Predicting Baltimore Ravens' Starting Lineup After the First Wave of Free Agency
Now that the first wave of free agency has passed and the Baltimore Ravens have made a few splashes, we have a better idea of the team that will be taking the field at M&T Bank Stadium in 2014. There are still upgrades to be madeโeither via free agency or the draftโbut most of the key pieces are in place and itโs never too early to look ahead.
Hereโs a preview of what the Baltimore starting lineup would look like if the season started today. Most of the starters are fairly clear, but this gives us an idea of where general manager Ozzie Newsome needs to focus his attention for the rest of the offseason.
Furthermore, there is a 2014 season outlook for each starter and what we can expect from him. Nobody wants to remember the 2013 season anyway, so on to 2014!
Quarterback: Joe Flacco
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Itโs a shocker, I know. Joe Flacco will be under center (and in the shotgun and the pistol too) for the Ravens and all the pieces are in place for him to have the best season of his career.
For starters, he will actually have people to throw to. Dennis Pittaโs presence for a full season will do wonders for the passing attack, and the addition of Steve Smith gives Flacco an adequate replacement for Anquan Boldinโjust one year late.
Toss in another year of development from Torrey Smith and Marlon Brown and a dash of the field-stretching capabilities of Jacoby Jones, and the Ravens actually have a pretty good receiving corps in store for 2014 (not to mention another unnamed receiver from the draft).
The offensive line is still a work in progress, but with Eugene Monroe back in the fold, a healthy Kelechi Osemele and a new right tackle, the pass protection should at least be somewhat better.
But we havenโt even gotten to the biggest indicator of Flaccoโs impending breakthrough: the coaching hires.
Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is a renowned offensive savant, and heโs sure to be more creative with the offense (from play design to personnel groupings to formations to motions) than both of Flaccoโs previous play-callers.
Furthermore, while Kubiak is getting all the publicity, there is another new coach that will have a noticeable impact on the gunslinger: QB coach Rick Dennison. Flacco has always performed better with a QB coach in his ear, and the numbers bear that out:
| With QB Coach | 82 TDs, 44 INTs, 87.8 passer rating |
| Without QB Coach | 39 TDs, 34 INTS, 76.7 passer rating |
Flacco still needs better protection and a semblance of a ground game but if those things materialize then the former Super Bowl MVP will have the best season of his career to date.
Running Back: Ray Rice
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Ray Riceโs 2013 season was disastrous. Thereโs just no way around that. But heโs still the starting running back for Baltimore and he has the talent to be a darn good one.
Weโll have a good idea whether or not Rice is truly โwashed upโ after the 2014 season, but two things need to happen for Rice to bounce back.
Firstly, he needs to lose some weight. He bulked up before last season but it only hurt his game by impeding his cutting ability and slowing him down. So far, so good based on the reports coming out of The Castle, via Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com.
The second thing that undoubtedly needs to happen is for the offensive line to realize that football is a contact sport so it can start getting its hands on people. Itโs hard to gain four yards per carry when youโre frequently getting hit in the backfield.
We donโt yet know how the new O-line will fare because there are still (hopefully) changes to be made. The good news for the Ravens is that both Rice and backup Bernard Pierce were hampered by nagging injuries last year, and they should both be 100 percent with an offseason to rest and recover.
Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk
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Kyle Juszczyk wins this starting job by virtue of being the only fullback on the roster, but that doesnโt mean the Ravens donโt have high expectations for the 2013 fourth-round pick. In fact, Juszczyk has the potential to develop into a nifty and unique weapon for Joe Flacco to exploit in the passing game.
Juszczyk was a hybrid tight end/slot back/H-back at Harvard, and he thrived as a receiver thanks to his soft hands and natural pass-catching skills.
Gary Kubiak had a similar player in Houston by the name of James Casey, and Juszczyk envisions that jack-of-all-trades role for himself this year, according to Ryan Mink of the team's official website.
"[The coaches] all have the same idea that Iโm really going to be a guy that can move around to a lot of different positions. I can be flexed out, I can be in the backfield when I need to be in short-yardage and goal-line situations. Itโs a lot of what I expected to do last year but we never got to it.
"
Heโs a way better receiver than Vonta Leach, and he could pose problems for opposing linebackers that have to worry about Dennis Pitta in the slot and Ray Rice and Juszczyk catching passes out of the backfield.
Ultimately, however, Juszczykโs effectiveness and playing time will be determined by how well he performs as a lead blocker. He excelled on special teams, displaying strength and physicality in coverage and as a blocker on kick returns, but weโll have to wait and see how the Ivy Leaguer functions in the ground game.
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Wide Receivers: Torrey Smith and Steve Smith
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For the purpose of this slideshow, weโll label the Smiths as the โstartersโ although it will be interesting to see how often the Ravens choose to operate with three wide receivers on the field.
Torrey Smith had a breakout year in 2013, setting career-highs in receptions and yards, but his production started to tail off as the year went on thanks to defenses that were more focused on shutting him down.
The one thing that he has done consistently is grow, so itโs safe to assume that heโll come back better in at least one aspect of playing the receiver position. Even if he doesnโt, however, the presence of more weapons on the field with him will open things up for him in the passing game and should allow him to make the big plays we grew accustomed to in 2012.
One reason that defenses wonโt be able to key in on him so intensely is because of Steve Smith. Heโs up there in age (35 years old in May), but heโs still an effective receiver with the toughness to make contested catches out of the slot or over the middle.
The Anquan Boldin comparison actually works fairly well in terms of what Smith will add to the offense. He wonโt bring the same jump-ball ability as Boldin because heโs only 5โ9โ but everything else is accurate.
The former Carolina Panther had a down year in 2013, catching 64 balls for 745 yards and four touchdowns, and we can expect similar production this season.
Tight End: Dennis Pitta
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Baltimore retained the services of Joe Flaccoโs favorite target, and heโs poised to have the breakout year he was due in 2013.
For starters, he very clearly is Flaccoโs go-to target and it never hurts to be best friends with your quarterback. Their chemistry on the field is obvious to anyone who has watched the Ravens, so a full season of those two working together can only mean good things.
The other big factor working in Pittaโs favor is Gary Kubiak. The man has a well-documented soft spot for tight ends, and his tight ends have a tendency to do very well (e.g. Shannon Sharpe in Denver or Owen Daniels in Houston).
The addition of Steve Smith will eat into some of his targets since they are both excellent at working the middle of the field, but that will conversely free each of them up more than they are accustomed to.
Expect career-highs in receptions and receiving yards for Pitta in 2014 and fantasy players should keep an eye on the BYU product because he has the chance to be a top-six player at the tight end position.
Left Tackle: Eugene Monroe; Right Tackle: Rick Wagner
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The Ravens shelled out a fair chunk of change to keep Eugene Monroe in Baltimore, and he will be well worth the money. He was clearly the best offensive lineman on the roster last year, and the grades from ProFootballFocusย (subscription required) support that theory:
| Player | PFF grade |
| Eugene Monroe | +24.0 |
| Marshal Yanda | +10.7 |
| Michael Oher | -12.6 |
| A.Q. Shipley | -18.1 |
| Gino Gradkowski | -18.1 |
With a better left guard beside him and a full offseason to build chemistry and learn the blocking scheme, the Ravens donโt have to worry about Joe Flaccoโs blind side.
Right now, itโs his other side that is a concern. Rick Wagner was thrown into the fire in Week 1 of last season when Michael Oher got hurt, and Wagner had a rough debut in the NFL.
Since that point, however, he looked pretty good as a sixth lineman in jumbo formations. The coaching staff is a fan of the Wisconsin tackle,ย via BaltimoreRavens.com, but they shouldnโt be thrilled about the prospect of him being their Week 1 starter at right tackle.
He has the potential to be a starting tackle, but itโs unclear whether heโs ready right now and he hasnโt had any real experience to prepare him for the task. Wagner is better suited as a backup swing tackle.
Itโs probable that Ozzie Newsome will add a more NFL-ready tackle via free agency or early in the draft but for now heโs the starter.
Left Guard: Kelechi Osemele; Right Guard: Marshal Yanda
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Much like with Eugene Monroe, the Ravens donโt need to worry about right guard. Marshal Yanda looked a little out of sorts to start the year, which seemed to be attributable to the loss of his neighbor on the O-line: Matt Birk.
The result was that we saw a lot of un-Yanda-like play, with penalties and missed assignments popping up on film. As the year went on, we saw Yanda return to his usual dominant self and thatโs what weโll see in 2014.
On the other side of the center, there are some questions to be answered.
The Ravens will be apprehensive about which Kelechi Osemele theyโre going to get in 2014. While still new to the position, Osemele played very well at left guard during the Super Bowl run. But last year he looked out of place.
The coaching staff will be hoping the dip in performance was due to the back issue that ended his season prematurely, but there are also concerns about how well he fits into a true zone-blocking scheme since he has the strength and physicality of a gap-scheme mauler.
Since heโs so young and played so well in 2012, weโll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that heโll be back on track in 2014.
Center: Gino Gradkowski
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This is the biggest decision still facing the Ravens. Every lineman deserves some blame for the atrocious performance in 2013, but Gino Gradkowski deserves a larger portion of that blame as the man making the calls in the middle.
The drop-off from Matt Birk to Gradkowski was significant, and the Ravens need to be certain that Gradkowski will be much better than the worst center in the leagueโas he was in 2013,ย according to ProFootballFocus (subscription required).
To his credit, Gradkowski did look more comfortable as the year went on, but there are also some issues that may not be fixed with more experience.
He really struggled in pass protection and couldnโt stand his ground against bigger nose tackles. Perhaps thatโs a technical issue that can be fixed, but it may also be limitations related to his strength and size.
Baltimore may opt to roll the dice with Gradkowski in his second year as a starter, but it would surprise nobody to see them add a center in the coming months.
Nose Tackle: Haloti Ngata
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Haloti Ngata was on-and-off during the 2013 season, but heโll be anchoring the defensive line and stuffing the run with ferocity as he normally does for the Ravens.
The good news for Baltimore is that Ngata was relatively healthy for the entire season, but it would be nice to see him be more aggressive throughout the year.
Brandon Williams will be replacing Terrence Cody as the backup, but Ngata will get the overwhelming majority of snaps at the position.
Defensive Ends: Chris Canty and DeAngelo Tyson
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Chris Canty is locked in as a starter on the defensive line, and the Ravens will be hoping that he can generate more consistent pressure than he did in 2013.
Theyโll need it in order to replace some of the production that they lost when Arthur Jones signed with the Indianapolis Colts.
In Jonesโ stead will be DeAngelo Tyson to start the year. Tyson has developed very nicely for the Ravens as a seventh-round pick and heโs become a valuable part of the rotation on the D-line. This season is a terrific opportunity for Tyson to grab a starting job.
The more likely answer, however, will be that Arthur Jonesโ spot is filled by a committee of sorts. Tyson has the most experience so heโll get the lionโs share of the snaps but last yearโs rookies Brandon Williams and Kapron Lewis-Moore may also get the chance to contribute and earn more playing time at the position.
Lewis-Moore only practiced for three weeks last year after sitting out most of the season with a torn ACL, but head coach John Harbaugh made a point of saying that โheโs got a chance to be a starting five-technique or be in the rotation for sure,โ according to Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com.
This is another position where the Ravens will consider an upgrade through free agency or the draft but unlike right tackle they should have more confidence in the current crop of defensive ends on the roster.
Inside Linebackers: Daryl Smith and Arthur Brown
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Defensive coordinator Dean Pees must have breathed an enormous sigh of relief when the news broke that Baltimore had re-signed Daryl Smith to be the quarterback of the defense for 2014 and beyond. Smith had an excellent year filling in for the departed Ray Lewis, and he was definitely one of the most valuable Ravens last year.
Heโs a lock to startโand play wellโin the middle of the defense, but the spot next to him will likely be a timeshare between Arthur Brown and Josh Bynes.
Brown is the favorite to win the job given his upside, and Garrett Downing of the teamโs official website reports that Coach Harbaugh expects him to win the starting job in training camp.
Thatโs an ideal scenario, but that would leave the Ravens vulnerable against the run since both Smith and Brown are relatively small and not great at shedding blockers. Hopefully Brown used his rookie season to bulk up and hone his run-stuffing skills, but Bynes is sure to be in the mix for playing time as a downhill thumper that can attack ball-carriers.
Outside Linebackers: Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil and Courtney Upshaw
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All three of these players are listed because Courtney Upshaw and Elvis Dumervil will both โstartโ depending on the situation. Furthermore, they will play a similar number of snaps anyway (just like they did last year), so it only makes sense to group them all together.
Terrell Suggs is the big dog thanks to his ability to play well against the run or the pass. With an offseason of conditioning, Suggs should open the 2014 season like he did in 2013: like a man possessed.
โSizzleโ was an absolute monster to start the year, but the Ravens need to figure out why his play dropped off so precipitously in the second half of the year.
The same thing happened to Dumervil, but that was due to a nagging ankle injury that dampened his explosiveness and burst off the edge. Dumervil and Suggs showed that they can be one of the best pass-rushing duos in the league, and the Ravens are counting on the sack artists to bring the heat on opposing quarterbacks.
Lastly, is the forgotten Raven:ย Upshaw. I call him the forgotten Raven because he never gets the publicity and always flies under the radar, but Upshaw is an integral part of the run defense and is a phenomenal edge-setter against the run.
Upshaw showed a little more ability as a pass-rusher in 2013, so we should expect a more well-rounded linebacker to show up in 2014. Regardless, his role on the defense is to stop the run, and heโll do it well.
Cornerbacks: Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith
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If youโre looking at the top two cornerbacks, Baltimore should have one of the best duos in the league. Both Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith came on really strong to end the 2013 season but for different reasons.
For Webb, it was a matter of fully recovering from his torn ACL and gaining more confidence in his movement ability. Smith, on the other hand, made a substantial leap in his skills and emerged as a breakout corner.
Combined, theyโll be able to contain most receiver combinationsโespecially because they have such different skill sets.
Webb can cover smaller and quicker receivers while Smith can body up against the more physical specimens on the outside.
Positions No. 1 and No. 2 on the depth chart look rosy, but itโs the third-string cornerback where Baltimore has cause for concern after losing Corey Graham to free agency. Chykie Brown has the edge over Asa Jackson due to his more substantial playing experience, but the Ravens will add another defensive back to the mix in all likelihood to shore up that rotation.
Safeties: Matt Elam and Omar Brown
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After being selected in the first round last year and playing really well in his rookie year, Matt Elam will be a fixture in the Ravens' defensive backfield for a whileโalbeit in a new position. The former Florida Gator played as a free safety last year alongside James Ihedigbo, but Ihedigboโs departure leaves the door open for Elam to slide over into his more natural spot as a strong safety.
Elam showed the skill set to thrive as a strong safety when he played close to the line of scrimmage last year, but he still has the coverage skills necessary from any safety in todayโs game.
The transition will do wonders for Elam, and he could show flashes of dominance at the position if he can improve his form as a tackler instead of going for the knockout hits.
The real question is: who will be lining up next to Elam in 2014? Right now, it would be Omar Brown, which is an intriguing proposition.
Itโs unlikely that GM Ozzie Newsome lets the position remain that way with a couple of suitable free agents (e.g. Chris Clemons, Thomas DeCoud) on the market and a few enticing safety options in the draft, but Brown will get the opportunity to compete for the job in training camp and he could surprise if he continues to display his knack for finding the football.
His nickname is โMini Ed Reedโ after all.
Special Teams: Justin Tucker, Sam Koch and Jacoby Jones
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โThe Wolfpackโ will be kept together next year, which is fortunate since Sam Koch stood a real chance of being released as a salary cap casualty before the new record salary cap number was announced.
The trio are close friends off the field, and they work extremely well on it. Justin Tucker will once again chase perfection in the kicking game and continue to impress with his gigantic leg.
Koch ended last year well, but displayed some inconsistency earlier in the season so heโll have to get that sorted out.
Elsewhere, the Ravens re-signed the return dynamo Jacoby Jones, so the return game should continue to be a strength of the team and a threat to put points on the board at any time.
Baltimore has a track record of special teams excellence, which will continue in 2014.
Shehanย Peirisย is B/R's Lead Featured Columnist covering the Baltimore Ravens and a co-host ofย Ravens Central Radio, a weeklyย podcastย on theย Pro Football Central radio networkย that focuses on all things Ravens-related. For breaking news, roster evaluation, draft analysis and links to the latest episodes of Ravens Central Radio, follow me on Twitter:
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