Trades for Dre'Mont Jones, Alohi Gilman Continue to Receive Praise
While the Ravens didn't make any splashy moves before the trade deadline, the consensus is that they made sound, logical trades that will help them this season without mortgaging their future.
The Ravens made The Athletic’s Mike Jones’ list of trade deadline winners.
"Adding Dre'Mont Jones from the Tennessee Titans gives the defense another pass rusher, which meets a need," Jones wrote. "But the Ravens also should feel relieved that the Pittsburgh Steelers didn't emerge from the trade deadline having added another wide receiver to complement DK Metcalf, which certainly would have helped Pittsburgh's quest to remain atop the AFC North standings."
Former NFL head coach Bruce Arians said landing Jones is "huge" for the Ravens because he'll be a force multiplier.
"This guy can rush the passer, and they'll be able to use Kyle Van Noy in different ways," Arians said on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show." "[Jones] can play multiple spots, and you get him on the edge, maybe Kyle rushing on the weakest link on the offensive line. I think they'll do a hell of a job with him, and he's going to be a big upgrade for them."
FOX Sports' Daily Ranker ranked the Ravens' acquisition of Jones as the fourth-most impactful in-season trade this year.
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr named safety Kyle Hamilton as a trade deadline winner because of how the additions of Alohi Gilman and Jones impact him.
"Hamilton has had two of his best weeks of the season as Baltimore continues to cobble together a complementary defense on the fly," Orr wrote. "The arrival of Alohi Gilman and now the trade for Dre'Mont Jones gives Baltimore more pieces that can increase the Ravens' ability to generate organic and designer pressure and allow Hamilton to continue expanding his role as one of the league's most versatile defenders. Over the last three weeks, the Ravens have been seventh in defensive EPA, reshaping a bleak unit that allowed 37 or more points in four games this year."
Pundits Contend Concerns About the Trenches Remain for Ravens
The Ravens recently made three solid additions to their defense in Gilman, Jones, and Carl Lawson, but pundits contend there are still concerns in the trenches on both sides of the ball coming out of the trade deadline.
Baltimore Positive’s Luke Jones said the significant void on the defensive interior created by defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike's season-ending neck injury wasn't sufficiently addressed.
"To be fair, the June signing of 36-year-old nose tackle John Jenkins has been a solid replacement for the retired Michael Pierce, but the absence of an impact 3-technique defensive tackle really hinders expectations for this pass rush the rest of the way," Luke Jones wrote. "That's why the idea of trading for Quinnen Williams was so exciting, especially with Madubuike's long-term future unclear."
Luke Jones said a case can be made that sending a first-round pick to the New York Jets for Williams would have been worth it, but he acknowledged that "surrendering as much as Dallas did to land him is a different story, especially if the Cowboys would have been willing to go even higher than a first, a second-round choice, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith."
The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer said the addition of Jones, who has experience as an interior rusher in addition to playing on the edge, makes the pass rush more flexible, but the Ravens still "lack a game-wrecking presence up front."
Regarding the offensive line, Luke Jones said that the unit's uneven play has made it more difficult to run the ball consistently and protect Lamar Jackson.
"[That] is an unnerving combination for any would-be contender," Luke Jones wrote. "And as we saw at the deadline, most teams simply aren't in the business of parting with quality offensive linemen."
Indeed, there was only one trade involving an offensive lineman, as the New Orleans Saints sent struggling left guard Trevor Penning to the Los Angeles Chargers for a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Shaffer said there is cause for optimism for the Ravens' offensive line going forward.
"The best hope for the Ravens is that history repeats itself up front," Shaffer wrote. "Over their first 13 games last season, right guard Daniel Faalele graded out on PFF as one of the NFL's worst interior starters. After a Week 14 bye, however, he was rated a top-10 guard by PFF's grading. Right tackle Roger Rosengarten had a similar, if less dramatic, late-season improvement. Left guard Andrew Vorhees, meanwhile, who struggled over his first three starts last season before being sidelined by an ankle injury and losing his starting job, had his best performance of his year in a Week 18 appearance.
"There's hope behind them, too, with the return of third-round pick Emery Jones Jr. But he will need to be ramped up quickly. Rookie offensive linemen struggle to hold their own physically and mentally. The challenge is even stiffer for rookies who have practiced for only about a month since the draft."
Ravens Get Below-Average Midseason Grade But Are Still Popular Pick to Win AFC North
With the season at the midpoint, pundits are looking at the current state of teams and how the second half could play out.
Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame issued midseason report cards and gave the Ravens a "D."
"This has been a bizarre year for Baltimore," Verderame wrote. "One of the Super Bowl favorites coming in, the Ravens started 1–5 thanks to a horrific defense that allowed 32.3 points per game during that stretch. Lamar Jackson also missed three games with a hamstring injury.
"However, the Ravens are headed in the right direction, beating the Bears and Dolphins in consecutive games while allowing just 22 points combined. Things have been ugly so far, but fortunes could be turning."
NFL.com’s panel of analysts also believes the Ravens are on the right path. Even though the Ravens (3-5) trail the first-place Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3) by two games in the AFC North, 22 of 25 NFL.com analysts predicted the Ravens will win the division. The three other voters went with the Steelers.
Add ESPN’s Dan Graziano to those who are bullish on Baltimore.
"I'm confident the Ravens will run down Pittsburgh and win the AFC North in spite of their terrible start to the season," Graziano wrote.
ESPN’s Football Power Index, which is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season, has the Ravens ranked as the eighth-best team in the league. That puts them ahead of teams such as the Denver Broncos (7-2), New England Patriots (7-2), Seattle Seahawks (6-2), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2). The Steelers are 17th.
- Hamilton made Pro Football Focus’ Midseason All-Pro Team.
- Outside linebacker Mike Green, inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan, safety Malaki Starks, and kicker Tyler Loop received honorable mention for The Athletic’s Midseason All-Rookie Team.
