Ravens Roster Takes Shape in Subtle Ways

On the surface, the Ravens 2023 roster appears stronger than that of 2024, barring any surprising additions. But such an opinion suggests that the career trajectory of the team’s younger players has plateaued – that their contributions during the coming season will mirror those from last year’s campaign. That logic doesn’t add up. Consider Kyle Hamilton.

In 2022, Hamilton at times, particularly early in the season, looked like a fish out of water. But as then defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald learned, Hamilton is a unique talent – a unicorn, who can be deployed in creative ways. With 2022 behind them, the team unleashed Hamilton on the world in 2023 and the result was an All-Pro season. Even Kyle’s peers admire the talent, ranking him as the league’s best safety and 43rd best player after just two seasons.

Justin Madubuike is another example. His understanding of the game, his position, combined with an outstanding work ethic and an insatiable appetite for conditioning, catapulted the former Texas A&M Aggie to an unprecedented season as an interior pass rusher. Could Odafe Oweh be next? Brandon Stephens? Travis Jones?

Jones has been a menace to the Ravens developing offensive line during training camp. Recently his positional coach, Dennis Johnson was asked to give his thoughts on Jones’ ascent this summer.

“I’ve seen a lot of growth from the summertime through now. He’s a guy that showed up every day during the summer working to get better, and I’ve seen his confidence level constantly rising. I think that’s going to be the big thing for him moving forward – is we’re able to do it on the field in practice, and then that first game, able to face that adversity he faces here and overcome it just like he’s doing now. I’m seeing the confidence in his ability to do that. The more that we put him in those positions in practice, the better off he’ll be going into the season.”

You may recall that the Ravens’ scouting team was high on Jones coming out of Connecticut in the 2022 NFL Draft, one that Eric DeCosta & Co. crushed! Jones was selected with the 76th overall pick. Some draft pundits thought the Ravens would take Jordan Davis out of Georgia with the 14th overall pick. Even the Eagles thought so as well, which is why they jumped up to No. 13 to take Davis before the Ravens could.

Thank you very much Howie Roseman!

The Ravens claim to have liked Jones better than Davis and then made the wise move to select Hamilton (hence the No. 14). Davis has appeared in 30 regular season games in Philadelphia and started 22 games during his two seasons, posting 63 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and 2 ½ sacks. Comparatively speaking, Jones has appeared in 32 games since 2022, starting 3 while accumulating 60 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 2 ½ sacks.

What a draft class the Ravens assembled in 2022!

The buzz around camp is that it’s Jones’ time and even D-Line mate Michael Pierce is ready to concede some playing time. So maybe Travis is the next interior lineman to step up in the way that Madubuike did in 2023.

[Link: What is the Ravens Achilles Heel]

Ding Dong

Clearly RB Derrick Henry will be the team’s bell cow in 2024. And it’s likely that the Ravens will look to keep the King relatively fresh as the season falls into December, January and hopefully February. But to do so, can they rely on Justice Hill, the only back in camp with experience, to pick up any slack in the ground attack?

Hill’s skillset is multi-faceted, something that hasn’t escaped the notice of Running Backs Coach Willie Taggart who had this to say when asked about his 2024 expectations for the Ravens 2019 4th-round pick:

“First of all, I expect for Justice [Hill] to have a great year. This is going to be – by far – one of his best years. Seeing his development since I’ve been here – it’s been off the charts. He come in, and Justice can do it all. He can run the football for us, he can block for us, [and] he can catch passes out the backfield for us. I think you’ll see us using Justice in a lot of different ways; and I think you’ll see a young man that comes through for us, too. We call Justice the ‘Junkyard Dog;’ he does everything for us. So, I’m looking forward to him having a heck of a year.”

Hill’s ascent has been modest since arriving on the scene but there’s little reason to doubt Taggart’s enthusiasm. One word of caution though. Hill is a very valuable contributor on special teams and to ask him to carry the load should Henry miss any time, could amount to roster malpractice. The Ravens need a capable vet to assume some carries if Henry is out and from what we’ve seen so far in camp, the answer isn’t 5th-rounder Rasheen Ali. At least not for a team considered by most to be among the league’s favorites to win it all.

The Ambassador Quan

Roquan Smith is the defacto leader of the Ravens defense. His preparation and ability to diagnose quickly along with his innate skills make him one of the league’s best interior linebackers. He’s also one of those talented leaders who possesses the ability to make others around him better. Just ask Patrick Queen who has 41 million reasons to thank Quan.

Whether Queen plays to the level of his new contract in Pittsburgh remains to be seen. Also, what remains to be seen is whether Queen’s heir apparent in Baltimore, Trenton Simpson, can capably fill the shoes of the Ravens 2020 first-round pick. Time will tell. Early on, the lost production might not fall squarely on the shoulders of Simpson. Malik Harrison could lend a hand along with Chris Board. That said, the early signs are good as Smith tries to bring along his next protégé.

Until it fully clicks for Simpson, one must wonder if Roquan will miss PQ.

Roquan Smith on former Ravens LB Patrick Queen:

“He’s on the other side, so it’s up to Lindbaum, D-Hen, and Mark to get after him. I have much love for PQ, but when we play him, he’s gotta get dealt with by any means necessary.” pic.twitter.com/vMjP0jRahO

— ð—¥ð—®ð˜ƒð—²ð—»ð˜€ ð—¡ð—®ð˜ð—¶ð—¼ð—» ð™‡ð™„ð™‘𙀠(@LIVERavenNation) August 3, 2024

Count me among those who can’t wait to see what happens when the Ravens take on the Steelers and Derrick Henry, led by Patrick Ricard, collectively take aim at Queen.

Meanwhile there are a couple of Steelers RB’s who are targeting Queen in Steelers’ camp at Latrobe, PA. Check out the video below.

#Steelers backs vs. backers drill gets chippy at Friday night lights practice!

Elandon Roberts vs Jaylen Warren
Patrick Queen vs Najee Harris

: @sltphoto/Instagram pic.twitter.com/CskOe8px1Q

— Steelers Update (@SteelersUpdate1) August 3, 2024

Have fun with your French fry filled salads and your perogies in Pittsburgh, PQ. You are probably the only person on the planet that has ever said the cuisine along the Monongahela River is more savory than that along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.

That’s funny.

Ravens CB Arthur Maulet has words for Steelers ILB Patrick Queen after his comments on Baltimore and Pittsburgh

“PQ. We know the food’s not better, bro. We know the city’s not better, bro. Come on” pic.twitter.com/b94474lwi6

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) July 31, 2024

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