The offseason focus is always on which free agents and draft picks a team will add, but the Ravens know improvement from within goes a long way in avoiding wasting precious salary cap dollars and leaning too heavily on rookies.
While you dream of drafting immediate stars, development can be tricky with even some of the better players in team history needing a season or so to find their bearings. At the same time, wasting too much time on a sunk cost can also hurt an organization in the long run. As much as teams try to master the science of drafting and developing players, so much art remains, which is why even the most successful teams still miss plenty.
Below is a look at five young players the Ravens need more from in 2022 to help climb back into serious contention after a rare losing season:
WR Rashod Bateman
Considering how much of his rookie season was disrupted by a nagging groin injury that ultimately required surgery in mid-August, the first-round pick still had a respectable 2021 with 46 catches for 515 yards and a touchdown in 12 contests, but Bateman also disappeared in the midst of games — averaging just 1.26 yards per route run, according to Pro Football Focus — and played only six full games with star quarterback Lamar Jackson, making the coming spring and summer a critical time for his development. The 6-foot-1, 193-pound receiver ran smooth routes and made enough contested catches to remain excited about his ceiling, but Baltimore would really benefit from Bateman realizing that potential sooner than later, especially as Marquise Brown moves toward an approximate $13 million fifth-year option for 2023 and free agency after that. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman labeled Bateman a potential “power forward” in the passing game last fall, which would be a much-needed complement to All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews in the red zone.
ILB Patrick Queen
For the second straight offseason, we’re discussing the need for improvement and more consistency from Queen, which isn’t what you envision with a first-round pick. The 22-year-old admitted he even “pouted for a few days” when his struggles were most pronounced early in the 2021 season and the Ravens inserted veteran Josh Bynes at the Mike linebacker spot. But Queen did play better after that, leading the team in tackles for a loss for a second straight year. In fairness, his lack of starting experience at LSU wasn’t exactly a secret and Queen will now have his third position coach in as many years, which isn’t ideal for the development of a 6-foot, 232-pound linebacker who’s made splash plays to show off his potential. While Queen displayed better tackling as his second season progressed, improvement in pass coverage remains the biggest key in determining whether he’ll be the kind of first-round pick warranting a second contract. According to Pro Football Reference, his numbers were worse in that department than they were in 2020, meaning there’s still much work to be done.
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OL Ben Cleveland/Tyre Phillips
Why list both of these recent third-round guards as a single entity? Because one really needs to emerge as a dependable option at left guard with the up-and-down Ben Powers set to make $2.54 million in the final year of his rookie contract and the Ravens needing to address center and offensive tackle in some shape or form this offseason. Head coach John Harbaugh often talks about “time on task” for young offensive linemen to develop, but Phillips has bounced between left guard and right tackle and missed 11 games due to injuries over his first two seasons. Meanwhile, Cleveland missed five contests and a good chunk of training camp as a rookie, resulting in him making just four starts at the end of the season after Powers injured his foot. While you can never assume a single third- or fourth-round choice will become a starter, Baltimore has invested quite a few picks from that portion of the draft on its offensive line and really needs one to become a 2022 answer.
DT Justin Madubuike
Perhaps expectations were just too high for the 2020 third-round pick out of Texas A&M after NBC Sports’ Peter King predicted Madubuike would finish third in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting, the kind of bold proclamation a longtime NFL writer wouldn’t make without hearing considerable hype from within the organization. That’s not to suggest Madubuike played poorly in 2021 as he finished second in snaps among Ravens defensive linemen and nearly doubled his tackle total from his rookie season, but the 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive tackle didn’t move the needle to the degree you’d hope to see with the likes of Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams, and Justin Ellis now ready to become unrestricted free agents next month. Despite missing two games due to COVID-19 protocols, Madubuike showed good durability over the remaining 15 games and looks the part of a starting-caliber player at the very least, but the Ravens will need him to find a higher level of play to diminish the risk of overall drop-off from a transitioning unit this coming season.
OLB Daelin Hayes
Yes, one could argue including 2021 first-round pick Odafe Oweh on this list rather than a fifth-round selection, but the former was already a big part of what Baltimore did at outside linebacker and finished second on the team in sacks and quarterback hits and second in the NFL in rookie pressures, per PFF. Tyus Bowser sustaining a torn Achilles tendon in last month’s season finale puts more of a spotlight on the development of Hayes, who showed some potential as a backup Sam linebacker last spring and summer before injuries limited him to one game and four snaps all season. With Bowser’s early-season status up in the air, veterans Justin Houston and Pernell McPhee set to hit free agency, and former third-round pick Jaylon Ferguson failing to distinguish himself over his first three seasons, the 6-foot-3, 270-pound Hayes has an opportunity to become a factor even if the Ravens seem likely to add another edge defender or two to the mix. If the Notre Dame product isn’t able to develop and stay on the field in his second season, he’ll quickly find himself on the roster bubble.
