Shake-up of the Wolfpack creates note of uncertainty
Justin Tucker could only stare in bewilderment as he watched the Buffalo wind seize his well-struck attempt.
With almost 11 minutes left in the second quarter of the Ravens’ AFC divisional-round matchup, the most reliable kicker in NFL history had just missed for a second straight time. Tucker’s uncharacteristic performance was another bleak element in a night to forget for the Ravens.
Their vaunted special teams, which had
played so well throughout the 2020 season, could not save them in a 17-3 loss to the Bills. And we soon learned that change would visit the team’s kicking Wolfpack, which had prowled in the same configuration for nine seasons.
In the last of a series of position reviews, The Baltimore Sun examines the Ravens’ special teams situation.
2020 in review
The Ravens finished ninth in special teams DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) in 2019, good for most teams but beneath their lofty standard. So they entered a new season looking to improve their punt coverage and return production under second-year coordinator Chris Horton.
In the return game, they turned to rookie wide receivers Devin Duvernay and James Proche II, both of whom avoided the mistakes that had plagued the team previously. Duvernay was especially good, averaging 27.5 yards on 21 kickoff returns and 11.5 yards on four punt returns when Proche was inactive late in the season.
The Ravens also excelled in kickoff and punt coverage, preventing game-changing returns and frequently pinning opponents deep in their own territory. As a result, they jumped to second in special teams DVOA.
Tucker made his fifth Pro Bowl in nine seasons, and punter Sam Koch finished ninth in net punting average despite missing a game for the first time in his career because he had to go on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Depth chart
Justin Tucker
Skinny: Tucker missed three of six fieldgoal attempts in the playoffs and missed from inside 40 yards for the first time since 2013. But he made 26 of 29 attempts in the regular season, and his accuracy was just one percentage point off his career mark. On kickoffs, he ranked sixth in the league with 65 touchbacks.
Contract status: The 31-year-old Tucker will make a $3.5 million base salary with a $5.1 million salary cap number in the second season of the four-year extension he signed.
Sam Koch Skinny:
Koch has played more games for the Ravens than anyone in team history after he passed Terrell Suggs in Week 5. He rolled right along in season 15, ranking ninth in the league with a net average of 42.5 yards and putting 22 of his 51 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
Contract status: The 38-year-old Koch will make a $1.85 million base salary with a $2.9 million cap charge in the first season of a two-year extension he signed last March.
Morgan Cox Skinny:
The third member of the Wolfpack made his fourth Pro Bowl in his 11th season as the Ravens’ long snapper. Shortly after the playoff loss to the Bills, the Ravens informed Cox he would not be back with the team in 2021.
Contract status: Cox is headed for unrestricted free agency.
Devin Duvernay Skinny:
Though his usage at wide receiver wavered, Duvernay gave the Ravens a jolt in the return game. He averaged 27.5 yards on 21 kickoff returns (including a touchdown in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs) and appeared equally capable on punt returns when he took that role from Proche late in the season.
Contract status: Duvernay will make an $818,000 base salary with a $1.04 million cap number in the second season of the four-year deal he signed as a third-round pick out of Texas.
James Proche II Skinny:
Proche won the punt returner job in training camp and performed his duties cleanly, though not explosively (long return of 20 yards), over 14 regular-season games. The rookie was a healthy scratch for two playoff games, with the Ravens showing they were comfortable with Duvernay as their punt returner. But team officials have said Proche remains part of their plans. Contract status: Proche will make a $780,000 base salary with an $822,000 cap number in the second season of a four-year deal he signed as a sixth-round pick out of SMU.
Nick Moore Skinny:
The Ravens raised eyebrows when they regularly protected Moore to prevent the backup long snapper from being claimed off their practice squad. He played in Week 12 when Cox was on the reserve/COVID19 list and is expected to serve as a younger, cheaper replacement in 2021.
Contract status: The Ravens signed the 28-year-old Moore to a reserve/futures contract in January.
Jordan Richards Skinny:
Though he’s listed as a safety, Richards played just 15 defensive snaps in 2020. He led the Ravens with 334 special teams snaps and has settled in as one of the veteran anchors the Ravens like to keep for their coverage units.
Contract status: Richards will make $1.015 million with an $875,000 cap number in 2021.
Chris Board Skinny:
Board earned more time at linebacker in 2020, but special teams play remains essential to his identity with the Ravens. He finished second to Richards with 331 special teams snaps.
Contract status: The Ravens have a decision to make on Board, who’s a restricted free agent. Will they offer him a tender or hope to re-sign him at a lesser annual rate?
Chris Moore Skinny:
The Ravens re-signed Moore for the 2020 season because of his stalwart special teams play, but finger and thigh injuries kept him out of all but four games. Given the team’s love for its special teams core, we can’t rule out a return engagement in 2021.
Contract status: Moore is headed for unrestricted free agency.
Offseason questions 1. Will we notice Nick Moore as he tries to replace Cox?
It’s rare for a team to cause much of a ripple by changing long snappers, but the Wolfpack became a significant part of the Ravens’ identity over nine seasons as a unit. Tucker and Koch have often credited the group’s deep familiarity and shared attention to detail for their individual success.
So the younger, cheaper Moore will face unusual pressure to keep this train on the tracks. The Ravens had a year to assess him and liked what they saw enough to move on from Cox. But if Moore makes even one glaring mistake, second-guessers will emerge in force.
2. Will Tucker’s postseason struggles carry over at all?
In the perpetually stormy world of NFL kicking, Tucker is the Rock of Gibraltar — a source of confidence for the Ravens going into every difficult matchup. No one was more disgusted than him when his missed field goals became part of the problem against Buffalo.
“I felt like the ball came off my foot really, really well, and the ball just didn’t go through,” he said the day after. “At the end of the day, ‘almost’ doesn’t cut it.”
In this case, the weather — which also tortured Bills kicker Tyler Bass — really was the enemy. Tucker gave us little reason during the season to think his leg strength or attention to craft had diminished. He’s nowhere near the list of problems the Ravens must address over the next six months.
3. Will the Ravens devote resources and roster spots to maintaining their special teams core?
No team prioritizes special teams more than the Ravens under John Harbaugh. So many of their roster decisions at the end of each training camp come down to the third phase of NFL play.
Don’t expect this to change after Horton’s crew rebounded with excellent all-around performance in 2020. But the Ravens will have to make free-agent decisions on key contributors such as Board, Chris Moore and Anthony Levine Sr. History has taught us they will invest in trusted special teams performers over more glamorous alternatives.
Possible additions
The Ravens will look for potential special teams contributors in the draft, but they don’t have a lot of obvious work to do in this area.
When veteran producer Bill Mechanic begins filming his latest movie, “The Divide,” in Australia later this year, he knows he will have to charter a private jet to fly out his lead actor.
Under normal circumstances, that would be out of the question. Typically, for a limited budget indie feature, all the cast and crew — even the stars — fly commercial, which is substantially cheaper.
But the Oscar-nominated producer is willing to pay the extra costs to fly the actor (whom he declined to identify) from Los Angeles to reduce the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak on set.
“That becomes, even on a tight budget, something you don’t fight, since if your stars tested positive, then you’d be shut down,” said Mechanic, a former Fox and Disney executive who produced the movies “Hacksaw Ridge” and “Coraline.” “There’s more money lost ... not being smart. Pennywise, pound-foolish sort of thing.”
It’s not only A-list celebrities who are demanding private flights. Increasingly, requests for use of such perks is coming from a wider group of cast and crew nervous about getting infected with COVID-19 while traveling on commercial flights, or because direct routes have been suspended as a result of the pandemic-related collapse in travel.
Some studios and producers have balked at the demands for private jet travel at a time when many are facing additional financial pressure brought on by new safety measures intended to prevent coronavirus outbreaks.
But, like Mechanic, many are willing to compromise because of the extraordinary
circumstances caused by the health crisis.
“If a studio is making a star or makeup artist get to a certain place that requires air travel and the person wants to go, the financier-producer will make whatever accommodation they feel is appropriate. Then it becomes a negotiation,” said Los Angeles-based veteran talent manager Larry Thompson, whose clients include William Shatner.
The willingness by studios to make accommodations is a notable change, he said.
“‘There’s not enough money’ — you hear that on every movie,” he said. “You’re not hearing it now.”
Some businesses have profited from the growing popularity of private jet travel.
“We initially lost a lot of business due to cancellations but ended up booking more than twice as many flights in 2020,” said Richard Zaher, chief executive and founder of Paramount Business Jets, a Leesburg, Virginia -based charter broker that arranges private
jet flights, including out of Los Angeles.
Zaher estimates that sales more than doubled over the last year, to more than $25.5 million in 2020. He attributes at least some of that to entrepreneurs, corporations and wealthy individuals who’d never flown privately before but now do so because of the pandemic.
Zaher says the entertainment industry accounts for a small but growing share of his sales.
At the end of December, a production company filming a Super Bowl commercial decided to charter a private plane to transport the crew and stars to Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin, Zaher said.
“People in production houses are also thinking about safety of their staff, just like everyone else, so yes, we are definitely seeing an increase in demand in that regard,” Zaher said.
The hourly cost of renting a private jet varies from $2,000 to $10,000, he said.
Some Hollywood studios own or lease their own jets, which are also used by executives.