Ravens Projected to Have a Top Three Defense in 2025
The 2024 Ravens defense overcame a rough start in Zach Orr's first year as defensive coordinator to become one of the stingiest units in the league in the second half of the season.
NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice believes the defense could be even better this year thanks to key additions in the draft and free agency. He has the Ravens at No. 3 in his top 10 defense rankings.
"What provoked such a dramatic turnaround [last season]?" Filice wrote. "Orr made a number of personnel tweaks to fix what had been a broken pass defense, including moving Kyle Hamilton to free safety. Hamilton admirably filled the role, underscoring his limitless ability, but Baltimore found a more permanent solution in the first round of April's draft. Highly pedigreed, instinctive safety Malaki Starks not only feels like a perfect Raven, but his ability as a center fielder will allow Hamilton to move back toward the line of scrimmage, where he terrorizes opposing offenses as a roaming playmaker.
"GM Eric DeCosta also fortified the cornerback position, taking a worthwhile gamble on injury riddled former Pro Bowler Jaire Alexander and signing Chidobe Awuzie as veteran depth. Mix in second-round pick Mike Green as a designated pass rusher in the edge rotation, and Orr's defense appears poised to build on last winter's remarkable surge."
The two teams ranked ahead of the Ravens were the Denver Broncos at No. 1 and Philadelphia Eagles at No. 2.
Last month, Filice ranked the top 10 offenses, and the Ravens were No. 3 there as well, making them the only team to be in the top three in offense and defense.
Jeff Zrebiec Looks at Ravens' Biggest Storylines Entering Training Camp
With the first full-squad practice of Ravens training camp just a week away, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec identified the biggest storylines for the team.
Here's a look at a couple:
Who will win the kicking competition?
"The Ravens haven't had a summer kicking competition since 2012, when [Justin] Tucker beat out the incumbent Billy Cundiff for the job. Until Tucker's struggles last season, the Ravens hadn't faced any kicker questions, omnipresent in other NFL cities, for over a decade. That and the fact that the Ravens don't have much roster intrigue elsewhere means the expected summer competition between sixth-round pick Tyler Loop and rookie free agent John Hoyland will be one of the most discussed daily stories in camp.
"Loop remains the favorite to win the job despite shaky performances during the organized team activities and mandatory minicamp. However, what matters is how he and Hoyland perform in training camp and preseason games. Plenty of eyes will be watching."
Will the Ravens be able to extend Lamar Jackson or anyone else?
"With Jackson's salary-cap number rising to $74.5 million next year and the list of Baltimore 2026 unrestricted free agents featuring names such as Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Tyler Linderbaum, Odafe Oweh, Travis Jones, Kyle Van Noy and Patrick Ricard, next offseason could be quite arduous for General Manager Eric DeCosta and the front office. Most contract talks are tabled once the regular season begins, so DeCosta and Baltimore's chief negotiator, Nick Matteo, essentially have two months to check off a few important items from next offseason's meaty to-do list.
"A two-time MVP, Jackson represents the most significant piece of business. If the Ravens can't agree to a contract extension with the quarterback before the start of the new league year in March, his cap number, which rises by more than $30 million in 2026, would make it nearly impossible for Baltimore to keep the nucleus of its roster together. Baltimore also figures to make a push to extend Likely, Linderbaum and safety Kyle Hamilton, who is under contract through 2026 but is only going to get more expensive as arguably the league's best safety."
Two Ravens Squads Ranked Among 25 Best Teams of Past 25 Years
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranked the 25 best teams of the past 25 years, and two Ravens teams made the list: the Super Bowl-winning 2000 squad (No. 13) and the 2023 squad that was the AFC's top seed (No. 18).
To help compile the rankings, Barnwell measured each team's scoring offense and defense per game, including the postseason, and then normalized them against the league average. The 2000 Ravens offense was only in the 58th percentile, while the suffocating defense ranked in the 99th percentile.
"This defense was actually in the 99.7th percentile as a unit led by Ray Lewis, Rod Woodson and Chris McAlister allowed just 10.3 points per game and 0.8 points per drive, both of which rank as the lowest marks posted by any squad over the past 25 years," Barnwell wrote. "More than simply stifling opposing teams, the Ravens also served as valuable help for their offense, generating an unbelievable 49 takeaways during the regular season, the most of any team during this 25-year window. They added 12 more across four postseason victories, including five each in the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl, a blowout win over the Giants."
The 2023 Ravens, who lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, were more balanced than the 2000 team, with a Jackson-led offense in the 92nd percentile and a defense in the 99th percentile.
"If you field one of the best defenses of the past quarter century and your quarterback plays well enough to win league MVP, you probably deserve to be on this list," Barnwell wrote. "I'm well aware of how things ended for the Ravens in the playoffs, but this team outscored its opposition by nearly 12 full points per game while facing the league's seventh-toughest schedule. Playing in a division in which every team posted a winning record, the Ravens comfortably won the AFC North and claimed the top seed in the AFC, blowing out playoff teams such as the Texans (25-9), Browns (28-3), Lions (38-6) and 49ers (33-19) in the process. They added a second big victory against the Texans in the divisional round, overcoming a slow start to win 34-10."
The 2012 Ravens team that won the Super Bowl received honorable mention.
Zay Flowers Shut Out of Top Wide Receiver Rankings by NFL Insiders
Despite making the Pro Bowl last season, Zay Flowers didn't receive a single vote from league executives, coaches, and scouts who ranked their top 10 wide receivers in an ESPN survey.
In addition to the receivers in the top 10, six others got honorable mention and nine more received votes.
Last season, Flowers finished in the top 20 in receiving yards (1,059) and yards per catch (14.3) playing in an offense that featured the league's No. 1 rushing attack. He also was No. 3 in the league in threat rate (target rate based on the number of routes the player runs), per Pro Football Focus.
John Harbaugh Is in Top Three in Two Sets of Head Coach Rankings
John Harbaugh's status as one of the NFL's most respected head coaches was reflected in two sets of head coach rankings.
Harbaugh was No. 2 in voting by Associated Press writers and placed at No. 3 by CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin.
Harbaugh, who enters his 18th season with a 172-104 record (.623) in the regular season and has 13 playoff wins and a Super Bowl title, is the second-longest-tenured current head coach behind the Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin (19th season). Tomlin was ranked 10th by Benjamin.
"Why is Harbaugh so much higher than Tomlin, his AFC North counterpart, given his similar lack of recent Lombardi action?" Benjamin wrote. "His Ravens have proven more adaptable, leaning into Lamar Jackson's legs while also developing the MVP's aerial efficiency, and they've also parlayed perennial playoff bids into actual postseason victories over the last half-decade.
"It feels like a matter of when, not if, Jackson will help get him over the hump again."
The Chiefs' Andy Reid took the top spot in both rankings. The Los Angeles Rams' Sean McVay was No. 2 on Benjamin's list.
