A year ago, the Ravens’ defense had a problem that ran straight through the middle.
It wasn’t just one weak spot. The whole unit had issues, but the damage showed up most clearly in the center of the field, across all three levels.
Injuries played a part. So did a roster that wasn’t good enough.
And maybe, in some cases, there were veterans who had simply logged too many snaps in a brutal sport.
Now, with rookie head coach Jesse Minter running the defense, the Ravens are trying to rebuild that core and get it back to something sturdy. The biggest piece of that effort is Nnamdi Madubuike.
If the All Pro defensive tackle can return fully from neck surgery and get back to himself, that changes everything. So would a rebound from Roquan Smith, who needs to get back to something close to a $20M player.
And if the Ravens no longer have to lean on Alohi Gilman in centerfield, that would help, too.
The good news is that the roster looks deeper and stronger now than it has at any point since Madubuike went down in September. But the questions haven’t gone away. They start with Madubuike, whose 2023 season was as close to Aaron Donald-esque as we’re going to see.
He is still being handled carefully and is working on an individual basis as he slowly adds to his workload. This week, that progression included a blocking sled, a way to test the head and neck area in new ways while still keeping the caveats front and center.
“it’s all part of the process with him,” Minter said after practice Monday. “We think he’s in a great place and it’s a progression week-to-week, seeing him hit the sled and do things like that.”
The Ravens are not offering a firm timeline, but they remain hopeful he can be available and make an impact early in the season. For now, they are watching closely and taking it one step at a time.
Even without Madubuike, teams didn’t lean heavily on inside runs against Baltimore last season. John Jenkins, Broderick Washington and Travis Jones gave the Ravens enough size to hold up there.
The bigger issue was what happened when opponents decided to throw. Baltimore had almost no pass rush, and it showed in the numbers: only six teams faced fewer inside runs than the Ravens, while the defense ranked 21st in opposing passer rating on throws between the hashes at 109.4.
Smith was part of that problem. His coverage has been a liability for a few years now, and he addressed that decline openly earlier in the spring. Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said he expected a return to top form from the former All Pro, but inside linebackers coach Tyler Santucci was more measured when he spoke after Monday’s practice.
Santucci said he had to “earn some trust, being able to have the talks that we need to have,” and added that Smith has responded well. He said the two can work through the issues together and described Smith as “chasing the best version of himself over the past several months.”
What that looks like in Week 1 is still unclear. Smith could be on the field for every snap, or the Ravens could use him less in some dime looks. Teddye Buchanan, who was strong in coverage and showed athleticism and instincts before an ACL tear ended his rookie season, was recently activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list ahead of schedule, though he is still in recovery like Madubuike.
“I’ve seen a lot of patience with him, combined with urgency,” Santucci said.
The Ravens are also keeping close tabs on several middle linebackers with ties to this scheme and NFL experience. That makes sense, because while undrafted rookies Ethan Burke and Dominic DeLuca have flashed in preseason games, September is a different deal.
Trenton Simpson continues to draw rave reviews, but the expectation is that he’ll spend more time in space and on the edge, where his speed plays best. Santucci called his progress “a tremendous jump,” and the fact that Simpson has not dressed for exhibition games says plenty.
There’s also a strong push for more from the safeties, especially in the middle of the field. Kyle Hamilton can be unleashed closer to the line of scrimmage with enough help behind him.
Malaki Starks, entering his second year, looked ready for a breakthrough, particularly if the Ravens can generate more pressure this season. Gilman, meanwhile, was exposed repeatedly last year, missing tackles and struggling in coverage.
Opponents completed eight of their final 10 throws against him for 134 yards, and that was not an outlier.
For Baltimore, fixing the middle means piecing together health, scheme and a little luck. If Smith can operate behind two stout tackles, get some of the tougher coverage asks taken off his plate and play with more help behind him, the Ravens can let him do what he still does best: run, hit and disrupt.
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