Ravens News 2/17: Most Improved and more

Every NFL team’s most improved player in 2022 - Gordon McGuinness

BALTIMORE RAVENS: LB PATRICK QUEEN

2021 PFF Grade: 43.5

2022 PFF Grade: 69.7

Improvement: 26.2

Queen has flashed at times throughout this three-year career in Baltimore, but the consistency just wasn’t there. While he was still a little up and down for the Ravens this past season, we also saw the longest stretches of improved play. After improving his PFF grade from 29.7 to 43.5 from 2020 to 2021, Queen once again saw a huge jump in 2022, including career highs in PFF run-defense grade (64.6) and PFF coverage grade (65.5).

Five young players the Ravens need more from in 2023 - Luke Jones

CBs Jalyn Armour-Davis/Damarion Williams

With veteran starter Marcus Peters scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, the Ravens need at least one of these 2022 fourth-round picks to join Stephens as options defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald can use with some confidence. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Armour-Davis was benched after some early-season opportunities on the outside and also had injury concerns, the latter being a big reason why the Alabama product fell to the fourth round in the first place. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Williams struggled in an October audition to be Baltimore’s nickel, which prompted the Ravens to move rookie first-round safety Kyle Hamilton into that role for the second half of the season. You don’t expect fourth-round picks to excel immediately, of course, but depth concerns at cornerback will be unavoidable if neither Armour-Davis nor Williams take a step forward in 2023.

Ravens re-sign DL Brent Urban, CB Daryl Worley - Jonas Shaffer

The 6-foot-7 Urban, 31, played in 16 games last season, finishing with 21 tackles (two for loss) and a sack, as well as a career-high three passes defended. He averaged 18.7 defensive snaps per game and lined up everywhere along the Ravens’ defensive front, from tackle to end to outside linebacker.

With Urban re-signed and Calais Campbell set to return in 2023, the Ravens could bring back their top five defensive linemen from last year’s team. Urban and Campbell, along with Justin Madubuike, Broderick Washington and rookie Travis Jones, helped hold opponents to 1.2 rushing yards before contact per carry last season, the fourth-best mark in the NFL, according to TruMedia.

Five stats that tell the story of new Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken - C.J. Doon

71

In his first season as an NFL play-caller, Monken’s Buccaneers offense ranked second in the league with 71 completions of 20 or more yards, behind only the Kansas City Chiefs and breakout star Patrick Mahomes.

Since their first season in Baltimore in 1996, the Ravens have never had more than 54 such competitions. In 2022, with Jackson out for the final five games of the regular season, they finished with just 33. Only the New York Giants (28) had fewer.

Monken’s passing offense at Georgia was also one of the nation’s most explosive behind former walk-on quarterback-turned-Heisman Trophy finalist Stetson Bennett. The Bulldogs had 70 completions of 20 or more yards in 2022, which ranked third nationally behind only Western Kentucky (second-most passing attempts in the country) and Southern California (led by Heisman winner Caleb Williams).

5 NFL players who should be traded this offseason: DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Evans to continue WR trend? - Adam Rank

Mike Evans

I’ve seen trade chatter pop up around Tee Higgins, but the Bengals should re-up the young stud, not move him. D.J. Moore and Jerry Jeudy were two other wide receivers who crossed my mind, but no: Evans is the right guy for this slot.

In the wake of Tom Brady’s retirement, I’m not sure how close the Buccaneers are to being competitive. Even if they were to nab an accomplished veteran signal-caller — like, say, Derek Carr — I’m not sure how high the ceiling is. Winning a watered-down NFC South again? Alright, yeah, maybe. But actually competing for a title? Hard to see. Thus, moving on from the 29-year-old Evans in the last year of his contract makes too much sense.

Ravens offseason preview: Potential options at wide receiver - Blair Young

Juju Smith-Schuster, 26, Kansas City Chiefs – Easily the most accomplished receiver on the market, the former Pro Bowl receiver with the Pittsburgh Steelers is an intriguing name for the Ravens. He is coming off a Super Bowl win with the Chiefs and was their second-leading receiver with over 900 yards. The Ravens have familiarity with Schuster from his time in Pittsburgh and he may be a perfect fit across from Ravens Rashod Bateman.

Jaylin Hyatt, University of Tennessee – After winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award in 2022 for the best receiver in college football, Hyatt has solidified his status as one of the better players in this draft. At only 6 feet tall, he may not be the type of receiver that the Ravens are looking for, but if he is available at the end of the first round then the Ravens should consider taking him.

Top five 2023 NFL Draft prospects by position - Bucky Brooks

CORNERBACKS

1. Devon Witherspoon Illinois · Senior

2. Joey Porter Jr. Penn State · Junior (RS)

3. Christian Gonzalez Oregon · Junior

4. Cam Smith South Carolina · Junior (RS)

5. Kelee Ringo Georgia · Sophomore (RS)

This corner crop features a series of instinctive cover men with ball skills and playmaking ability. Witherspoon is a natural CB1 with the movement skills, instincts and awareness to hold his own in coverage. The Illinois product also displays a willingness to mix it up in the running game as a rock-solid tackler who enjoys the physical part of the game. He’s a tone-setter. Porter Jr. possesses the size, bloodlines (his father is indeed former All-Pro edge defender Joey Porter) and overall awareness to develop into a blue-chip cover corner in the NFL. The Penn State standout is ideally suited to play in a man-to-man scheme that enables him to challenge wideouts at the line of scrimmage with his length and feisty temperament. Gonzalez is an aggressive ballhawk with a gambler’s mentality. He has a knack for making plays on the ball, and his superb awareness could make him an impact player early in his pro career.