When Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver sat down with Mike Green to show him a film cut-up of just how close he came to getting a lot more sacks last season, Green was relieved.
After leading college football with 17 sacks at Marshall in 2024, Green was grappling with how he notched just 3.5 sacks as a rookie last season.
"I think that cut-up showed me a lot about myself," Green said. "Even though I feel like I didn't necessarily meet the standard that I wanted to meet last year, I came very close."
Green and the Ravens are hoping the time is now. Entering his second season, Green is being counted on to be a key piece in Baltimore's pass rush revival after the team had just 30 sacks last season – tied for third-fewest in the NFL.
"It's not an ability thing," Weaver said. "He is milliseconds away from having double-digit sacks, and we are going to do everything we can to try to make that happen this year."
Weaver remembers how high the Miami Dolphins, where he was the defensive coordinator the past two seasons, had Green on their draft board. Green was one of their top two outside linebackers. Now, Weaver is thrilled to now work with Green in Baltimore.
Green also welcomes the new coaching staff. He felt like the pass rush philosophy last year under the former regime didn't unleash the edge rushers and wasn't shaped around their strengths.
Meanwhile, Jesse Minter coordinated a Los Angeles Chargers defense that finished last season tied for the 10th-most tackles in the league (45). With Minter now leading Baltimore's defense, Green says the Ravens have a different pass rush approach.
There was direct evidence of that difference last season. Odafe Oweh had zero sacks in his first five games in Baltimore, then posted 7.5 sacks in 12 games with Minter's Chargers.
"It's a little bit more attacking rather than containing," Green said. "I feel like a lot last year was a little bit more containing, a little bit more conservative. But I think now, it's like, 'Go you attack the quarterback, do your best moves.' So I feel like that can bring a lot of more things to the table, especially when you've got these great pass rushers in the room."
Beyond Green, the Ravens have plenty of talent at outside linebacker. They spent big in free agency on veteran Trey Hendrickson, used a second-round pick on Zion Young, and have Tavius Robinson returning from a career year. It's a talented and complementary group that should stress offensive lines on the interior and on the edges.
Green said Hendrickson has been coaching him up and "really helps me elevate my game a lot."
"Trey, he's a great player. He's a great person overall. I feel like he brings so much value to this to this defense that a lot of people probably don't really realize, besides the sacks," Green said.
"I'm also extremely grateful to have Trey, you know, for selfish reasons, because when they try to slide to his side and chip and double team and do all that stuff to him, it's going to take a little bit more stress off me."
Green has added a little more muscle this offseason, but nothing dramatic. The biggest changes are going to be scheme and between the ears. He said he's made a "huge improvement" in quickly processing what the offense is doing.
The game is slowing down. Now, Green just needs to speed up his pass rush a tiny bit, and he'll likely reap the rewards.
"When Coach [Weaver] put up all those clips of me being this close, it kind of it brings light to me and it inspires me to acknowledge how talented I am," Green said. "But also to acknowledge how close I was to being able to have these double-digit sacks."
