Baltimore Ravens Offseason State of the Union
When the Baltimore Ravens get together again, it will be for training camp as the 2015 season approaches.
We're now just over two months until the regular-season opener. A lot will change between now and the Week 1 opener against the Denver Broncos.
How much changes could ultimately determine whether these Ravens contend for a Super Bowl or whether they barely miss out on the postseason.
After all, they've entered their regular-season finale in each of the past two years with a spot in the playoffs on the line. In 2013, Baltimore lost at Cincinnati and was knocked out of the playoff race.
In 2014, Baltimore was able to beat the Cleveland Browns at home and win the AFC's final playoff spot in the regular-season finale.
So, where do the Ravens stand heading into training camp? Here's a state of the union on each of Baltimore's primary units.
Passing Offense
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The passing offense is in good hands for the foreseeable future.
That's because Joe Flacco will be the one with the ball in his hands most of the time as the team's franchise quarterback. In seven NFL seasons, Flacco has led Baltimore to the playoffs six times.
Flacco also won at least one playoff game in every postseason appearance. He led the Ravens to a Super Bowl championship just three years ago.
So long as Flacco is here, Baltimore's passing offense will have a good foundation to build on. However, the guys catching the passes are far bigger question marks.
Torrey Smith is gone after setting several franchise receiving records over his four years in Baltimore. He left this offseason to sign with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency.
With Smith gone, the 36-year-old Steve Smith will carry a heavy load at wide receiver this year. He's probably got one good year left in the tank, if that.
A big piece in the passing offense will be rookie receiver Breshad Perriman. He's a deep-threat specialist whom Baltimore took with their first-round pick in this year's NFL draft.
Also assuming a big role will be rookie tight end Maxx Williams. He was Baltimore's second-round selection this year. These two will be counted on heavily in 2015 and beyond.
After them, journeymen Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown will play significant roles in the passing game this year. They're good role players, but they haven't shown they can handle a bigger offensive load.
In all, the passing offense has a bright future but also a lot of question marks heading into the 2015 season.
Rushing Offense
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Baltimore's rushing offense was a major question mark in 2014, but it's one of the team's biggest strengths now and in the near future.
That's mainly due to Justin Forsett being signed through 2017, per Spotrac. He was re-signed this offseason after joining the Ravens on a one-year deal last year.
Forsett went on to earn the starting running back spot and thrived in it. He finished the 2014 season with 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns.
While Forsett should keep his starting gig, there are some talented backs behind him. The best of them may be rookie Buck Allen, who was Baltimore's fourth-round selection in this year's draft.
Allen rushed for 1,489 yards and 11 touchdowns his final college season at USC. He also caught 41 passes for 458 yards and one score, which shows how versatile of a weapon he is.
Also in the backfield is second-year back Lorenzo Taliaferro. He rushed for 292 yards and four scores on 68 carries as a rookie in 2014. He also caught eight passes for 114 yards, showing he too can be a versatile back.
Those two will battle it out for carries behind Forsett, and we'll probably see a good dose of all three backs during the 2015 season.
In all, those three backs have the future of Baltimore's rushing offense looking very bright.
Passing Defense
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The biggest uncertainty for Baltimore's present and future is almost certainly in their pass defense.
That's what happens when you have few clear-cut starters in the secondary in addition to several key defensive backs coming off season-ending injuries.
Lardarius Webb missed the start of last season with a back injury. Even when he returned, it was clear the former Pro Bowl corner was not as good as he once was.
Webb was still forced into a starting role, with Jimmy Smith and Asa Jackson suffering season-ending injuries midway through the year.
Those three will likely be the top corners in 2015 and possibly beyond. IF healthy, those three "might" form a solid cornerback rotation.
At safety, there's a little more certainty with Will Hill back after earning a starting role midway through the 2014 season. He was clearly one of Baltimore's best defensive backs, and he'll almost certainly have a starting safety spot this year.
As for the other safety spot, Kendrick Lewis is the early favorite to win it after Baltimore signed him in free agency this offseason. Lewis was a full-time starter in Houston last year, and a quality one at that.
Lewis will battle Matt Elam and Terrence Brooks for that other starting spot. Elam is a former first-round pick who has yet to find his niche in the NFL.
Brooks was a third-round pick in last year's NFL draft who had some high expectations as a rookie. Sadly, Brooks suffered torn knee ligaments that will cause him to open the 2015 season on the PUP list, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
The passing defense has a lot of uncertainty heading into 2015, so expectations should be kept to a minimum. The good news is that the front seven may once again be good enough to mask the passing defense's weaknesses.
At outside linebacker, there isn't a batter pass-rushing tandem than Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil. Those two combined for 29 sacks in 2014.
Though both are over the age of 30 now, they'll continue to be among the NFL's best pass-rushers in 2015. That will help mask the shortcomings in the secondary.
As a whole, the passing defense should be good enough to not keep Baltimore's overall defense from being among the league's best in 2015.
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Rushing Defense
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Baltimore's rushing defense should once again be among the NFL's best in 2015.
Led by a host of Pro Bowl linebackers, the Ravens front seven is one no team wants to go up against. It all starts in the middle of Baltimore's 3-4 defense with inside linebackers CJ Mosley and Daryl Smith.
Mosley was Baltimore's first-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft. He went on to lead the Ravens in tackles with 133 stops to go with eight pass deflections, two interceptions and three sacks.
Smith wasn't far behind with 128 tackles and nine pass deflections. Those two form arguably the best ILB combo in football.
As for outside linebacker, Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil are more useful as pass-rushers than they are defending the run. They did combine for 98 tackles in 2014. When Smith and Mosley aren't getting the stops, Suggs and Dumervil can make the tackle.
On the defensive line, Baltimore will be missing All-Pro lineman Haloti Ngata this year after trading him to Detroit this offseason. Even without him, the line is pretty stacked.
Brandon Williams quietly became one of the game's best nose tackles in 2015. He'll be in just his third NFL season in 2015, so there's no reason to not expect him to be great.
The other two spots will be manned by Chris Canty and Timmy Jernigan. Canty is a stable veteran who does well maintaining his gap and not becoming a liability.
Jernigan is more explosive, and can get into the backfield and wreak havoc. Those three will form an imposing defensive line that, combined with the linebackers, will form a stout run defense in 2015.
Overall
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The 2015 Ravens have the potential to be one of the best teams in the NFL.
On the strength of their run defense and rushing offense, this team has the firepower to win double-digit games and make it to the postseason.
From there, Baltimore has the kind of hard-nosed team needed to win in the postseason when the weather gets colder and the ground game becomes more important.
However, some of the question marks on this team are enough of a concern to keep this team from being considered a true contender heading into the 2015 season.
The pass defense and passing offense have too many unproven players stepping into big roles in 2015 to assume those units will perform adequately.
In the end, there's a lot of potential with the Ravens, but enough uncertainty to warrant cautious optimism for this team heading into the season.
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