OTL: The Ravens Turn 30, and The King Puts in Work

It’s okay to admit it: the weather got warmer, the Orioles got going, and you forgot you need your Ravens fix. No judgement, it happens. That’s what we’re here for.

We’re a day from entering NFL Draft month ahead of the Ravens 30th season. The Ravens social media team pointed out that the Ravens have just turned 30 years old. They shared a 30 seasons logo featuring the years 1996-2025 and the Roman numerals for the Ravens two Super Bowl victories XXXV and XLVII. The Ravens are still looking for their third Super Bowl and the 30th season might just be the charm.

March 29, 1996. The day we became the Ravens.

As we celebrate our birthday, we’re excited to embark on our 30th season. pic.twitter.com/M9d5vTpRT5

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) March 29, 2025

Want to feel old? The Ravens celebrated their three-year contract extension with John Harbaugh by sharing photos of the coach through the years. He came to Baltimore in 2008 and took the team to five straight playoff appearances and a Super Bowl championship. It’s actually hard to believe that it’s been that long. It feels like a completely different lifetime ago for me that Harbaugh started his tenure. When he began, I was a junior in high school. Now I’m back in school and closing in on my Master’s Degree, chasing down a new career. We’ve all gone through a chapter or two of our lives during the Harbaugh run. When you think about it that way, it’s pretty remarkable. Do I think the Ravens would benefit by putting some pressure on Harbaugh? Yes, sometimes I think a dose of desperation to win now might be what gets the Ravens over the hump. The continuity continues one way or another though, and Harbaugh avoids the pressure of being in a contract year.

Speaking of pressure, Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports thinks Lamar Jackson is the quarterback under the second most pressure to win a Super Bowl.

The NFL’s all-time rushing yards leader for quarterbacks (6,173), Jackson is the only player with multiple MVP awards who doesn’t have a championship. His struggles in the postseason are well known, as Jackson is 3-5 with 13 total touchdowns and 11 turnovers in his playoff career.

Jackson’s .745 win percentage is the best ever by a quarterback without a Super Bowl title, as he has multiple turnovers in four of eight playoff games. He’s the only multiple-time MVP quarterback with a losing record in the playoffs, as the Ravens average 18.6 points per game in Jackson’s starts in the playoffs compared to 28.7 in the regular season.

It’s a fair point that Kerr makes here. Jackson is getting to the point where the Super Bowl is the one thing left he has to accomplish. I would argue that it’s the Ravens as an organization that shoulders the pressure of Super Bowl expectations. Think about it. Jackson is a generational talent with multiple MVP awards. The Ravens know that they have a window of opportunity every season that Jackson remains healthy. The Ravens have been the number one seed twice since 2019 and have lost in the most heartbreaking fashion at the end of their playoff runs. The Ravens have the most exciting player in the NFL. If they don’t win the Super Bowl in the next handful of years, with this generational superstar it will feel like they have blown the world’s greatest opportunity.

Say what you want about Jackson in the playoffs, the team falls apart in the biggest game of the year, every year. Jackson is on pace to be remembered as an all time great. He could end up joining Dan Marino in the ringless all-time great rank. Keeping company with Marino brings absolutely no shame. History doesn’t judge Marino for his lack of Super Bowl glory; instead history judges the Miami Dolphins for coming up empty with a Hall of Fame passer.

I know one thing, Jackson is going to get a lot of help from Derrick Henry. It may be the offseason but Henry is putting in the work. Just look at this workout video. I would absolutely die during this workout regimen the King has going on here.

Derrick Henry putting in offseason work for Year

#NFL #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/FZAWS6ZvXx

— OutOfSightSports (@OOSSports) March 30, 2025

Sports Illustrated’s Josh Reed wrote an article looking at five defensive linemen the Ravens could take in the NFL Draft later this month. Let’s take a look at a couple of his highlighted options. First up he had Derrick Harmon from Oregon.

In a class filled with penetrating three-technique defensive tackles, Harmon is among the best in the way he can disrupt a play. Between the usage of his hands at the point of attack and upper body, he can overwhelm interior offensive linemen and he also possesses a nice arsenal of pass rush moves.

At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, the 6-foot-4 and 313 pounder ran the fourth-fastest time among defensive tackles (4.95), had the fifth-fastest 10-yard split (1.75) and was at his best running through the on-field drills.

Reed also points out that Oregon is the school that produced Haloti Ngata. What I like about this potential pick is that he seems to be the perfect balance of size and speed. The Ravens don’t need a space eater. They have that covered. They need a defensive tackle that can live in the backfield and be a difference maker with quick penetration. You had Tom Cruise at hello but you had me at “can disrupt a play.” Another exciting option Reed gives us, that sounds like a similar option, is South Carolina’s T.J. Sanders.

He recorded 8.5 of his 9.5 career sacks in the past two seasons, logging four or more in back-to-back campaigns to go along with 17 tackles for loss over that span.

Sanders is quick with his feet and violent with his hands coming out of his stance, allowing him to cross the face of opposing offensive linemen and dart into the backfield for a quick pressure, sack or tackle for loss. He can also transition from speed to power well and is at his best and most impactful in obvious passing situations.

When is the last time the Ravens had two game-changers at defensive tackle? Pairing Sanders with Nnamdi Madubuike on passing downs could be bad news for AFC North quarterbacks. There are a couple ways to approach getting better on the defensive line. You can look for the mammoth giant men or you can loo for a guy to knife his way into the backfield with speed guards can’t handle. Picking Sanders would be the latter. I’m all for it, too.

The post OTL: The Ravens Turn 30, and The King Puts in Work appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2025/03/31/out-to-lunch/ravens-anniversary-derrick-henry/