5 unheralded players who have been integral to Ravens defensive turnaround

These defenders have taken on and filled vital roles that have resulted in improved stability and productivity.

After losing a bevy of coaches and a handful of key starters on the defensive side of the ball during the offseason, the Baltimore Ravens weren’t expected to repeat as the top unit in the league for the second year in a row. However, no one saw their wildly inconsistent start to the 2024 season coming in which they ranked at or near the bottom in both pass and total defense through the first 10 games.

A much-needed ‘come-to-Jesus’ closed-door meeting between players and first-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr took place on the heels of allowing a season-high 421 passing yards and five touchdowns in a dramatic season-sweeping win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Gameplans were simplified and roles for some players expanded slightly or significantly while others diminished exponentially or entirely in some cases. Since those changes were made, the Ravens have been one the stingiest and structurally sound defensive units in the league, allowing an average of just 236 total yards per game, 169 passing yards per game and 19.75 points per game.

While the Ravens have Pro Bowlers and All Pros at all three levels of the defense, there are also players in the front seven and backend who aren’t household names but have been just as vital to their impressive turnaround on that side of the ball. Below are five of the most deserving of recognition:

---

DB Ar’Darius Washington

Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images

The fourth-year pro has seen the sharpest uptick in playing time of any Ravens defender as he has played 100% of the team’s defensive snaps in each of the last four games of the turnaround since replacing veteran Marcus Williams in the starting lineup. Washington joined forces with All Pro Kyle Hamilton to help bring stability to a secondary that went from allowing the most plays of 20-plus yards to a suffocating defensive backfield that doesn’t have the same reoccurring coverage busts and miscommunications that plagued them through the first 10 games while he was playing a part-time role. The 2021 undrafted free agent has recorded 29 total tackles including 17 solos and three for a loss, a pass deflection and his second career interception in the last four games as he continues to flash play-making ability with each starting experience gained.

I have a lot of respect for ‘AD’, the type of player he is and the type of person that he is,” inside linebacker Roquan Smith said Sunday postgame. “On a daily [basis], he busts his tail, never asks for any handouts, go gets everything out the mud, and when you’re an individual like that … ‘This kid … Oh, [he’s] too short, too small. Oh, maybe not this or maybe not that;’ he has the mentality [of] ‘F’ everything. ‘I’m going to prove it play in and play out.’ And when things like that happen to people who bust their tail day in and day out, I just love to see it. The guy prepares just like no other, and he just showed those bunnies on that play. I told him he has the best bunnies on the team, and he needs it, though, for his height. But he’s a damn good player.”

LB Malik Harrison & Chris Board

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

The Ravens opened the regular season with second-year pro Trenton Simpson as the starting WILL linebacker next to Smith, a two-time All Pro, but over the last three games, they’ve transitioned to a three-man rotation with the fifth and seventh-year veterans. Platooning the trio has resulted in improved play at the second level by taking some of the burden off of Smith who was overcompensating at times to pick up the slack and helped improve the middle of the field coverage that was another glaring issue through the first 10 games.

“[I] have a lot of respect for ‘CB’ [Chris Board]. He’s been a great [special] teamer his entire career, and when he’s asked to play linebacker, [he] plays linebacker pretty good, as well,” Smith said. “And Malik [Harrison], man, I love that guys’ physically. The guy will knock your facemask off; it’s pretty crazy. But I just enjoy being out there with those guys – veteran guys. I have a lot of respect for them, and when they see things, they don’t let the same thing beat them twice, so it’s awesome just being out there with those guys. I have a lot of respect for them, and they’re just going to continue to keep getting better.”

Harrison is a versatile linebacker who splits his time playing on the edge and off the ball when he is on the field. He filled in more than admirably for Smith in Week 12 against the Los Angeles Chargers when the Ravens field general sat out with a hamstring injury and had the best game of his career with a team-leading 13 total tackles including seven solos and one for a loss. In Sunday’s win over the New York Giants, he led the Ravens with eight total tackles including one for a loss, a sack and two quarterback hits.

Board is a journeyman special teams ace who began his career in Baltimore as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and has stood out in a limited role of defense when called upon during his second stint. He has averaged 32 defensive snaps in each of the last three games after only playing 11 combined through the first 10 games and has logged 14 total tackles including one for a loss since Week 11.

“Malik played well, Chris played well and Trenton played well when he went in,” Harbaugh said Monday. “For Malik to get this opportunity to prove himself – he’s been working hard for that opportunity, and he’s done great with it. And Chris Board same thing – he’s even more of a veteran guy. I know those guys appreciate that, and they’re making the most of it.”

OLB Tavius Robinson

Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images

The second-year pro hasn’t played fewer than 38 snaps on defense or lower than 53% of the team’s total defensive snaps during the Ravens’ last four games in which he has started each and continues to carve out a larger role for himself. Robinson is proving that he can do more than be an early down edge setter in the run game although he has tremendous in that aspect of the game. While all of his career-high 3.5 sacks came before he started taking on more snaps, he has shown more promise as a pass rusher this year, making him every-down defender material in addition to still playing well on special teams.

“He has established himself as a three-down player,” Harbaugh said. “He’s gone from a run-down player to a guy that’s out there all the time. [He] had a play where he retraced on a draw and made a great play. He’s kind of doing everything well right now.”

DT Broderick Washington

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

The fifth-year veteran stepped up while starting nose tackle Michael Pierce was on injured reserve with a calf injury and still played 43% percent of the Ravens’ total defensive snaps upon his return this past Sunday. During the last four games, Washington has delivered much more than the wise words that set the tone for the team coming off their bye, he has played at a high level as well. Over that span, he started the previous three games and recorded a pair of sacks, seven total tackles including five solos and one for a loss, two quarterback hits and a forced fumble. He will continue to be a key cog in the Ravens’ interior defensive line rotation moving forward as he has proven to be valuable from both leadership and on-the-field play standpoints.