Roquan Smith named the Ravens bounce-back candidate in 2025 despite earning All-Pro honors
Roquan Smith named the Ravens bounce-back candidate in 2025 despite earning All-Pro honors PFF revealed the bounce-back candidate for the AFC North teams and Roquan Smith was Baltimore's candidate despite earning All-Pro honors in 2024
The saying "heavy is the head that wears the crown" is a metaphorical expression, and the Ravens have several players on the roster under immense pressure. On offense, quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry are expected to lead a powerful and explosive unit. On defense, Kyle Hamilton is A Swiss army knife, but Roquan Smith is the engine that powers the ship.
All four players earned All-Pro honors in 2024 and are among the best at their positions. Pro Football Focus recently revealed their bounce-back candidates for all four AFC North teams, and Smith made the list for Baltimore despite being among the league leaders in tackles and an All-Pro.
Last season, Smith played in 16 regular-season games, logging 154 tackles (81 solo), including 1.5 sacks, four pass defenses (including one interception), one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
PFF insinuates that Smith had a down year, but the veteran linebacker was four combined tackles shy of matching his production from the 2023 campaign, according to CBS Sports. He finished the 2024 season with the fifth-most tackles in the NFL behind Zaire Franklin (173), Budda Baker (164), Robert Spillane (158), and Jamien Sherwood (158).
During the playoffs, Smith played every defensive snap, logging 13 tackles (six solo) over that span. The 2018 first-round pick has been among the league leaders in tackles since being traded by the Bears to Baltimore in October 2022.
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