Ravens defensive line could be even stronger in 2017

Anybody who has watched the Ravens this season will adamantly state the defensive line as the team's strongest unit. Until the strange December collapse, the Ravens run defense, spearheaded by said defensive line was one of the top in history, per footballoutsiders.com's DVOA measure. If the Ravens re-sign Brandon Williams, the line has the potential to get even stronger.

Enter Willie Henry and Carl Davis. Henry spent the year split between the inactive list and injured reserved, presumably taking it as a redshirt. If he develops, he will offer the explosiveness on the interior that the defense does not quite possess. While Timmy Jernigan has a high motor, his first step is not elite. Henry's would be the best on the line.

Davis showed flashes as a rookie but early reports in the training camp of his second year were not positive. He was expected to make strides in the physical department but his body had not changed. Davis too spent the year on injured reserve. But if he returns and improves, his versatility and his impressive movement skills for a bigger guy would allow the Ravens to play him across the line, and employ him in the role Haloti Ngata use to occupy, as the set up man on T-E stunts.

Davis and Henry will also help thicken a rotation that suffered as the year went on. Timmy Jernigan's shoulder injury is likely to have impacted the dip in his production, and Michael Pierce's lack of versatility limited the Ravens when they were forced to play the run with two nose tackles on early downs, only to have teams drop back to pass. The Patriots did this exceptionally well, running Legarette Blount against lighter boxes and spreading out the Ravens on first downs.

The arrival of Henry and Davis can only be looked at as a positive for the strongest unit on the team. It is likely to only get stronger.