OTL: A Big Name QB Hunter Enters the Market

If you were to poll the average Ravens fan these days on what areas the Ravens absolutely, positively need to secure before the start of the season, my guess would be the top three finishers would be edge, corner and left guard.

There’s a pretty good chance the Ravens feel they have their answer at guard on the roster already, and appear like they’re willing to see how the competition plays out throughout the summer. At corner, while another veteran would be most welcomed by myself (and probably many others), you could see a situation where they let their young cover men have first crack at getting into the rotation, and only make a move later if necessity breeds it.

Edge? That’s a different animal to me.

Tyus Bowser is certainly a solid player at the position, and offers some flexibility with where he aligns. David Ojabo is the exciting young talent who is upping excitement levels across Flockland as he has had another year to recover from a tough injury. Odafe Oweh certainly has the physical traits, and has flashed enough to offer at least a little hope for a big third season, even if the production hasn’t been where we would like yet. But it’s not a group that moves the needle just yet.

But a big name might be available.

From Inside Minicamps LIVE on NFL+: The #Vikings are receiving trade calls centered around star pass-rusher Danielle Hunter, and the interest is real, sources say. A look inside the complex situation… pic.twitter.com/GKx98NSx0n

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 7, 2023

Hunter has posted 71 sacks throughout his career, and will still only be 28 years old when the season starts this fall. He had 10.5 sacks last year and 12 tackles for loss, and is still an absolute terror when chasing quarterbacks. He also posted a 73.7 score against the run last year, per PFF, which shows this is no one-trick pony.

Hunter is a beast, and adding him to the Ravens defense would improve their pass rush, their ability to rotate good bodies along the line, and assist a cornerback room that has some question marks around it, thanks to his ability to impact quarterbacks’ timing.

I’m not a big “let’s go get him” guy when available players pop up on Twitter, but… let’s go get him.

Ravens OLB coach Chuck Smith: “After this year, when you see Odafe (Oweh), you’re going to know his signature pass rush move.” pic.twitter.com/i7EglX1pOZ

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) June 6, 2023

Of course, tapping into that exciting young talent in Oweh and Ojabo could instantly elevate the Ravens’ pass rush, with or without Hunter. Enter Chuck Smith, a.k.a. Dr. Rush. The former NFL quarterback-terrorizer-turned-rush-coach was added to the team’s staff this year, and he has big plans for Oweh.

RSR’s Dev Panchwagh has been singing Smith’s praises for a while now, and I tend to put a lot of stock in Dev’s judgement.

Correct. DeAndre will still find a home, but in Cleveland it would take a change in team circumstances and/or a change in initial contract expectations, as stated in the pod, per sources. My understanding is Baltimore will monitor his free agency. Other info is there too. https://t.co/iAbVUFdfbc

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) June 7, 2023

He’s not a corner, edge or guard, but free agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins is still being linked to the Ravens as a possible destination. I’ve been on the record as saying that I believe the Ravens have enough weapons at their disposal right now to compete for a championship, but let’s be real: Hopkins would instantly make the Ravens’ offense much more dangerous, and thus improve the team.

Yes, some feathers could be ruffled by other players who might move down the pecking order, but the way the NFL works — and in particular the Ravens the last few seasons — an injury or two over the summer could create a clear rotation.

"I got one requirement for you man."

The legend @SteveSmithSr89 had to catch up with @ZayFlowers 💜 pic.twitter.com/LlvAkQwgih

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) June 7, 2023

The more I see or learn about Zay Flowers, the more I like him. If the Ravens were going to add a rookie receiver this season, Flowers was the one I wanted because of his ability to separate, win at the catch point and, most importantly, create with the ball in his hands.

Still, at the time of the draft, I was banging my hand on the table pretty hard for the Ravens to go corner with the first pick.

Maybe it’s the Purple Kool-Aid, or maybe it’s just because I’ve gotten to see more of him since coming to the Ravens, but whatever it is, I’m now fully on board with the guy. There’s a good chance he is the team’s top option at receiver by the end of his rookie season, simply because of his ability to play at every level and make things happen out of nothing.

I see a lot of broken plays for big gains with Flowers and quarterback Lamar Jackson.

That’s often the difference between winning and losing in a league where every team has talent.