Mink: It's not fair to expect to put "savior" expectations on Jacoby Brissett's right shoulder. As Head Coach Jesse Minter said Monday, the Ravens expect Brissett to "operate our offense at a level required to be successful."
The Ravens want him to run the offense efficiently – get the ball out on time, avoid mistakes (he has an excellent touchdown to interception ratio), and re-open the explosive play potential. They want him to provide leadership to a group that has gone four straight games scoring below 14 points.
In short, the Ravens want Brissett to be more spark than savior. The Ravens have thrown for 123 yards in their past two games. That's likely going to change with Brissett under center.
I expect he'll do a good job of getting the ball in the hands of his playmakers, particularly Zay Flowers, who has been held in check the past two weeks. Brissett has also helped tight end Trey McBride flourish in Arizona, so he could find good chemistry with Mark Andrews and the Ravens' other tight ends.
Still, even if Brissett plays well, the Ravens need to improve in other areas to turn the season around. The rushing game has stagnated over the past several weeks. Baltimore's defense has been giving up too many explosive plays and points. The penalties need to subside. It's certainly not too late to fix these things with half the season to go, but Baltimore needs to start now.
Brown: Yes, Ryan Neuzil's role with the Ravens will be interesting to watch unfold.
My guess is that he'll be a backup center/guard who can fill in at either spot. The Ravens have dealt with plenty of offensive line injuries this year. Vega Ioane is recently returning from a knee injury, and Cam Jurgens had a concussion this year, and back issues when he was with the Philadelphia Eagles. If anything were to happen to Jurgens, Neuzil could step in instead of having to move Ioane to center again.
Neuzil is a proven starting center who and adds quality depth. He's familiar with Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Dwayne Ledford's system from their days together with the Atlanta Falcons.
Adding Neuzil seems like a good fit for the Ravens regardless of his role. Andrew Vorhees who was no longer a starter and was not developing as quickly as the Ravens hoped earlier in this career.
I don't expect Neuzil to be moved immediately into Baltimore's starting lineup, but as you mentioned, super utility linemen are valuable.
Mink: The trade deadline just passed, so it's not like the Ravens can go out and get a premier pass rusher to add to the mix.
Baltimore has had some unfortunate injuries at outside linebacker with Trey Hendrickson suffering a hand injury in Week 1. Not only did it sideline him for two games, but it has made everything more difficult playing with just three fingers on one hand.
An under-the-radar loss was Tavius Robinson, who suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in Week 6. Robinson is still tied for the team lead with 3.5 sacks.
Robinson is tied with Mike Green, who has been moved to the left side of the Ravens' defensive front to allow Hendrickson to keep rushing from his preferred right side. Green has taken a step forward this season and needs to continue that trajectory. Second-round rookie Zion Young and undrafted rookie Ethan Burke have flashed, too.
The Ravens have gotten just seven collective sacks in nine games from non-outside linebackers. They have two from defensive linemen (Nnamdi Madubuike and Calais Campbell with one each). In order to get more pressure on quarterbacks, it's going to have to come from multiple sources.
Brown: As of Wednesday morning, free agent kickers available included Nick Folk, Daniel Carlson, Riley Patterson, and Harrison Mevis.
They were among the most likely candidates to replace Jake Moody, who the Atlanta Falcons signed off Baltimore's practice squad on Tuesday. The Ravens could also opt to sign a kicker off another team's practice squad.
Baltimore will be without Tyler Loop (right groin) for at least the next three games, so finding the right person for the kicker role is important. Moody was off to an encouraging starting after making a 53-yarder in his Baltimore debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Ravens' offense has been struggling recently, and they can't afford to leave points on the board as they look to make a push during the second half of the season. Regardless of who takes over during the next three weeks and beyond, having a kicker who performs consistently will remain extremely important.
