Big Changes Likely Coming To Ravens First-Down Approach

The Ravens had no shortage of offensive issues in 2025, but execution on first down wasn’t among them.

It still stands to reason, however, that the hiring of a new play caller, and one with no experience prior, as the coordinator and an overhaul of the offensive staff will lead to significant changes in trends and tendencies. Including on first down.

Of all the ways Todd Monken’s offense shrunk in its third year in Baltimore – short yardage, deep shots, red zone, goal to go all became significant problems after two triumphant seasons – its stunning to consider how exception it remained on first down.

The Ravens led the NFL averaging 5.5 yards per rush on first down and they were third averaging 8.7 yards per passing attempt on first down and they tied for the overall league lead at 6.4 yards/play on first down. It was an elite early-down offense all three years Monken was in command.

But it didn’t translate into enough points and consistency and Declan Doyle is now charged with getting more out of the unit despite it having arguably less proven talent than a year ago.

Can he maintain their first-down acumen? And still make tweaks?

I’d certainly expect so. And it would be kind of shocking if one overarching principle did not change in how this new offense approaches first down. Spend any time looking at the offenses Doyle has been associated with, and the play callers he’s learned under, and the approach is vastly different to the norm in Baltimore.

Throw Early And Often

If you filter for garbage time in games last season, per TruMedia, the Ravens passed on first down just 43.5% of the time; despite having a two-time MVP quarterback in Lamar Jackson, and one who was using his legs less than ever, only four times threw less on first down than Baltimore.

In Chicago, where Doyle was understudy to head coach and offensive play caller Ben Johnson, the Bears threw 51.4% of the time on first down (non-garbage time), the seventh-highest rate in the NFL, while the play caller who Doyle spent the most time learning from, Denver head coach Sean Payton, threw 52.5% of the time on first down, sixth-most.

So, yeah, I believe a recalibration could be in order, until or unless the Ravens offensive line becomes an issue in pass protection (and man was that an issue in 2025). They generated just 48.6% of their first down yardage total throwing the ball (28th in the NFL) with Monken’s offense, exactly replicating what Greg Roman was doing with the Chargers in that output.

Again, I suspect that changes, perhaps fairly significantly as the rookie pass catchers come along. Derrick Henry is entering an age 32 season, where running back production ceases across the board ,so riding him for 300 carries again seems foolish. There has to be at least a bit of a rethink here.

Early Down Personnel

The Ravens have also been old-school in their personnel usage on first down. They ranked last in usage of 11 personnel on first down last year (three receivers), at just 22.2%; during his two years in Denver, including one with Doyle on staff, Payton used it 55% of the time on first down, the 12th-highest rate in the NFL.

In Chicago they leaned more into draft capital on tight ends, and so Doyle was part of an offense with the Bears that was in 12 personnel on first down 40.3% of the time – fifth-highest in the NFL- while the Ravens, despite all of their assortment of tight ends, were in it just 33.7% on first down. And we know that Doyle is not using a fullback, with Pat Ricard gone as a free agent after being a staple in both Roman and Monken’s offenses here.

Overall, anticipate more deep shots on early downs – out of some formations that we will detail soon enough – more passing in general on that down and the use of more available pass catchers sent out into routes. When Jackson, from a theoretical standpoint, gushes about how “smooth” this offense is, trust that some of these principles are in play.

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