Brown: When Henry has fumbled, it has often been in the fourth quarter. According to Yahoo! Sports, he has 10 in the fourth quarter and nine in all other quarters combined over his career. Two of Henry's fumbles this season have come in the fourth quarter, but I don't think his latest miscues were related to fatigue.
On his fumble against Buffalo, Henry tried to give a stiff arm in the backfield instead of keeping two hands on the ball in a situation when the Ravens were protecting a lead. That made it easier for the ball to get punched out. I think that's a fumble Henry could've avoided by keeping two hands on the ball.
On Henry's fumble against the Lions, Aidan Hutchinson made a great play, punching the ball out from behind, and Henry never saw him.
On both fumbles, Henry was moving laterally as he hit a wall in front of him. Better blocking would certainly help this issue because it's difficult to land punches on "King Henry" when he's going downhill.
Henry has three fumbles in three games, so that trend obviously needs to stop. But historically, he doesn't fumble often, he doesn't carry the ball in a loose manner, and he's one of the team's hardest-working players. He feels sick about it, and Henry may spend more time during practice making sure he keeps the ball high and tight. But I don't think there's much else Henry can do via routine or technique that he hasn't been doing already.
Mink: First of all, we don't know how long Nnamdi Madubuike will be out, but it was concerning when Head Coach John Harbaugh said last Saturday that they're doing tests on his neck and "[trying] to get to the bottom of" symptoms that popped up with no specific injury. Hopefully, it's not something that keeps Madubuike sidelined for long because, yes, he was definitely missed on Monday night versus the Detroit Lions. That wasn't the only reason the Ravens were gashed for so many yards on the ground, but it was part of the problem.
If Madubuike is slated to be sidelined for an extended period, I think the Ravens will make a roster addition. While I like the potential of sixth-round rookie Aeneas Peebles, especially as a pass rusher, the Ravens could need more depth and another proven run stopper.
The biggest fish on the market is Christian Wilkins, a 2019 first-round pick who established himself as one of the league's top players at his position with a career-high nine sacks in 2023. However, Wilkins comes with questions. After signing a four-year, $110 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024, he suffered a broken foot early in the season. This offseason, the Raiders released Wilkins and moved to void a large chunk of his contract due to how he approached his rehab. There was also a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter that a teammate was offended by a kiss Wilkins gave him on his head.
Other free agent defensive tackles include Raekwon Davis, Maurice Hurst, Jordan Phillips, former first-round pick Taven Bryan, and former Raven Josh Tupou, who spent much of last season on Baltimore's practice squad. The Ravens have two more standard practice squad elevations they can use on Brent Urban and C.J. Okoye, who flashed some in the preseason, is another option.
Brown: I expect the Ravens to explore numerous options as they attempt to solve their defensive woes. Here's where they rank defensively in the NFL through Week 3 – last in total defense, 31st against the pass, 31st in points allowed, and 30th against the run.
There could be lineup changes, there could be strategic changes, but I view this differently than last season. In 2024, surrendering big plays in the passing game was Baltimore's major defensive flaw early in the season. Once Ar'Darius Washington became a starter and Kyle Hamilton played primarily deep safety, the big plays against them disappeared, and the Ravens became a top defensive team.
So far in 2025, the Ravens aren't defending the run as well, and their lack of a consistent pass rush has put more stress on their pass defense. Baltimore has just three sacks, and only two NFL teams have fewer. In 2024, the Ravens had 54 sacks and were second in the league in that category.
I think Hamilton's versatility as someone who can play a variety of positions is a unique strength. Perhaps putting him near the line of scrimmage, where he can help defend the run and blitz more often, is something we'll see moving forward.
It's fair to say that the Ravens expected to start fast defensively this season, and it hasn't happened. Last season, they found answers, and they're working to do the same this season. However, with Washington (Achilles) expected to be out until at least November, some of the immediate solutions will have to be different.
Mink: I don't agree that there's been a lack of accountability. Henry clearly put the loss in Buffalo on his shoulders, and he apologized to everyone, even all of Flock Nation, after another fumble on Monday night. Hamilton said there are "no excuses," and he pointed at himself first for the porous run defense and tackling issues against the Lions.
Head Coach John Harbaugh was also pretty blunt in his assessment of the problem, saying, "That's bad run defense, and that's not who we are. It cannot be who we are. It's not going to be good enough. It's not going to be acceptable, and it has to be better."
When asked about the absence of Madubuike, Harbaugh said, "the guys that are out there are good enough to do it. We, as coaches, have to figure it out, and we have to get it done."
