Ravens Losing Top Defender Could Hold Them Back

The Baltimore Ravens had a tale of two seasons in 2024. In the first half of the year, Baltimore was one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. From Weeks 1-10, they ranked 30th in defensive EPA per dropback, ahead of only the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars. From Weeks 11-18, though, Baltimore was the No. 1 team in the NFL in EPA per dropback - an astounding turnaround that is rarely ever seen.

Their second-half surge led to both Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey being named First-Team All-Pro, and the Ravens have done nothing but strengthen that unit this offseason. They drafted safety Malaki Starks out of Georgia and signed a pair of veteran cornerbacks in Chidobe Awuzie and two-time Pro Bowler Jaire Alexander. However, an injury to one of their top secondary members could prove to be pivotal, as Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated labels losing Ar'Darius Washington as one of the worst outcomes for any team this offseason.

"The Baltimore Ravens are loading up for another run at the Super Bowl, but things got much tougher in May," Verderame writes. "Only two weeks after selecting Georgia safety Malaki Starks in the first round of the draft, the Ravens lost Ar'Darius Washington for the season with a torn Achilles sustained during conditioning. How important was Washington, the soon-to-be free agent, to Baltimore’s defense in 2024? In the first seven games of the season, the Ravens allowed 25.7 points per game, while Washington never played at least 55% of the defensive snaps. Over the last 10 regular-season games, Washington eclipsed that figure each time, and the Ravens only permitted 18.1 PPG.  While having Starks certainly helps, the loss of Washington playing next to All-Pro Kyle Hamilton is a major blow to a secondary, even with the addition of Jaire Alexander this week on a one-year deal."

As Verderame points out, the Ravens will now lean a bit more on the likes of Starks and Alexander. And while losing Washington does hurt, Baltimore's depth should still be more than capable of helping them continue to be one of the top teams in the NFL.