Dominant ‘D’ will have a new look

In a world without a pandemic, in an NFL offseason not turned upside down by social-distancing guidelines, this would have been mandatory-minicamp time, one final shot of football before players scatter for their summer vacation homes.

But this is not a normal NFL offseason, so this is not a normal mid-June. Because of the coronavirus, the last time the Ravens played together was in the January game they’d just as soon as forget: their AFC divisional-round loss to the Tennessee Titans. Their offseason instruction has been virtual. Workouts are completed wherever there’s space.

As the Ravens’ offseason program winds down and training camp slowly approaches, it’s worth remembering what we’re missing.

Here are 19 things to consider about the defense and special teams during the long wait for football’s return to Owings Mills:

Defensive line

1. Coach John Harbaugh praised Brandon Williams throughout last year, calling his 2019 “dominant” at the team’s end-ofseason news conference. And with Michael

Pierce off shopping for winter coats in Minnesota, Williams is back at nose tackle, his natural position. Could a Pro Bowl season be in store? He turned 31 in February, and gravity does not do any 330-plus-pound linemen of that age any favors. But the Ravens have managed his workload well for years now. He played more than 75% of the team’s defensive snaps just once last season.

2. The Ravens rarely deviated from their Pierce-Williams rotation last season, not even on obvious passing downs. Offensive