Stadium. Young made it there within an hour of being drafted.
Who does that?
No. 19: LB Zachary Orr
Daryl Smith signed with Tampa Bay in free agency, and although Kamalei Correa has been getting camp reps at 1st-string inside linebacker, Zachary Orr is my pick to start on Baltimore’s defense opposite C.J. Mosley.
Granted, Orr has never made a start and only made 30 tackles in 31 career games. While those facts aren’t an irresistible endorsement for such a promotion, my gut tells me Orr is ready.
When I watch him play, I see someone able to handle communicating play calls to the entire defense. He’s a passionate and punishing tackler. It seems like he’s just itching to break out…that he’d relish the increased workload.
Speaking of which, Orr will be a (restricted) free agent after 2016, so if there is a time to showcase his talents, that time is now.
No. 18: CB Shareece Wright
If you would’ve told me that after Shareece Wright’s game at San Francisco last year, he would be a starting cornerback for Baltimore this year, I would’ve laughed in your face. I don’t want to make fun of the guy, but his performance against the 49ers was really, really poor.
According to baltimoreravens.com, Wright gave up four receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns that day. The team’s website also noted that Wright “felt he was at a crossroads in his career.”
Since that game, he’s been one of Baltimore’s better defenders, regardless of position. He has a new three-year deal worth as much as $16 million to prove it.
Wright had an awful day against the 49ers, but due to his character and drive, he showed himself to not only be an asset to the team, but a potential starter. He may not be a great cornerback yet, but he’s been proven resilient, which as far as I’m concerned is the most valuable mental attribute a cornerback can possess.
No. 17: K Justin Tucker
Three weeks ago today, with less than an hour to go before the franchise tag deadline hit, Justin Tucker signed a 4-year, $16.8 million deal (including $10.8 million). Was that a wise move on Baltimore’s part?
Last season he converted 82.5 percent of his field goals–the worst percentage of his four-year career. He missed six attempts of 50 yards or more last year, after missing the same amount from the same distance total the three years prior.
To be fair, in his career Tucker has converted 95 percent of his field goal attempts from 49 yards and in (112-for-118).
Besides Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski, I don’t know of another kicker more valuable to his team than Tucker. Not only is he excellent at what he does, but as good as he is, he charges himself to be better. In other words, the standard he sets for himself is probably higher than it should be. That’s good, because if a kicker can get comfortable within pressure, he’s won half the battle.
I’d say re-signing Tucker to a contract that carries a 2016 cap hit of only $3.5 million wasn’t just a good idea, it was a bargain.
Stay tuned for further installments in this series, as I continue to count down my Top 20 most important Ravens of 2016.
