Potential Solutions After Ar'Darius Washington's Reported Injury
The Ravens were hit with some unfortunate injury news Tuesday night, as safety Ar'Darius Washington reportedly suffered a torn Achilles during conditioning.
With the injury expected to sideline Washington for most or all of the season, pundits looked at how the Ravens will compensate for the 2024 breakout star.
"With Washington sidelined, the Ravens could look in-house or to the free-agent market for help," The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer wrote. "Safeties Beau Brade and Sanoussi Kane contributed primarily on special teams as rookies, but they could take a step forward in Year 2 under the tutelage of first-year Senior Secondary Coach Chuck Pagano. The Ravens could also bring in Justin Simmons, Julian Blackmon or Jordan Whitehead on a one-year, prove-it deal, as they did with Eddie Jackson last season."
"Locked on Ravens" podcast host Kevin Oestreicher listed additional veteran safeties who are available, including former Raven Chuck Clark.
Washington played a key role in the defense's turnaround the second half of last season, as he and All-Pro Kyle Hamilton formed one of the league's best safety tandems. Even with the addition of first-round safety Malaki Starks, Washington was expected to be a major contributor again this season.
"Washington's injury not only robs the Ravens of a solid starter and popular locker room presence but also limits their flexibility with Starks and Hamilton, who's most disruptive in the slot," Shaffer wrote. "Head Coach John Harbaugh had praised the trio's versatility after the Ravens drafted Starks in the first round last month."
Pundit's Wish List for Ravens' Schedule Includes Week 1 Game Against Lions in Prime Time
Ahead of the 2025 NFL schedule release tonight, Shaffer revealed his wish list for the Ravens' slate. Here are five highlights:
Week 1: vs. Detroit Lions on "Sunday Night Football" (Sept. 7)
"The Eagles aren't on the Ravens' schedule, so they won't be seeing the defending Super Bowl champions in Week 1. The Ravens could get Philadelphia's biggest competition in the NFC, though. The Lions were throttled in their last visit to Baltimore two years ago, but they've since bolstered their defense and steadied their offense. A prime-time matchup between Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Detroit defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who should be making his long-awaited return from a broken leg, would be blockbuster stuff. And the Ravens' defense would get a measuring-stick game against a Lions offense adjusting to life without play-caller Ben Johnson."
Week 4: at Buffalo Bills on "Monday Night Football" (Sept. 28)
"The Ravens punked Buffalo in Baltimore on 'Sunday Night Football' last year. It's hard to imagine the NFL keeping a rematch between Jackson and Bills quarterback Josh Allen off prime time this year. This will be a game dripping with narrative gold, from Allen's surprising NFL Most Valuable Player win over Jackson to tight end Mark Andrews' even more surprising goal-line drop in the Ravens' playoff loss to the potentially seismic stakes in the AFC's battle for power."
Week 7: at Kansas City Chiefs (Oct. 19)
"Ravens came within a toenail of a potential road win over the Chiefs in last year's season opener. Then they came within a goal-line catch of a potential rematch in the AFC championship game. The margin for error against Kansas City is always small, especially at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Ravens have lost three straight games. Jackson is 1-5 against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, including the playoffs. If their latest matchup doesn't get a prime-time window, expect a late-afternoon time slot."
Week 13: at Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving night (Nov. 27)
"The Packers have played 38 games on the holiday, third most in NFL history, and got the assignment in 2023 and 2024. The Ravens last played at Lambeau Field in 2017, when they left with a shutout win. If Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander is still on the team — and healthy enough to play — Jackson could get a long-awaited reunion with his former Louisville teammate. This could also be useful preparation for a road playoff game in frigid conditions."
Week 18: vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Jan. 4)
"Regular-season finales are always divisional matchups, and this one could have huge stakes. The Ravens won the AFC North each of the past two years by just two games. The Bengals' offense got rolling during the team's unsuccessful push for the playoffs late last season, and first-year coordinator Al Golden's defense should be better settled by the end of the year."
Jackson Was Historically Good Under Pressure Last Season
What made Allen's MVP win over Jackson so surprising is that the Ravens quarterback had the edge in all the major passing statistical categories.
FTN’s Brian Knowles looked at another area in which Jackson topped Allen – and every other quarterback in the league – last season: passing under pressure.
Jackson's DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) under pressure in 2024 was 14.5%, the best number since measuring the statistic began in 2010. Allen (7.5%) was second last season and the sixth-best overall.
"Jackson and Allen stand alone as the only two passers to have a positive DVOA under pressure in 2024. That is a tough mark to hit, and usually one reserved for quarterbacks in relatively small sample sizes," Knowles wrote. "To be better than league average even with blitzers in your face over the course of an entire season? That's more or less unheard of. Your leader in 2023 was Brock Purdy at -23.7%."
Jackson is the only quarterback to post a positive DVOA under pressure in more than one season. He also did so in 2019 (5.5%, eight-best since 2010).
Looking at Ravens' Biggest Remaining Offseason Decisions
In taking stock of the Ravens at this point in the offseason, Zrebiec noted that while there likely will be some veteran additions made to the roster before the start of the regular season, the team's biggest remaining decisions involve the future of several of the team's stars.
"Running back Derrick Henry and tight end Mark Andrews are entering the final years of their contracts — will the Ravens extend them?" Zrebiec wrote. "They picked up the fifth-year option for All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, while declining Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum's option. Then, there's the contract status of Lamar Jackson. His cap number balloons to $74.5 million next year. The Ravens would love to reach an agreement on an extension with Jackson before the start of this season.
"Regardless, even if there are a few moves they could get ahead of for the future, the 2025 Ravens are in a good spot."
General Manager Eric DeCosta has acknowledged that the team is interested in extending Henry and said, "we have a lot of different balls in the air right now." DeCosta also said the intention is to sign Hamilton and Linderbaum to long-term deals.
Regarding a new deal for Jackson, Head Coach John Harbaugh said that "sooner or later, that's definitely going to have to happen" and "he's going to be the highest paid player in football."
Keep an Eye on This Ravens Undrafted Rookie
Several undrafted free-agent linebackers have made an impact for the Ravens over the years, including current Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr and Bart Scott. Could Iowa's Jay Higgins be next?
Pro Football Focus’ Ben Cooper named Higgins as the Ravens' undrafted player from this year's class to keep an eye on.
"The Ravens' linebacker depth chart behind Roquan Smith is a mix of unproven talent and rookie hopefuls," Cooper wrote. "Trenton Simpson has yet to show he deserves the starting nod (58.7 PFF overall grade in 2024), perhaps opening the door for Higgins, fourth-round draft pick Teddye Buchanan or free-agent signing Jake Hummel to win the job.
"Higgins was the fourth-most-valuable Power Five linebacker this past season, per PFF's Wins Above Average metric. He was also the FBS' second-highest-graded linebacker in coverage (91.5), a potential boon to a Baltimore linebacker corps that allowed the sixth-highest passer rating in coverage in 2024 (111.6)."
Higgins didn't get drafted despite being a two-time All-American, as his 6-foot stature and 4.82-second 40-yard dash likely played a factor.
"Extremely happy to be here," Higgins said at rookie minicamp. "Obviously, the draft day, all three days, didn't go as planned, but super fortunate to have the opportunity to come to Baltimore with so much defensive history. The linebackers that play here, that played here in the past, I think it's a good fit for me. Just how I operate, my mindset, and how they operate defensively. So I think we're a good match, and I'm kind of happy things turned out the way they did."
Sixth-Round DT Aeneas Peebles Says Being Undersized Isn't an Issue
Sixth-round rookie defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles is another player whose draft stock likely took a hit because he was considered undersized (6-foot, 289 pounds), but the Virginia Tech standout said size ultimately doesn't matter.
"I didn't know I was undersized until I guess the NFL Draft process," Peebles said on “Glenn Clark Radio,” via Press Box’s Luke Jackson. "I really never thought about it until I guess this whole draft process started. I just always felt at home being on the football field. I never felt like I was too small to play the game. I still don't think that way now because there are no rulers and there are no measuring sticks on that football field. It's just pads and what you've got between your [ears]."
Peebles was the only defensive lineman drafted by the Ravens, and with Michael Pierce's retirement there is an opportunity for him to earn snaps.
Peebles hopes to follow in the footsteps of Pierce (undrafted in 2016) and Broderick Washington (fifth round in 2020) as defensive linemen who made an impact for the Ravens despite not being high draft picks.
"With Baltimore's history of the lower-round picks and what they've done with undrafted guys, it just really speaks to Eric DeCosta and that whole program and the Baltimore Ravens' whole culture," Peebles said. "They just know what they're doing. They're not just making picks just to make picks. They have a plan for their guys. I'm just thankful to be a part of a program that I think has a plan for me."
Quick Hits
Yesterday's Most Read: Ravens Sign Intriguing Undrafted Rookie Pass Rusher
- First-round safety Starks was No. 6 in NFL.com’s Marc Rose’s top 10 rankings of rookies most likely to succeed in Year 1 and beyond.
