Offensive line
The Ravens were successful in running their combination blocks and scraping off to find other targets in the ground game. They might have had some of the best pulling tackles in the game in Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses. Stanley, though, still looked like he was struggling to plant his feet in pass protection after missing significant time with his ankle injury, and Moses struggled with speed rushers to the outside. Right guard Kevin Zeitler was solid, even stellar at times, and left guard Ben Powers played so well that he is going to make a lot of money in free agency during the offseason. The Ravens need to be prepared to ante up to keep him and this unit intact. Rookie center Tyler Linderbaum played reasonably well and made blocks into the second level, but he has to get stronger this offseason to move defensive linemen lined up directly in front of him. Backup Patrick Mekari was the perfect utility man at all positions on the offensive line and the Ravens didn’t lose much when he filled in. The Ravens, though, still need to be better in pass protection, and they didn’t have much of a running game inside the red zone. Throwing downfield and having time to do it needs to become a regular part of the offense. Grade: B
Receivers
The Ravens have failed miserably at this position through the years in both the draft and free agency. General manager Eric DeCosta needs to address why he keeps using first-round draft picks on guys like Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Rashod Bateman, who were both injured in their final college seasons. Neither has played up to where they were drafted. The Ravens keep signing veteran free agents like Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson (48 catches for 458 yards) and DeSean Jackson (nine catches for 153 yards), but they are past their prime. The younger ones like Devin Duvernay (37 catches for 407 yards) and James Proche II (eight catches for 62 yards) either can’t get open or the Ravens don’t do enough to scheme them open. The Ravens do have talent at tight end, though, as Mark Andrews had 73 receptions for 847 yards and five touchdowns and rookie Isaiah
Likely had 36 catches for 373 yards and two touchdowns. They also got tight end Josh Oliver in the mix. Grade: D
Defensive line
The Ravens showed a lot of versatility and depth here. They got little out of nose tackle Michael Pierce, who had season-ending surgery on his torn biceps after Week 3, but got adequate contributions from replacements Broderick Washington (49 tackles, one sack) and rookie Travis Jones (24 tackles, one sack). Washington became one of the unsung heroes on defense. Veteran defensive end Calais Campbell had another strong year with 36 tackles and 5 sacks despite missing three games. Tackle Justin Madubuike (42 tackles, 5 sacks) showed good quickness and penetration into the backfield to shut down running plays, but he needs to improve as a pass rusher to become more of a complete player. End Brent Urban (21 tackles, one sack) also provided depth for a defense that regularly shut down opposing running games. Grade: B
Linebackers
Middle linebacker Roquan Smith proved to be the team’s Most Valuable Player, finishing with the third-most tackles on the team (86) despite playing eight games for the Bears. Smith not only gave the Ravens a physical presence in the middle but, more importantly, an every-down player who could run sideline to sideline or cover receivers. Smith made linebacker Patrick Queen (team-leading 117 tackles) better because the Ravens could use him more as a run or pass blitzer, utilizing his straight-ahead speed, but he still needs to improve in pass coverage. The outside linebackers were inconsistent throughout the year in everything from holding the edge to providing consistent pressure on quarterbacks. Veterans such as Justin Houston (9 sacks) and Jason Pierre-Paul (three sacks) were strong rushers at times, while second-year pro Odafe Oweh and veteran Tyus Bowser struggled to provide consistent pressure. Rookie David Ojabo might become the team’s top pass rusher in the future but was slowed by his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in March.
Secondary
The Ravens need to get faster at cornerback and find the shutdown type. Marcus Peters brings a certain degree of nastiness to this defense but creates anxious moments when matched against a speedy receiver like the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase. Marlon Humphrey (71 tackles) is an excellent slot cornerback when he can work near the line of scrimmage but struggles in space. The Ravens like to brag that he didn’t get beat for a touchdown this season, but how many times did he get penalized for pass interference near the goal line? At safety, Marcus Williams (61 tackles) was an excellent addition, Chuck Clark was second on the team with 101 tackles and rookie Kyle Hamilton added 55 while playing different positions on the back end. Brandon Stephens came on slowly as a cornerback late in the season but he is a better fit at safety. Grade: C+