Marlon Humphrey's take is that the Ravens need to force more takeaways.
That was a major point of emphasis throughout OTAs and minicamp, and it won't change when the players return for training camp in July.
The numbers don't lie. The Ravens had just 17 takeaways during the 2024 regular season, compared to 2023 when they had 31 takeaways to tie for the NFL lead. Then, in a heartbreaking 27-25 playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Ravens' offense committed three turnovers while the Ravens' defense didn't generate any.
Baltimore's inability to take the ball from Buffalo's offense on a cold, slippery night still irks Humphrey. The four-time Pro Bowl cornerback has thought about it for months and has delivered that message to his defensive teammates.
In 2025, Humphrey believes forcing more turnovers should be a mindset for Baltimore's defense, a talented unit that he believes has the potential to dominate.
"I can only speak on the defense; I feel that when I first came to the Ravens, it was all about the Ravens' defense," Humphrey said. "I feel like I've let that standard kind of slip, and that's something that I want to get back.
"Obviously, we love Lamar Jackson. He's a great player, but I want the Ravens' identity to be defense like it was when I first got here, so that's something that we're chirping in our room. That's something 'Z.O.' (Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr) is leading the front with. We have to get the football."
Signing Jaire Alexander on Wednesday adds another sticky defender to Baltimore's secondary who is a two-time Pro Bowler with 12 career interceptions, three forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries. The Ravens now have seven players on their defense who were first-round picks – linebackers Roquan Smith and Odafe Oweh, and defensive backs Humphrey, Alexander, Nate Wiggins, Kyle Hamilton, and rookie safety Malaki Starks.
It was fitting that on the last day of mandatory minicamp, Wiggins, T.J. Tampa, and Beau Brade all had interceptions. The Ravens' defense has displayed a ball-hawking mentality throughout offseason workouts, and the pads haven't even come on yet.
Alexander didn't practice Wednesday after just arriving in town, but Hamilton likes what he has seen this offseason from the defense.
"Just these two days of minicamp, you can kind of see the trajectory that we think we're on," Hamilton said. "There's still a lot of work to be done, obviously, and it's going to continue throughout the season. But I mean, we're off to a great start. It seems like we're playing 12-on-11 out there sometimes – no offense to the offense, and they'll probably have a different answer to that – but I think we're clicking really well right now."
Humphrey said he watched highlights of the 2000 Ravens, who won the franchise's first Super Bowl with a defense that many believe was the greatest of all time. He wants this year's defense to adopt a similar mentality – to make domination the standard.
"I was unaware of how elite that 2000 Ravens defense was, and when I was watching some of those playoff games, you didn't really need an offense, honestly," Humphrey said. "They were just making so many plays and forcing turnovers."
The NFL's top six leaders in takeaways during the 2024 regular season all made the playoffs – the Minnesota Vikings (33), Pittsburgh Steelers (33), Bills (32), Green Bay Packers (31), Houston Texans (29), and the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles (26).
The Ravens want to be part of that upper echelon in 2025 when it comes to takeaways. Whether it's via their pass rush, run pursuit, or pass coverage, the more takeaways they get, the better their chances of reaching their ultimate goal.
"It doesn't really matter how good you play defensively. If you can't get the football, you're not playing good enough, and so that's the biggest thing to harp on," Humphrey said. "Like I said, that's got to be our identity. All 11 guys that's on the field – get the ball, get the ball, get the ball, get the ball.
"I think the OTA was a good glimpse of what we're preaching, putting it to practice, and then when training camp comes, season comes, everybody's got to be rolling."
