Ravens Coach Named Team's Breakout Candidate

Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Justin Madubuike was one of the NFL's best surprises last season, leading all interior linemen with 13 sacks and parlaying that outstanding performance into a four-year deal worth $98 million.

Now that Madubuike is a known quantity though, the question becomes who will emerge as Baltimore's next breakout star. After all, it's very possible that 13 sacks remains Madubuike's career-high, and with the other losses on the Ravens' defensive front, they'll need someone to step up to maintain the league's best pass rush.

For defensive line coach Dennis Johnson, the choice for that next breakout star is clear.

"From what I've seen, from 'Trav' [defensive lineman Travis Jones], he is a special human first – a special man – and then a special football player," Johnson told reporters Tuesday. "[He's] talented, and he wants it just as a bad as anybody you'd be around. You want to talk about attention to detail, that's how he approaches every day. Whether it's football school or it's been OTAs, in the meetings; I think he should be [able to have success]. He has to continue to work – which I know he will – but he'll be in that type of position to have a successful season."

A 2022 third-round pick out of UConn, Jones has appeared in 32 games for the Ravens over his first two seasons but started just three of them. So far, he has accounted for 60 total tackles, five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He's also a good run-stuffer, as one would expect from a 6-4 defensive tackle who weighs nearly 340 pounds.

Jones played less than 40 percent of the Ravens' defensive snaps in each of his first two seasons, but if he keeps developing as Johnson expects, that breakout performance could very well be on the horizon.