Last year, the Ravens held their Training Camp from July 28th to August 16th. I don’t include this information to dishearten you, dear reader, though I understand that it represents a long wait until the next official team activity. I included those dates as a reminder that despite all of the speculation and conversation around the roster, a LOT can change between now and the start of the year. This year, I’m hoping that’s a good thing and that it sheds some light on the strategy moving forward.
If you think back to last year, the season’s outlook from June to September changed pretty drastically. This isn’t about the gloom and doom of potential injury, though – only to illustrate the point of how quickly the faces of the roster can change. For example, our own Ronald Toothe touched on a recent signing in yesterday’s Out to Lunch piece.
Ravens sign veteran edge rusher Steven Means, per team. Means, who will start his second stint with team, had a successful tryout during mandatory minicamp this week.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) June 17, 2022
By all appearances, Means is likely a depth signing, and there’s a possibility that he wouldn’t even land on the starting roster following Training Camp. More to the point, it doesn’t close the door to other possible signings, as Zrebiec clarifies in this follow-up.
I wouldn’t think means would stop them from adding another OLB. They need bodies. Yesterday, Oweh was just doing individual stuff. Ferg had the sprained ankle. Ojabo obviously a ways away. They need more guys. Not dismissing Means roster chances but they shouldn’t be done there
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) June 17, 2022
For the next few weeks, all we can do is ask questions and speculate. But the moves at the linebacker position seem to have raised more questions than answers, and I don’t know that discussion around the position been emphasized enough. While wide receiver has been the squeaky wheel in the eyes of a lot of analysts and fans, I’ve been racking my brain trying to guess what EDC and Company are doing at the linebacker position, and I can’t figure out where the team goes next.
Do they view Means and fellow free agent signing Vince Biegel as long-term additions or just camp bodies? How much will the recovery timelines of Tyus Bowser and David Ojabo influence a possible search for outside help? Can Patrick Queen take the jump that he’s anticipating in his third season?
“I honestly believe that if he continues to continues to grow… he can be one of the best linebackers in the National Football League.”https://t.co/RZtnIhKOF6
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) June 9, 2022
Speaking of players hoping to blossom, can OLB Jaylon Ferguson overcome early bumps and bruises and use his new and improved physique to become more of an impact player?
Speaking of that, OLB Jaylon Ferguson looks like he has slimmed down quite a bit this year. Ferguson was not on the field at open OTAs last week, and he was limited today, so he might be nursing a minor injury. He ran conditioning sprints during some team drills
— Bo Smolka (@bsmolka) June 1, 2022
The aforementioned Jeff Zrebiec had this to say about Ferguson in a recent piece: “Ferguson looks like a completely different player than he did over his first three seasons. That’s primarily because he dropped a bunch of weight and transformed his body. That’s helped him play with a little more quickness and aggression.”
Zrebiec was also complimentary of OLB Daelin Hayes, who’s garnered plenty of praise after an impressive showing in camp. One player who didn’t fare so well in Zrebiec’s reviews, though, was ILB Malik Harrison, who he said, “didn’t do a whole lot to stand out.”
[Related: The Hayes in the Barn]
This doesn’t do much to dissuade my overall apprehension about a possible vulnerability: the interior of the defense. Questions still persist about Michael Pierce’s status following his absence from mini-camp, Travis Jones is an unproven commodity as a rookie, and the WILL and SAM linebacker positions look perilously thin behind Queen and Josh Bynes. If Harrison’s performance ends up being underwhelming, the bullpen is essentially Kristian Welch and a group of undrafted free agents.
On the bright side, the Ravens boasted the #1 overall rush defense in the league last season, but these numbers could also have been skewed based on how vulnerable the injury-depleted secondary was to the passing attack. Baltimore was dead last in pass defense last season and surrendered 31 touchdowns through the air (tied for 30th in the league), and improving the secondary became a point of emphasis for the offseason.
With that mission seemingly accomplished on paper, only time will tell who among the linebacking group will be donning the purple and black this year and whether they’ll be up to handling the added pressure.
