What Should Ravens Most Hope For Entering Season?

The Baltimore Ravens don't have the same concerns as most of their NFL cohorts.

While many of their peers are clinging onto one of their draft picks showing glimpses of excellence or a cushy-looking upcoming schedule when determining reasons for optimism, they need everything to break they way. It's Super Bowl or bust in 2025, as the Ravens have spent over half a decade repeatedly knocking on the door without so much as even reaching the final round of the playoffs in the Lamar Jackson era.

They have reason to think that this could be their year, with smart-looking offseason roster management setting Jackson up with perhaps the strongest all-around cast of pieces he's ever played with. As talented as he and some of his most prominent weapons are, those scoring stars may all be overshadowed when wondering what part of the team elicits the most hope.

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox touched on the topic of optimism, running through one reason for every fan base to get excited entering the fall. For the Ravens, he blows past the quarterback position that most franchises constantly worry about, instead focusing on how defensive improvement can vault Jackson and co. into championship territory.

"The Ravens lost their first two games of the season and had an inexplicable loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 8," Knox wrote. "However, the defense started to gel under first-year coordinator Zach Orr late in the season, and Baltimore won five straight before narrowly losing to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round.

"The defense is highly unlikely to experience a slow start in Year 2 under Orr, and a few new faces — including cornerback Jaire Alexander and rookie safety Malaki Starks — may further boost the defensive improvement. If the Ravens can field a balanced team from start to finish, Jackson will have a great shot at reaching the first Super Bowl of his career."

Those offseason additions look to deepen an already-impressive secondary unit, already occupied by a regular Pro Bowler in Marlon Humphrey, ascending cornerback Nate Wiggins and a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate at safety in Kyle Hamilton.

Carrying over that late-season success combined with newfound reinforcements could be the difference between Baltimore suffering yet another painful playoff loss or finally clearing the hump to win it all, as anything short of Super Bowl honors means another year of disappointment for the longtime contenders.