OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens know they have a serious pass defense problem.
Head coach John Harbaugh said improving the coverage over the intermediate and deep middle portions of the field is their “No. 1 one target that we have to get better at” as Baltimore ranks last in the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns passes allowed. In 10 games, the Ravens have already allowed four more touchdown passes and just 314 fewer passing yards than they surrendered all of last season when they thrived under former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. Entering Monday, Baltimore ranked 24th in pass defense DVOA and 31st in EPA per pass, meaning the pass defense doesn’t look much better through an analytical lens that seeks more context of game situations.
With the start of the playoffs just two months away, how does a 7-3 team with obvious Super Bowl aspirations improve in this critical area?
“Of course you consider everything. Everything is on the table always,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t think that’s any news story. It’s definitely not headline-worthy because that’s what you do. That’s what I spent the weekend doing, and that’s what our coaches spent the weekend doing, and that’s what our players spent the weekend doing in the back end.
“We’ll look at every aspect of it and pursue the best path that we can think of and that we see going forward with a great sense of urgency.”
After a quiet weekend — at least from an outside perspective — following last Thursday’s 35-34 win over Cincinnati, the Ravens aren’t about to broadcast pending changes to their secondary ahead of Sunday’s showdown in Pittsburgh with the AFC North lead on the line. We’ve already seen defensive coordinator Zach Orr try to tweak the safety spots when Marcus Williams was benched in Cleveland in Week 8 and Eddie Jackson was a healthy scratch against Denver the following week. Whether pondering lineup and roster changes or shifts in schematic philosophy and even coaching responsibilities, there’s only so much change the Ravens can make in the middle of a season.
But general manager Eric DeCosta did acquire former All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White last week. Injuries have derailed the 29-year-old’s career, but could Baltimore prove to be a better fit than Los Angeles, where White had been a healthy scratch over his last four games with the Rams? A swap of future seventh-round picks made the acquisition as low risk as it gets, but will there be any reward?
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“A high-level human being, great guy. Everybody that’s been around him says that,” said Harbaugh, who anticipates White remaining an outside cornerback as he has throughout his career. “High-level competitor, [and a] tough, tough guy. He’s willing to get out there and play hard like we like, so we respect that about him. We expect him to get in there and start taking snaps in the rotation at corner. That’s why we traded for him, so we’re looking forward to it, and I know he’s excited.”
Could the Ravens revisit their safety rotation after Williams returned to the starting lineup the last two weeks and struggled once again against the Bengals? Ar’Darius Washington has seen his most extensive time playing as a deep safety in recent weeks, but the ankle injury suffered by All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton compliments anything the Ravens might want to adjust in the short term.
Though Hamilton thankfully avoided a serious injury, it remains unclear whether he’ll be ready to play against the Steelers.
“He’s been here all weekend getting treatment and stuff like that,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll see how he looks on Wednesday going forward.”
One idea pundits and fans have posed is struggling cornerback Brandon Stephens moving to safety, the position once regarded as his optimal long-term spot as recently as the 2023 preseason before injuries pushed him to corner and he had a breakout season playing on the outside. Such a move would open the door for rookie first-round pick Nate Wiggins to play more extensively.
But that apparently isn’t being considered.
“That’s not really on the table right now,” Harbaugh said. “He’s got a big job right now he’s trying to take care of — if you’re talking about [a move to] deep safety. Now, we move guys around underneath all the time.”
8Unfortunately, safety hasn’t been the only problem as linebackers — including two-time Pro Bowl selection Roquan Smith — have struggled to cover running backs and tight ends as well as the middle portion of the field in general.
The pass rush fared better against Cincinnati, but Joe Burrow still threw for four touchdowns and more than 400 yards to nearly pull off a road upset. Despite ranking fourth in the league in sacks, Baltimore is just 25th in Next Gen Stats’ version of pressure rate, reflecting an inconsistent pass rush.
The Ravens have already added former defensive coordinator Dean Pees to their staff as an extra set of eyes and an experienced voice. They’re not going to give up on Orr in the middle of his first season running the defense, and any defensive assistants who would have best fit the profile of a coordinator left for such jobs elsewhere this past offseason anyway.
There are no easy fixes for what veteran cornerback Marlon Humphrey called “the little bros” of the Ravens, who are relying on two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and an elite offense to carry them to victories. With the defense having played a major part in losing to two of the NFL’s worst teams already this season, the Ravens can’t afford to have that side of the ball derail a deep January run with what’s shaping up to be the best offense in franchise history.
The Ravens have to figure this out, and it begins against the Steelers on Sunday.
“We worked at it through the weekend, and we’ll continue to work at it,” Harbaugh said. “Everybody is determined to get better, and we have a growth mindset to get better at everything with a high sense of urgency.”
