Potential Moves Ravens Can Make to Improve

While the Ravens have been pleasantly surprised by the contributions they've gotten from veteran journeyman John Jenkins and former undrafted gem C.J. Okoye, the absence of two-time Pro Bowler Nnamdi Madubuike in the middle of their front seven has had a glaring ripple effect. Without him commanding double teams on almost every play, fourth-year pro Travis Jones hasn't been the one getting extra attention and nobody else has been able to consistently win their 1-on-1 matchups in pass rush situations.

There's a chance that Madubuike's season-ending neck injury is so serious that it could threaten the longevity of his career moving forward. That means the Ravens might need to address the position for the immediate and long-term future. The top available free agent is Christian Wilkins, but he's rumored to still not be fully recovered from the foot injury that cut his 2024 season short, which makes the trade market the best route to explore. Two potential targets include Jeffery Simmons of the Tennessee Titans, who is under contract through 2027, or finally reuniting with Calais Campbell of the Arizona Cardinals for one last ride after nearly acquiring him from the Miami Dolphins last year near the deadline.

Make a change at RG

Head coach John Harbaugh already went on record stating that the Ravens are "absolutely" considering making changes to their starting offensive line configuration earlier this week. Now, they need to follow through and actually make it happen. They have a pair of multi-time Pro Bowlers at left tackle and center, a promising second-year pro at right tackle and left guard Andrew Vorhees is coming off his best game of the season against one of the league's most ferocious defensive fronts.

That leaves right guard Daniel Faalele as the most likely candidate to get replaced, and for good reason, as his lack of consistency, especially in crucial situations, and lowlights detract from what has been solid play overall. With third-round rookie Emery Jones still a ways away from being able to contribute, the top internal candidates include fifth-year veteran Ben Cleveland, second-year pro Corey Bullock and 2022 first-rounder Kenyon Green, who is currently on the practice squad. While the Ravens have shown that they don't fully trust Cleveland aside from being anything more than an emergency stopgap starter, they've spoken glowingly about Bullock at every turn and have him listed as the top backup center and an option at guard.

Get TEs more involved

The Ravens have had the best tandem at the position in the league over the previous two seasons when both Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely have been healthy. That wasn't the case to start this season, as Likely missed the first three games while recovering from foot surgery, but even in the three games since he returned, they haven't been able to get going in the passing game, combining for 16 catches for only a measly 94 receiving yards and no touchdowns.

Not having franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson in the lineup the past two games definitely played a significant role in their lack of prolific production. He is one of the best passers in the league who loves throwing over the middle of the field and trusts them both implicitly, particularly in clutch situations. Having the two-time MVP back under center will jump-start them and the rest of the offense.

Continue living in big nickel on defense

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Ravens' most impressive defensive performance since Week 2—and arguably of the season—came when they finally deployed a trio of trusted safeties. This was especially true given the level of competition they faced. The arrival of sixth-year veteran Alohi Gilman, who transitioned seamlessly into the starting lineup, allowed two-time All Pro Kyle Hamilton to play exclusively in the box and near the line of scrimmage as a slot defender. This is the role where Hamilton can be most disruptive.

Against the Rams, the unit’s tackling issues were nonexistent and their run defense was the best it's been all season, despite playing with lighter personnel. Both of the Ravens' young off-ball linebackers had nice bounce-back games last week, and they're expected to get All Pro veteran MIKE Roquan Smith back from a hamstring injury coming out of the bye. However, having more dynamic defensive backs on the field is the key to their unit being more sound in coverage while still being stout against the run.

Increase aggressiveness and creativity on defense

Even if the Ravens were able to bring in some notable and much-needed reinforcements to their front seven on the edge and up the middle via trade, second-year defensive coordinator will still need to continue stepping his game up when it comes to scheming up ways for his unit to get after opposing quarterbacks for sacks, forced incompletions and turnovers, and Harbaugh agrees.

"It's been a challenge all year to generate pressure, so we are going to have to manufacture pressure," Harbaugh said Monday.

The Ravens ran a lot of simulated pressures against the Rams and had success, especially in some key situations. They also ran some blitzes that were effective, so not only dialing up more of both, but also improving the execution and timing of them, will be vital to the continued improvement of the pass rush and defense overall, as it could lead to more interceptions and batted passes.