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Critical Ravens Position Remains Unsettled at Preseason Midway Point
Oct 6, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Trenton Simpson (23) reacts after the victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens' offensive line has been generally regarded as the team's weakest position group for the vast majority of the offseason, but those haven't been the only big men causing reasons for concern.

The front office tended to other areas of need, getting some help on the defensive line's edge and drafting a kicker for the first time, and tried supplementing their defensive linemen depth in drafting Teddye Buchanan in the fourth round. There are numerous in-house candidates to take over as the men taking down the opposing quarterback's pocket every week, yet questions still swirl as to whether they're ready for the job.

Trotting questionable starters into a high-stakes football situation is one thing, but the Ravens are well into training camp and midway through the preseason and have still yet to publicly determine their final five up front.

The positional battle for inside linebacker was flagged by Bleacher Report as Baltimore's biggest remaining positional battle, throwing in Trenton Simpson and Teddye Buchanan as the two likeliest candidates.

"In 2024, Simpson started 13 games alongside Roquan Smith, but he ceded snaps to Malik Harrison and Chris Board in the last four weeks of the season," Moe Moton wrote. "The Baltimore Ravens didn't re-sign Harrison or Board, which leaves the spot open for Simpson to reclaim it.

"As a pass defender, Buchanan could outshine Simpson, who struggled in coverage last year, allowing a 121.4 passer rating. The rookie has looked impressive at training camp, but the third-year veteran saw an extended run with a few starters in the Ravens' first preseason game. Even if Simpson holds off Buchanan for the lead spot, the latter could take notable snaps on obvious passing downs."

Buchanan was one of the most recent attempts at filling in the gaps through the draft, noted by Moton as "a good athlete to be an effective coverage linebacker."

The Ravens can't afford to enter their regular season debut without a confident answer as to which inside linemen they trust, with the team's hopes of winning and contention still requiring an interior defense that can consistently frighten opposing signal callers and giving the offense time to rest and regroup when they're off the field.

Luckily for the inexperienced pass-rushers, their defensive identity has largely revolved around their secondary, one of the deepest units in the NFL. Even after several injuries long-term sustained by some of their prospects in the preseason, they still have plenty of star power at cornerback in Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins and Jaire Alexander.

Simpson was given priority on the depth chart as the first Raven on the right inside linebacker due to his two years of semi-experience, but someone will have to be thrown into the fire by next month.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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