Ravens 2024 place assessment: Defensive Line

With the 2024 season formally within the books and the beginning of the brand new league yr every week away, it’s the right time to assessment the Baltimore Ravens one place group at a time earlier than utterly turning the web page ahead to gearing up for 2025.

Within the subsequent installment of this text collection, the defensive linemen are up after a yr the place they have been the driving pressure behind the NFL’s prime run protection and aided in elevating one of many prime pass-rushing models.

Nnamdi Madubuike

Photograph by Al Bello/Getty Pictures

After breaking the financial institution following a breakout 2023 marketing campaign by which he led all inside defensive linemen within the league with sacks and earned each Professional Bowl and Second Workforce All Professional honors, Madubuike entered the 2024 season with elevated expectations. With a confirmed pedigree and a brand new tax bracket got here extra consideration from opposing offenses attempting to restrict his influence and was nonetheless a disruptive pressure. He was being double and triple-teamed at a a lot greater price this previous season in comparison with the yr earlier than and noticed his sack and quarterback hits totals minimize in half down to six.5 sacks and 17 from 13 and 33 in 2023 however was nonetheless obtained his second straight Professional Bowl nod.

The Ravens firmly consider that sacks aren’t every little thing particularly in relation to evaluating the total scope of a go rusher’s influence. Madubuike’s presence helped increase the extent of play of these round him and the additional blockers and sliding of safety that have been dedicated to preserving him at bay allowed a few of his teammates to wreak havoc they usually did. The Ravens completed second within the league in sacks with outdoors linebackers reaching double digits in sacks. When the Ravens wanted a play made upfront down the stretch and within the playoffs, Madubuike typically answered the decision whether or not it was a sack, sort out for loss or key strain. He led the staff in sacks through the playoffs together with two towards the Steelers for his second recreation of the season with a number of.

Travis Jones

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The 2022 third-rounder’s 2024 season was a main instance of sacks aren’t every little thing as he simply had one within the common season and none within the playoffs but he was dominant for a lot of the yr as each an inside go rusher and run stuffer. Jones frequently parted double-teams like Crimson Sea and devoured up ball carriers for giant stops at and behind the road of scrimmage. He was a driving pressure for the Ravens’ top-ranked rush protection and recorded a career-high 42 complete tackles together with 4 for a loss and 4 quarterback hits.

Michael Pierce

Photograph by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire through Getty Pictures

Whereas the Ravens completed the common season with the highest dashing protection, they didn’t maintain that mantle from begin to end however the veteran nostril sort out performed an integral position in serving to them end atop the rankings. It’s not a coincidence that essentially the most inconsistent stretch the unit went by means of when it got here to slowing down opposing operating video games occurred through the time Pierce was on injured reserve with a calf pressure. From Week 9-13, they gave up three of their six 100-yard dashing video games together with a regular-season-high 140 to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier than the bye week.

Upon his return, they acquired again to dominating within the trenches towards the run, permitting a median of 71.5 yards on the bottom within the ultimate 4 video games. In 13 video games together with the playoffs, Pierce recorded three sacks, 5 quarterback hits, 25 complete tackles together with two for a loss and his first profession interception within the common season finale on an exceptional play the place he dropped into protection and broke on the ball.

Broderick Washington

Photograph by Nick Cammett/Diamond Pictures through Getty Pictures

The fifth-year veteran noticed a slight uptick in his taking part in time this previous season, being on the sphere for 45% of complete defensive snaps which is up from 38% in 2023. Washington continued to do the soiled work on early downs towards the run whereas flashing his potential as an inside go rusher when he may, tying his single-season career-high of two for the second yr in a row. He appeared in 15 video games and recorded 21 complete tackles together with one for a loss, two quarterback hits, two go breakups and his first profession compelled fumble.

Brent City

Photograph by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Pictures

Regardless of being the one defensive lineman to not document a sack or quarterback hit a yr after logging career-highs in each the yr earlier than with three and 6, the 11-year veteran defensive finish nonetheless discovered was to make his presence felt within the video games he appeared in. City was lively for 13 common season video games as an early down run defender. He recorded 20-plus complete tackles for the third yr in a row since returning to Baltimore and regardless that he didn’t get residence for a sack, he was in a position to bat down a pair of passes on the line of scrimmage for incompletions.