The Ravens’ secondary is a primary concern.
Rookie head coach Jesse Minter can try to downplay it at times, and talk around it, but the fact that he is flooding the field with more defensive backs than anyone in the AFC (in dime coverage 33% of the time, nearly twice as much as anyone in his conference) with not much to show for it has to be grating on him. Hybrid defender Kyle Hamilton, playing more linebacker now, has been the voice of reason, calling out this group for not playing to its standard, and this better get cleaned up quickly.
The Ravens get Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow off a bye on Sunday then it’s Josh Allen off a bye in Buffalo and Trevor Lawrence, Bryce Young and CJ Stroud are all in good form and looming. The schedule is about to get very real, and the Ravens need to get more out of their cornerbacks in particular. And Minter knows it.
“I think every week we're chasing certain things,” Minter said on Wednesday. “Really, after the Dallas game, I didn't think we – as much as their weapons were what they were – I really didn't think we played the run that well and played blocks and played really physically. I thought going into that next game we really improved in that area. Then it was obviously third down, and we're chasing improvement in that area.
“So, I think there's a lot of things that the guys are getting more in tune with each other, with how we play, physicality, being able to stop the run and the different coverages that we try to play. But there's always a million things that we're chasing, and it's no different this week. But I do see – I've told the defense now for a few weeks in a row, you see improvement. We're not anywhere where we want to be, but I see us getting better. And to Kyle's point, let's just keep chasing improvement every single day."
Minter needs to consider these measures to try to fix his secondary and especially to cull more impact from his corners, which has been a specialty of his throughout his career. This should be the progression:
1. TJ Tampa Gets A Run/Marlon To The Slot
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta has been whispering about his good this kid is for years and bragging to the local media – barely covertly, I guess – about how other teams covet him and want him in trade. Well, your team’s corners are allowing a bottom-10 passer rating and have combined for a handful of pass breakups and no picks despite being thrown on more in the fourth quarter than anyone else.
So now that Tampa is coming back from his latest injury setback, let’s get him on the field and give him a real runway. Not just a handful of dime snaps, but real stuff. Like starting outside corner stuff, because you need to fix your slot in the worst way possible, and Marlon Humphrey needs to try to earn his $19M there.
Young corners Keyon Martin and Chandler Rivers are allowing a passer rating of 119 in the slot and overall the numbers in the slot are brutal: 117.7 passer rating (27th) and 510 yards (27th). These elite QBs will shred them there and that’s where Humphrey needs to be (and if that doesn’t work just keep reading).
2. Exhaust The Practice Squad
Minter doesn’t want to play veteran Chidobe Awuzie and hasn’t ever seemed to favor him, and it’s hard to see that changing with Tampa working back to the lineup. I like corner Amani Oruwariye and he has the long levers and body type that worked so well for Minter running his zone stuff with the Chargers.
He’s played in the league and played okay at times and has a skillset that would seem to lend itself to this scheme. This dude is 6-foot-2, 200 pounds. Probably worthy of a look-see if this team keeps blowing leads and getting torched by competent wide receivers. The Ravens also haven’t been tested by tight ends really yet but the propensity for that is increasing as soon as Sunday.
3. Make A Trade
One could argue despite all the money and resources and former first-round picks at this position it is both the most underachieving and/or the biggest position of need on the roster. Yoi have to give to get and moving out Humphrey’s salary to create wiggle room to add wouldn’t be crazy.
The Ravens have the least cap space in the NFL, with limited options to restructure to add in a meaningful way, and addition by subtraction could be in order. The Chargers are a miserable 0-6, Minter knows their defensive backs incredibly well, and the Ravens and Chargers made a trade a year ago in which Minter turned benched first-round pick Odafe Oweh into a stud in LA.
Maybe he could do it again on Baltimore’s side this year, but it might require moving salary to create space, and specifically create space at corner. I wouldn’t discount the idea and as longtime NFL personnel guy Pat Kirwan pointed out to me before the season the Ravens should be able to run a cheaper secondary with the scheme the star and not carrying bloated $20M contracts for allegedly top man-coverage guys who don’t pick the ball off.
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