The NFL preseason is ripe for overreactions, and today, Baltimore Beatdown wants to hear yours!
The Ravens took home their second straight preseason victory under new head coach Jesse Minter on Saturday with a dominant defensive showing against the Vikings. The offense, especially the run game, had a quiet afternoon, but undrafted rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano continued to impress with several strong throws with pressure in his face. Rookie punter Ryan Eckley took advantage of the busy day with 332 yards on six punts (55.3 yards per punt), including a 54-yard beauty that was fair-caught at Minnesota‘s 4-yard line.
The Ravens have long been known for developing defensive line talent, but even they could not bridge the gap when the unit was decimated by injuries last year. A potential return from Nnamdi Madubuike has raised expectations for the group, but when examined closely, the roster could be considered thin behind Travis Jones and Calais Campbell. John Jenkins turned 37 years old this summer, and Broderick Washington’s production was declining before his season-ending injury last year. The rest of the room is made up of unproven Day 3 picks and UDFAs.
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But Saturday’s preseason game showed that Baltimore has plenty of depth along the interior of their defensive line. Every active Ravens defensive tackle except Aaron Graves was credited with at least one pressure (via Pro Football Focus), with Aeneas Peebles registering four. (Graves has been plenty active in training camp and still logged a 66.2 pass rush grade from PFF.) Rayshaun Benny and David Olajiga both recorded sacks; Olajiga in particular had a quick, clean pass rush win from a nose tackle alignment, darting around Vikings center Vershon Lee in a flash.
Madubuike has been gradually ramping up throughout camp, but if he does not graduate to some form of contact this week, he will be unlikely to be ready for the start of the regular season. That would force the Ravens’ defensive line depth to play significant snaps early in the season with Washington and Jenkins probably seeing the most time. But depending on the opponent, Jesse Minter’s gameplan could call for an interior pass rush specialist like Peebles, a hulking presence like CJ Okoye, or any of the team’s other young defensive tackles. If Saturday was any indication, they’ll be ready.
Now, it’s your turn! What’s your overreaction from the Ravens’ preseason win over the Vikings?
