Ravens News 6/9: Best OT duos and more

Ravens Coaches Return to the Under Armour Performance Center - Ryan Mink

Head Coach John Harbaugh and members his staff are returning to the Under Armour Performance Center on Monday for the first time in about three months.

The coaches will be in and out of the office over the next two weeks, meeting with each other and preparing for an expected full return later this summer.

The Ravens have the reigning NFL Coach of the Year (Harbaugh), Assistant Coach of the Year (Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman), and arguably the league’s best defensive coordinator in Wink Martindale. They lead arguably the top coaching staff in the NFL, one that has been kept intact after a franchise-best 14-2 regular season.

Best offensive tackle duos in the NFL ahead of the 2020 season - Ben Linsey

3. BALTIMORE RAVENS: LT RONNIE STANLEY AND RT ORLANDO BROWN JR.

Stanley came away from last season as PFF’s Pass-Blocker of the Year, and no matter which way you cut it, his numbers were elite. Stanley led the way at the tackle position with a 93.3 pass-blocking grade — the only tackle above 90.0 last season — and his pressure rate of 1.3% was a comfortable first for the position as well. The next closest tackle with 250 or more pass-blocking snaps (Taylor Lewan) had a rate of more than double (2.9%) Stanley’s. As PFF’s Sam Monson pointed out in the piece naming revealing the pass blocker of the year, Stanley stood out as elite even in tougher pass-blocking situations (extended dropbacks, plays without help, plays with no play action or rollouts, etc.). Quite simply, he’s one of the best young tackles in the NFL.

Brown’s 72.0 overall grade in 2019 was an improvement over what we saw from him as a rookie in 2018, but it’s also not a number that blows you away. Brown’s 82.5 pass-blocking grade in 2019, though, is very impressive for a player as young as he is. It was underlined by a 78.4 pass-blocking grade in true pass sets — plays that are more indicative of an offensive lineman’s true pass-blocking performance — which ranked among the top 10 tackles in the NFL. With pass protection like that from Stanley and Brown, opposing edge defenders should once again be in for tough sledding against Baltimore in 2020. At least they’re rewarded with the task of tackling Lamar Jackson if they do get past Stanley or Brown.

NFL rookie running backs: Who’ll be most productive in 2020? My top 7 - Cynthia Frelund

5) J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens

Drafted: Round 2, No. 55 overall

College: Ohio State

With the third-most yards after contact in the FBS since 2017 (2,652, per PFF) and the third-most last season alone (1,208), it makes sense that Dobbins had 31 rushes of 15-plus yards in 2019 (most in FBS) and forced 73 missed tackles on rushes. Sixteen of those came in the 2019 Big Ten title game win over Wisconsin — the third-most missed tackles forced by any player in a single 2019 game, per PFF. But for Mark Ingram and Lamar Jackson, who combined for 2,224 rushing yards last season, Dobbins’ projection would have been quite a bit higher than No. 30, where he ranks among running backs in my PPR projections.

Baltimore Ravens Roster Projection: Wide Receivers - Todd Karpovich

The Baltimore Ravens have a strong group of young wide receivers.

As a result, there will be some heated competition to grab a spot on the final 53-man roster. Jaleel Scott, a fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft, will need to have a stellar training camp or he might have to continue his career elsewhere.

Here’s an early look at the receivers that should make the team:

5. Willie Snead

Snead signed a one-year, $6 million extension with the Ravens in October. He provides a strong, veteran presence to this young group. Snead has solid hands is also a key blocker for the running attack. Last season, he finished with 31 receptions for 339 yards and a career-high 5 touchdowns.

6. Chris Moore

Moore was selected by the Ravens in the fourth round (107th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. He’s been a key contributor on special teams. He had 81 kickoff return yards on four attempts (20.3 avg.) and tallied four special teams tackles. Moore also caught three passes for 21 yards. In 2018, Moore had 22 kickoff returns for 491 yards (22.3 avg.).