Pundit Says Trey Hendrickson Is Best Pass Rusher Ravens Have Ever Had
Trey Hendrickson has been one of the top pass rushers in the NFL for the better part of his nine-year career, which is why the Ravens landing him is widely regarded as the best free-agency acquisition of the offseason.
Is it possible that Baltimore's signing of Hendrickson should be getting even more praise? Ravens in 5’s Gordon McGuinness believes so, and he makes a compelling case.
"It can be season-defining, and there are three stats that prove why," McGuinness said. "Stat No. 1 is pass rush win rate. Trey Hendrickson has produced a 20% or better pass rush win rate in each of the past three seasons. The Ravens have never had an edge defender produce 20% or better. Stat No. 2: In his last full season in 2024, Hendrickson produced 83 total pressures. The last Ravens edge rusher to hit 83 total pressures was Terrell Suggs in 2010, and he needed an extra 142 pass rushing snaps to hit the same total that Hendrickson HIT. Stat No. 3: Hendrickson has earned a 90.3 or better PFF pass rush grade in each of the past three seasons. The Ravens haven't had an edge defender hit 90.0 since Elvis Dumervil in 2013.
"Simply put, I think Trey Hendrickson is the best edge defender the Ravens have ever had from a pass rushing perspective. … We may be about to see the best season we have ever seen from a Ravens edge defender. And for a team that has lacked a closer on defense, particularly in the playoffs in recent years, that's something that could be absolutely huge when it comes to defining their season in January and potentially February."
Beyond the impressive statistics, Hendrickson also brings intangible qualities, as noted by Head Coach Jesse Minter.
"He's coming into a new situation, new defense, new terminology. Just to watch his process of how he learns, how he needs to know what he needs to know and also know what everybody else is doing," Minter said at OTAs last week. "He's an unbelievable leader in the edge room. He's helping really bring those young guys along as well."
Minter-Lamar Jackson Combination Ranked Second-Best New Coach-Quarterback Duo
Twelve of the NFL's 32 teams have either a new head coach, new quarterback, or both.
CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin ranked all of this season's first-time coach-quarterback duos, and the Minter-Lamar Jackson combination was No. 2.
"Jackson should be fully healthy after having plenty of time to heal from the injuries that plagued him last season," Dubin wrote. "As a two-time MVP, we know what he's capable of when he's at the top of his game. Minter is one of the most widely respected defensive minds in the NFL. The only reason these guys aren't at No. 1 is because we also have another top-tier pairing to consider."
That would be the Buffalo Bills' duo of Joe Brady, who was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach, and Josh Allen. Dubin said the top two spots were a toss-up.
"These two were initially flipped, but the continuity that Allen has with Brady combined with his durability compared to Jackson forced a change," Dubin wrote. "A bit more confidence exists in what Minter brings to the table on his side of the ball than in what Brady does on his. Still, you can't really go wrong by putting either of these two at the top of the list, and they are pretty clearly the two top new duos. It just depends on what you value."
The other new coach-quarterback duos in the AFC North – Aaron Rodgers-Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh and Todd Monken-Deshaun Watson in Cleveland – were ranked No. 7 and No. 12, respectively.
Ravens Remain in Top Three in Offensive Triplets Rankings
Akin to Dubin's rankings, Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame ranked all 32 teams' offensive triplets (quarterback, running back, and top pass-catcher).
The Ravens' trio of Jackson, running back Derrick Henry, and wide receiver Zay Flowers, who were No. 1 in last year's rankings, came in at No. 3.
"Despite Jackson missing a month with a hamstring pull last year, he remains one of the elite quarterbacks in the game," Verderame wrote. "Then there's Henry, who in his age-31 season ran for 1,595 yards and 16 touchdowns on 5.2 YPC. On the perimeter, Flowers had 86 catches for 1,211 yards, even without someone helping to pull coverage off him."
The Los Angeles Rams (Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, and Puka Nacua) took the top spot, followed by the Detroit Lions (Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Amon-Ra St. Brown).
Pundit Says Ravens Would Be Good Fit if Tight End Kyle Pitts Is Available at Trade Deadline
Eric DeCosta has been aggressive at the trade deadline since taking over as general manager in 2019. Interestingly, most deals were for defensive players.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes that trend could change this season. Graziano named Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts as a player the Ravens could target if he ends up on the trade block before the Nov. 3 deadline.
"Baltimore lost a pair of tight ends -- Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar -- in free agency and could be looking for the kind of offense Pitts can generate," Graziano wrote.
The Falcons placed the franchise tag on Pitts for this season. The two sides have until July 15 to work out a contract extension.
Pitts, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has had inconsistent production during his five seasons in Atlanta. However, he is coming off a season in which he set career highs in catches (88) and touchdowns (five), and his 928 receiving yards were the most since he had 1,026 as a rookie.
The Ravens currently have four tight ends on the roster, led by returning starter Mark Andrews. They double-dipped in the draft, selecting Matt Hibner in the fourth round and Josh Cuevas in the fifth, and signed veteran Durham Smythe in free agency.
Henry, Jackson Among Leaders in Explosive Players Over Past Five Seasons
Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker tabulated the most explosive players over the past five seasons. Unsurprisingly, Henry and Jackson were among them.
Henry had 191 explosive plays, which PFF defines as rushes of at least 10 yards and receptions of at least 15 yards. That's secondly only to Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson's 194 such plays.
"Henry presents a virtually unprecedented mix of size and acceleration at the running back position, and it's no surprise that he's near the summit of this list," Locker wrote. "His 169 explosive rushes lead the way over the last five years, and he's also chipped in 22 catches of 10-plus yards.
"Aging hasn't hindered Henry, either. Even at age 31 in 2025, 'The King' ranked fourth with 36 explosive carries and tacked on two such receptions. His sustainable skill next to Lamar Jackson continues to make the Ravens nearly unguardable on the ground."
As for explosive runs, Jackson's 146 were the fourth-most overall and the most among quarterbacks, 28 more than Allen.
