The Baltimore Ravens were recently ranked as the second most well-rounded offense, according to Eric Edholm of NFL.com. The franchise is coming off a great offseason where they lost minimal talent and brought in one of the better draft hauls in the league. But of course, every team has their haters, and Nick Wright is a notorious Ravens hater.
Wright slammed the Ravens on Fox Sports 1’s First Things First, claiming the team isn’t “awesome or even very good” outside the quarterback and running back positions. This disastrous take couldn’t be further from the case, as the Ravens might have constructed one of the best rosters they’ve ever had and continue to have one of the NFL’s best coaching staffs.
The Ravens are coming off a disappointing end to the 2024 season, falling to the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round. But, heading into 2025, the team patched up any holes and is ready to make noise this season. Wright’s take on Baltimore’s roster seems asinine after their strong offseason.
The Fox Sports analyst gave Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry their flowers, albeit taking a shot at Henry’s age in the process, but gave them the respect they deserved. However, he called the team “star-driven,” but what team isn't? And he refused to praise the team’s various other All-Pros and Pro Bowlers.
Wright revealed he didn’t pay full attention to the Ravens last season, faulting them for finishing the season with the NFL's 31st-ranked pass defense. Anyone who analyzed Baltimore’s 2024 campaign would find devastating early season struggles on the defensive side but a second half that showcased one of the best defenses in football.
Defensive coordinator Zach Orr admittedly had a rough start to his tenure. After moving the chess pieces around in the secondary, though, the Ravens were back to being a lockdown defense by season’s end.
Wright also carried on with a tired narrative that the Ravens’ receiving room is lackluster, even though Zay Flowers eclipsed 1,000 yards last season and Rashod Bateman finally had his breakout year. Add in the two-headed monster of Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely at tight end, and the Ravens have a passing attack as good as anyone’s. The group translated this onto the stat sheet with 4,035 passing yards in 2024, which was good for seventh.
Those numbers paired nicely with the team’s league-leading 3,189 rushing yards. Jackson and Henry bolstered those numbers, but Wright failed to mention Baltimore's outstanding offensive line which was one of the NFL's best. While losing Patrick Mekari hurt, the line could be even better in 2025 with the development of Roger Rosengarten.
Another reason Wright has worries about the Ravens is the special teams unit, specifically losing Justin Tucker. Tucker was an all-time great Raven, but the last year wasn’t kind to him, and even 2023 showed glimpses of his fall off. The 13-year veteran has struggled to hit from 50-plus yards, going one for five in 2023 and six for 11 in 2024. That 2024 stat ranked 26th in the league from 50 or more yards and included a 73 percent mark on total field goals for 32nd among kickers. There’s reason for concern in the Ravens special team room, but cutting Tucker is not the reason. And you have to give rookie kicker Tyler Loop a chance.
You can’t talk about the Ravens without praising the elite pairing of Jackson and Henry, but the team goes far beyond that, which is why it is one of the complete teams in football and more than deserving of the number two ranking. Jackson and Henry are future Hall of Famers, but not bringing up Kyle Hamilton, Marlon Humphrey, Roquan Smith, Ronnie Stanley, or others–this list could go on forever–is utterly disrespectful and lazy. But that’s Nick Wright for you.
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