The Ravens’ second straight preseason win under new head coach Jesse Minter came with the kind of lopsided defensive showing that invites instant hot takes. Baltimore shut down the Vikings on Saturday, while the offense mostly kept things quiet - especially on the ground.
Still, a few individual performances stood out, and undrafted rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano kept turning heads with several sharp throws while dealing with pressure. Rookie punter Ryan Eckley also made the most of a busy day, piling up 332 yards on six punts for a 55.3-yard average, highlighted by a 54-yard kick that was fair-caught at Minnesota’s 4-yard line.
One of the biggest takeaways from the day is how much life Baltimore appears to have up front on defense, even with Nnamdi Madubuike’s status looming over the group. The Ravens have built a reputation for developing defensive line talent, but last season showed how quickly that depth can be tested when injuries hit hard.
With Travis Jones and Calais Campbell viewed as the top anchors, the rest of the room had questions attached to it. John Jenkins turned 37 this summer, Broderick Washington’s production had been dropping before his season-ending injury last year, and much of the remaining depth consists of unproven Day 3 picks and UDFAs.
Saturday offered a strong counterpoint. Every active Ravens defensive tackle except Aaron Graves was credited with at least one pressure, according to Pro Football Focus, and Aeneas Peebles led the way with four.
Graves was active throughout training camp and still posted a 66.2 pass rush grade from PFF. Rayshaun Benny and David Olajiga each added sacks, with Olajiga’s coming on a fast, clean win from a nose tackle spot as he blew past Vikings center Vershon Lee.
Madubuike has been working his way up gradually during camp, but if he doesn’t get to some form of contact this week, he’s unlikely to be ready for the start of the regular season. That would put even more pressure on Baltimore’s interior depth early on, with Washington and Jenkins likely to see the most snaps.
Depending on the matchup, Jesse Minter could also lean on an interior pass-rush specialist like Peebles, a bigger body like CJ Okoye, or another one of the young defensive tackles. Based on Saturday, the group looks prepared for that kind of workload.
In Other News...
Ravens Rookie Is Forcing A Real Slot Corner Conversation
Chandler Rivers is starting to make a case that the Ravens may have more to sort through in the slot than they expected this summer. The fifth-round rookie cornerback turned in a strong showing in Week 2 of the preseason, finishing with five combined tackles, a half-sack and a pass breakup while flashing the kind of versatility Baltimore likes to uncover in the back end.
Pro Football Focus rewarded the outing with an 84.6 overall grade and a 90.0 coverage mark, which only adds to the intrigue around his push for a rotational role. For a defense that values depth and competition in the secondary, Rivers is at least giving the coaching staff a real conversation at slot corner as the preseason unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Center Battle Just Took A Brutal Turn
The center competition in Baltimore has already been one of the more consequential battles of camp, and it just lost one of its veterans. Head coach Jesse Minter confirmed that Danny Pinter suffered a right patellar tendon tear, an injury that is likely to end his season and remove an experienced option from the mix as the Ravens sort out the middle of the offensive line.
Ethan Pocic and Jovaughn Gwyn will keep battling for the starting job, a contest that matters even more now after Tyler Linderbaums departure to the Las Vegas Raiders. For Baltimore, the issue is bigger than simply naming a starter. It is about settling the lines anchor spot before the season starts to press in. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Defense Has A Growing Concern Right Up The Middle
The Ravens are trying to sort out the middle of their defense just as training camp starts to sharpen the picture for rookie head coach Jesse Minter. Nnamdi Madubuike is working his way back cautiously after neck surgery, and Roquan Smith is coming off a stretch in which he has been trying to rediscover the level of play that made him such a force in the center of the unit. Baltimore has built some better depth around them, but the main questions still sit right up the middle.
What makes the situation trickier is that the Ravens do not just need bodies there, they need reliable production from the defensive spine. Smiths coverage has been a concern, and Madubuikes recovery leaves the interior line in a holding pattern as the regular season gets closer. For a defense that expects to be sturdy from the inside out, the coming weeks will tell a lot about whether this group is simply reloading or still waiting on its core to come together. [Read more 🡒]