The answer to Ravens’ biggest 2025 concern may rest on a rookie’s shoulders

With Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season fast approaching, teams are looking to kick off the new year on the right foot. The Baltimore Ravens are in a great position to do that, as their roster has very few concerns. However, one concern, although not a pressing issue, contributed to their downfall in the playoffs last year and could be a problem yet again.

The Ravens have a deep unit at outside linebacker. They have several edge rushers that can get after the passer, but nobody has been able to separate themselves as top-of-the-line threats. The player answering that bell in 2025 could be a fast-rising rookie.

When Baltimore selected Mike Green in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, everyone knew they had a potential steal on their hands. After an encouraging preseason that saw him tally six hurries over 39 pass rush snaps, he looks like the future at the Ravens’ outside linebacker spot.

Although he admitted it is tough to find an alarming concern for a team like the Ravens, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports sees the lack of elite presence off the edge as a potential issue. He believes Green could hold the answer to any of those questions this year.

“Most great teams have guys that you have to identify at the line of scrimmage in terms of their pass rush ability, and the Ravens don’t. They do it by committee,” Prisco said. “Somebody has to emerge, and I think they have high expectations for rookie Mike Green, and I think you have to keep an eye on him as possibly emerging as that guy down the line.”

Mike Green could hold the answer to Ravens’ potential pass rush problem

The Ravens have capable starters to lead their pass rush room. Kyle Van Noy just had a career-best season, totaling 12.5 sacks in 2024, and Odafe Oweh is rising to his first-round expectations, also totaling a career-high sack total with 10. The presence of those two should help Green find his way in the NFL.

It is also crucial to factor in Baltimore’s interior defensive line play. Two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike is one of the league’s best pass rushers from the interior. He broke out in 2023 with 13 sacks and followed that up with 6.5 in 2024. While the numbers fell, he remained an impact player and faced one of the highest double-team rates in football. With the 27-year-old continuing to eat those doubles and hopefully find more success against them in 2025, Green should have free range and find favorable matchups against opposing offensive lines.

It is unfair to put these kinds of expectations on a rookie, but he has the potential to make such an impact. He was unstoppable at Marshall in 2024, leading the nation with 17 sacks, and he was once again a force in the preseason, regularly meeting the quarterback in the backfield. Heading into Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, the football world will see if Green is up for the challenge.

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