Ravens News 6/26: Remaining Needs and more

Five first-rounders? Why the Ravens’ WR group could make history

Jamison Hensley, ESPN

This position was clearly Baltimore’s offseason priority after the Ravens finished last season with a league-low 1,517 yards receiving from their wide receivers. In addition to the return of Rashod Bateman from a season-ending foot injury, Baltimore signed Odell Beckham Jr., Nelson Agholor and Laquon Treadwell in free agency and drafted Zay Flowers with its top pick in this year’s draft.

“I envisioned us doing the best we could and ignoring much of the media reports that receivers didn’t want to come here and all that nonsense,” Harbaugh said. “Now we’ve got to go get good. I mean, ‘OK, how good are we?’ We’re as good as we play, and that’s the next step.”

“You don’t really care about the expectations,” Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said. “[It’s] just the guys have to get out there and do what they do. The reason they went [in the] first round [is because they] make those plays and stuff like that. And I believe we have the guys to do it.”

50 Words or Less: Top Roster Concerns As Ravens Go on Break

Ryan Mink, BaltimoreRavens.com

We’ll get a better read with pads on, but based on what I’ve seen so far, I’m buying Ojabo stock. The way he has practiced likely makes the Ravens feel fairly confident in what they’ll get from their top three outside linebackers. A supplementary piece may be all that’s needed.

The Ravens know their starting cornerbacks, but the No. 3 is still a major question mark. Injuries have kept two top candidates, Jalyn Armour-Davis and Pepe Williams, out of practice. Could that role again fall to a safety/cornerback hybrid not named Kyle Hamilton? Ar’Darius Washington is someone to watch.

In today’s NFL, one place you don’t want to be thin is in the secondary. The Ravens have been there, done that, and they don’t want to go back. They’ve been one of the league’s biggest spenders in the secondary in recent years, and I expect their investment isn’t finished.

Baltimore has $9.545 million in salary cap space, according to Russell Street Report’s Brian McFarland. That doesn’t rank high in relation to other teams but seems like a wealth of riches for Baltimore at this point in the year. It’s enough to make another significant move. CB or OLB? Both?

Biggest red flags for NFL contenders in 2023: Jets’ offensive line, Dolphins’ QB health among top concerns

Cody Benjamin, CBS Sports

Ravens: Durability up front, out wide

All eyes are on Lamar Jackson, who’s under big-money pressure to stay on the field and finally deliver a deep playoff run. But what about his supporting cast? Left tackle Ronnie Stanley has struggled to stay upright himself, while out wide, notable names like Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor and Devin Duvernay have all battled their own injury issues.

2023 NFL secondary rankings: New York Jets, Miami Dolphins take top spots

John Kosko, PFF

5. BALTIMORE RAVENS

Projected starters: CB Marlon Humphrey, CB Brandon Stephens, CB Rock Ya-Sin, S Marcus Williams, S Kyle Hamilton

The Ravens secondary struggled for parts of the early season but ended the campaign as the NFL’s 10th-highest-graded unit. That slow start was to be expected, given the new pieces and new defensive coordinator, but Humphrey and company will be tough to pass on this year now that they’ve had a full year to play together.

Hamilton earned the highest grade of any safety in the NFL in 2022, while Humphrey was reliable as ever. This could end up being the best unit in the league by the end of the year.

‘Built From The Same Cloth!’ Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey On Rock Ya-Sin’s ‘Mindset’

Connor Zimmerlee, Sports Illustrated

Last season with the Raiders he recorded solid numbers, despite starting in only nine of his 11 appearances. He tallied 45 total tackles, also showing off his coverage skills with seven passes defended.

Now, he joins a secondary headlined by fellow cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who raved about what he’s seen from his new running mate so far during training camp.

“I’m a fan of how strong he is. He plays really tough,” Humphrey said. “We’re both kind of built from the same cloth, as far as the physicalness. You want to have corners and DBs that don’t have any egos. You get beat, you get to the line, you play the same way.”

“You’re not worried about this, you’re not worried about that, you don’t care who makes the play; you’re just wanting somebody to make the play. So, I really like Rock’s mindset.”