The Ravens’ defense will produce at least 50% more turnovers than it did in ’21

The Ravens finished last season with just 15 takeaways, tied for third fewest in the NFL an unacceptable total for a team that spends so much of its salary cap on defensive backs. To their credit, they treated this as a top priority in the offseason, even though they knew they would get back their top ballhawk, cornerback Marcus Peters. Peters’ absence due to a torn ACL was not their only problem in 2021. Marlon Humphrey finished with one forced fumble after he knocked eight balls loose the previous year. The team’s safeties, after a relatively hot start, finished with four interceptions and no forced fumbles.

So they went shopping for a top center fielder in Marcus Williams; used their first draft pick on a long, instinctive safety in Kyle Hamilton; and rounded out their secondary with veteran cornerback Kyle Fuller, who has 19 career interceptions. Add those pieces to former All-Pros Peters and Humphrey, and they’re a good bet to reach 25 takeaways, a figure that would put them in the top third of the league instead of the bottom third, where they resided last year with the likes of the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers.