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Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Takeaways and observations from the first half as Ravens hold an 18-7 lead over Cowboys
Baltimore is in Dallas for an intriguing Saturday afternoon preseason contest, and Zach Orr's defense has shown that it can be an elite unit with backups in the game. Baltimore has 16 first downs compared to Dallas' two first downs, and the Ravens have amassed 273 yards compared to the Cowboys' 31 yards. With the second half underway, we're looking at takeaways and observations from the first half in Dallas. Rasheen Ali is legit. Looking to make the Ravens running back room a four-player situation, Ali had six carries for 28 yards to start the game in Dallas with Keaton Mitchell in street clothes. Overall, Ali had 14 carries for 39 yards (2.8 avg). Update: Ali would later drop a pass from Cooper Rush that turned into an interception for Kemon Hall. Ravens undrafted free agents are playmakers. Dayton Wade had four catches for 45 yards, while Keyon Martin had three tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one QB hit. Devontez Walker WR No. 4 If Devontez Walker can land the No. 4 spot, he could be in line for 25 catches, 550 yards, and four touchdowns. Walker had four catches in the first quarter for 57 yards and six catches for 61 yards on eight targets. Ravens' defense is solid. Zach Orr's revamped unit had allowed one first down and 14 total yards at one point in the first half. Dallas' first three drives ended in a safety, a punt, and a 4th-down stop. Cooper Rush bounces back After throwing a pick-six, Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush responded with a 1-yard TD to Keith Kirkwood on fourth-and-goal. Overall, Rush is 20-of-30 for 198 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Tyler Loops legit Tyler Loop is 3-3 with a 51-yard bomb. Reuben Lowery makes his case for a roster spot A versatile player, Lowery could end up landing the Ravens' third safety spot or a key role overall. LaJohntay Wester growing pains One week after returning a punt for a touchdown, Wester is 0-4 on targets with one drop, and one of his targets resulted in a pick-six. This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Takeaways from first half of Ravens' preseason game vs. Cowboys
USA Today
01-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
5 most team-friendly contracts on the Ravens roster
We're looking at five Ravens who have the most team-friendly contracts on the Baltimore roster The Baltimore Ravens will begin training camp in 14 days, and John Harbaugh's team has very few weaknesses on either side of the ball. However, several key positions will face competition, and a breakout performance from a lesser-known player could spark a push for the Super Bowl in Santa Clara. You can add ever-growing expectations for Zach Orr's defense, which has added elite talent at all three levels throughout free agency, the NFL draft, and Jaire Alexander's signing. GM Eric DeCosta has the team sitting at $15 million in salary cap space, and with training camp fast approaching, we're looking at five team-friendly contracts. OLB Kyle Van Noy Van Noy finished fourth in the NFL with 12.5 sacks in 2024, but counts just $6,125,000 against the Ravens' salary cap. OL Ronnie Stanley Stanley played the entire 2024 regular season, answering some questions about his durability. He also has the high-end tape to get paid. In 2024, Stanley tied for 11th among offensive tackles with a 92.5% pass-block win rate. Stanley carries a $ 5.8 million cap hit in 2025. TE Isaiah Likely Likely counts $3,532,084 against the salary cap, but enters 2025 as one of the best young tight ends in the NFL. Likely recorded 126 receiving yards during the playoffs, and he had a career-best 42 catches for 477 yards and six touchdowns. Likely will play out the final year of his rookie contract in 2025, but a Pro Bowl could be in the cards. DB Kyle Hamilton Hamilton was the youngest defensive starter named to the Pro Bowl, quickly emerging as the NFL's premier safety in his second season. Hamilton plays with poise and maturity while allowing new Ravens DC Zach Orr to implement a dynamic and versatile scheme with three safeties on the field. Last season, Hamilton had the second-highest Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of any safety in the league, trailing only Joseph and his league-leading nine interceptions. Hamilton is the NFL's only defensive back to post at least 100 tackles, an interception, two sacks, and two forced fumbles. Hamilton will count $5.1 million on the salary cap. OL Tyler Linderbaum A Pro Bowl center and one of the best at his position, Linderbaum counts $4,212,185 against the cap in 2025.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ravens Emerge As 'Makes Sense' Suitor for Pro Bowler
Ravens Emerge As 'Makes Sense' Suitor for Pro Bowler originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Baltimore Ravens have Pro Bowl talent up and down the roster. The offense is amongst the most complete and versatile in the NFL, and the defense features impact players on all three levels. Advertisement Zach Orr's defense underwent some growing pains in his first year as coordinator, but the team returns a lot of promise for this season, with hopes a full year of experience in his system will result in more production in 2025. One area of the defense that might raise a sense of urgency is the pass rush. Veteran Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh - two double-digit sack-getters - are on expiring contracts. Baltimore drafted college football's sack champion in Mike Green, but you can never go wrong with adding more experience to the depth chart to bring along a highly-touted rookie. Trenton Simpson underwhelmed last season, so a veteran linebacker presence could offer him some mentorship, too, and be an insurance plan if Simpson continues to struggle. Advertisement Frankly, at a spot like pass rusher, you can always be happy with more. Especially on a team with Super Bowl aspirations like the Ravens. One name on the free agency market is a familiar one for Ravens fans: outside linebacker Matt Judon. A free agency contract to Judon, who was in Baltimore from 2016-2020, may not threaten a starting spot, but could offer more depth and a chance at spotty production to aid the starters with a breather. As Last Word On Sports writes, "the linebacker will sign at least with a contender, as he wants to head to a team that 'makes sense.' Baltimore fits that mold, and it's leg-up in familiarity could help its chances in joining the bidding war for the four-time Pro Bowler. Advertisement "... No one should rule out the idea of a reunion, as Judon isn't shutting the door on that," Writer Anthony Palacios said. "Between Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy, Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson, Judon could complete this package to add more firepower." He's coming off a down season in 2024, but Judon may still have the physical attributes to compete at a high level. He posted an impressive 15.5 sack total as recent as 2022 with the New England Patriots. Last season on the Atlanta Falcons, he totaled 5.5 sacks, 41 tackles, seven tackles for loss and the first interception of his nine-year career - it was returned for a touchdown. His best years may be behind him, but on a cheap homecoming deal, Judon could provide much-needed pass rush depth to the team that drafted him almost a decade ago in the Ravens. Advertisement Related: Ravens Coach Names Unlikely 'Centerpiece' of Defense Related: Ravens Making Case for Best Roster in Franchise History This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
09-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Ravens CB Nate Wiggins had a strong rookie season. Now, he's learning to be a pro
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens secondary coach Chuck Pagano didn't wait for the play to officially end. As cornerback Nate Wiggins headed upfield, setting up his blocks along the way, following an interception of an overthrown pass during Friday's organized team activity, Pagano broke out the celebratory dance moves on the sideline. Advertisement The 64-year-old coach shuffled up and down and waved his right arm in the air as if he were riding an imaginary horse. It doesn't take much to get Pagano going, but the sight of Wiggins securing the football and using his speed to race toward the end zone was enough to get anybody associated with the Ravens excited. Wiggins, a first-round pick in 2024, had a strong rookie season. He played in all but two games, broke up 13 passes and held quarterbacks to a 66.7 passer rating when they targeted him. Wiggins allowed just 31 receptions on 62 targets, forced a key fumble in Dallas and had a pick six in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns. Yet, it was hard for Ravens coaches this offseason not to think about how much better Wiggins could get when he became a little stronger and had a better grasp of the fundamentals of the cornerback position and how offenses were attacking him. 'Last year, he was just running like a chicken with his head cut off, trying to figure out what to do,' Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr said last week. 'Now, he understands the system. He understands the defense. He's been in the league for a year, so he understands formations from offenses. Now, he can really just hone in on his technique. Man, that guy right there, he takes his technique to another level on a consistent basis. The sky's the limit for him.' Wiggins, who had an interception and a pass breakup in the Ravens' last OTA on Friday, is off to a solid start this offseason. He's added 10 pounds after prioritizing getting bigger and stronger. Possessing a better understanding of the position, he's playing with more decisiveness and confidence. And he no longer has to wonder about his role on a week-to-week basis. The Ravens, influenced partly by health issues for Wiggins in the first half of the season, somewhat eased the rookie in. He played more than 75 percent of the team's defensive snaps just twice over Baltimore's first 10 games. But those days are over. He'll enter the 2025 season as a starting outside corner and one of the Ravens' core defenders. He says he's ready for that. Advertisement 'Last season, I didn't feel like I was really a pro yet,' Wiggins said Friday. 'Now, I'm knowing how to be a pro. I feel like now it's going to pay off.' The Ravens lost some key pieces from last year's defense, which started agonizingly slow but turned things around and was playing at a high level by season's end. Nose tackle Michael Pierce retired. Starting cornerback Brandon Stephens departed to the New York Jets in free agency. Malik Harrison and Chris Board, part of the linebacker rotation, signed elsewhere. Baltimore's cornerback depth thinned out with veterans Tre'Davious White and Arthur Maulet not returning. Safety Ar'Darius Washington, whose ascension into the starting lineup was a catalyst for the defensive turnaround, tore his Achilles during a May workout and will miss most, if not all, of the 2025 season. Meanwhile, Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta's two most prominent veteran defensive additions were Chidobe Awuzie, who will likely compete for the No. 3 or 4 cornerback role, and John Jenkins, a rotational defensive lineman. If the Ravens are going to build off of where last year's defense finished, they'll be relying heavily on the development of their young players, and that includes members of the team's rookie class. That means third-year pro Trenton Simpson, who is poised to reclaim his starting inside linebacker spot alongside Roquan Smith; first-round safety Malaki Starks, who will almost certainly be a day one starter; and young edge rushers Mike Green and Adisa Isaac, Day 2 selections over the past two drafts who will be counted on to add some pass-rushing juice. That also means Wiggins, who team officials believe has star potential if he stays healthy and learns the nuances of the cornerback position. More takeaways, like the one in Friday's practice, would help, too. A recent guest on 'The Lounge' podcast, Wiggins told the team website that one of his goals is to create 10-plus turnovers (interceptions or forced fumbles) in 2025. He had two last year. Advertisement 'I expect him to be locked in and focused on the little things,' Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Friday. 'Raindrops make oceans, man. Lock in on every little detail to be great, and that's what he's focusing on.' When Wiggins entered the league after a strong final season at Clemson, there was little doubt that he could run with NFL receivers. He clocked a blistering 4.28 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Only Kansas City Chiefs first-round wide receiver Xavier Worthy (4.21) beat that time. The concerns were over whether Wiggins, who weighed just 173 pounds at the combine, would hold up physically, particularly against bigger receivers, and also against running backs had he needed to make a tackle on the outside. Wiggins held his own physically as a rookie, but he acknowledged that he didn't feel like he was able to protect himself as well as needed. That, in his mind, led to some of the physical issues that he played through for much of last year. 'Injury wasn't my big thing last year, (but) just hitting the ground,' Wiggins said. 'With my shoulders hitting the ground, the body couldn't absorb the contact. So it was really just getting my body (ready to) take the contact.' Wiggins said he has a really fast metabolism and has always struggled to put on weight. He loaded up on steak, mashed potatoes and proteins this offseason to add 10 pounds and get up to 185. It's a start for a player whose speed remains his biggest attribute. Now, the Ravens would like to see Wiggins utilize his increased strength. 'I thought Nate did a great job going to work this offseason, putting weight on,' Orr said. 'That's a testament to him and the strength coaches coming up with a great plan. Obviously, he followed it. The weight is real, so that's good to see, but what I see him focusing on now, he's more locked in on his fundamentals and technique on a more consistent basis.'
USA Today
07-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ravens DC Zach Orr offers A1 critique of their new safety tandem
Ravens DC Zach Orr offers A1 critique of their new safety tandem Zach Orr sees something special brewing in the Ravens starting safety tandem. Pay close attention to the backend of the Baltimore Ravens' defense as mandatory minicamp and training camp ensue. How's that for stating the obvious, right? Several OTA practices have already given us so much to talk about. Rashod Bateman is set to enter another tax bracket after signing an extension. Ar'Darius Washington is in a contract season, but he is unfortunately injured. That has seemingly opened the door for the nearly-forgotten Jalyn Armour-Davis, who has since gotten some snaps and worked at the safety position. For the Ravens to take another step in the right direction and get back to the AFC Championship Game, the backend of their defense will need to take a few steps of their own. We know there isn't much to worry about with Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton. The latter has missed a few OTA sessions, but there's a lot of optimism in the tandem he will form with a newly-acquired and highly-touted rookie. Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr has a ton of faith in his starting safety duo. The first three seasons of Kyle Hamilton's career were good enough to inspire the potential envy of NFL stars who are five years his senior. He earned a spot on the Pro Football Writers Association's All-Rookie Team in 2022. He has only gotten better since then. A member of the past two Pro Bowl rosters, he earned a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2023 before being named a Second-Teamer in 2024. One star alone, however, does not an elite safety tandem make, so Baltimore found an answer and an upgrade during the first round of this past April's draft in Malaki Starks. Saying defense coordinator Zach Orr is excited would be a massive understatement. This past week, he expressed his expectation for Hamilton and Starks as a duo. The NFL is a long way from college football in terms of level of competition, but Starks looks like a sure thing. Baltimore is hoping his skill set translates to the highest level of football. During his time in Athens with the Georgia Bulldogs, he was named a Freshman All-American and became a College Football Playoff National Champion. He was a Consensus All-American in 2023, a First-team All-American in 2024, and has two First-Team All-SEC (2023, 2024) to show for his trouble. He's used to playing in big games. He's certain to play in several this season, and fortunately for him, though the pressure to perform will come quickly, he doesn't have to do everything on his own.
