The snap count for the Ravens’ rookies continues to rise as the team’s injuries mount. Three draft picks are starting on defense, another two are special teams starters, and an undrafted free agent is likely the starting slot corner for a few weeks. With so many injuries and struggles on team, things are going to change on this defense.
Let’s talk about how they played against the Chiefs, review their season so far, and take a look at what their roles could be going forward.
Malaki Starks
Despite a bad day from the defense overall, Starks had a bounce-back game after his season-worst performance against Detroit. Starks played 100% of the snaps again and received a 69.3 overall grade from PFF, including a 77.6 tackling grade and 67.3 coverage grade. Overall this season, Starks seems to be a steady presence on the backend as the one thing this defense doesn’t do is let up deep plays, maybe to their detriment. The Ravens have run mostly two deep safety coverages like Cover 2 and 4, and few Cover 1 and 3 snaps. That could change as the defense undergoes massive shifts with injuries and poor play. Adding more to Stark’s plate and letting him be a centerfielder more with less help could improve the defense. Every stone will be unturned as the witching hour approaches for this team.
Mike Green
It’s time to reset our expectations for Green. Many, including myself, viewed him as a potential savior for this pass rush unit, someone they could rely on in the playoffs to get pressure with four rushers. While a double-digit sack total was a lofty goal as a rookie, more than five sacks both felt realistic and impactful for his skill level and draft status. So far, it’s been tough sledding for Green. His pass rush moves are winning as often as expected and he’s playing an elevated number of snaps against the run, a role the Ravens were hoping he could avoid as a rookie.
Against the Chiefs, Green played 45 snaps (63%) and earned a 43.4 grade from PFF. Context here is required. Coordinator Zach Orr has been putting Green and other outside linebackers as inside backers for run snaps. He’s also used Green in coverage a bit. Neither of those is putting a rookie in the best position to succeed. Because of that, Green’s run and coverage grades were 53.8 and 28.0, respectively. He earned a 75.5 tackling grade and a 65.8 pass rush grade. So you can see where the overall grade was pulled down. As the year goes on and the Ravens make adjustments to their defense, they should allow Green to focus on pass rushing.
Teddye Buchanan
Buchanan had what’s likely the worst game of his short NFL career against the Chiefs. This is nothing unusual, as the Chiefs are one of the best teams at attacking inside linebackers, and Andy Reid’s scheme is one of the most complex and complicated to process as a backer. Buchanan was the third-worst Ravens defender according to PFF with a 38.3 overall grade while playing 73%. Specifically, it looked like he was abused in coverage, and the grade reflects that, with a 30.4 coverage grade.
Despite a bad game, Buchanan has a good season. He snatched a starter’s role by the second week of his rookie year. Taking the job as the other starting inside linebacker is no small feat as a rookie linebacker, even more so as a Day 3 pick. Now Buchanan’s role grows even larger with starter Roquan Smith out for multiple weeks with a hamstring injury. We’ll have to wait and see just how much larger Buchanan’s role gets now, but he will likely shoot up to taking at least 85% of snaps until Smith returns.
Tyler Loop
Tyler Loop had another perfect day as the placekicker, hitting both of his extra points and both of his field goals, nailing from 32 and 43 yards. More importantly, Loop also completed all four of his kickoffs without an illegal kickoff penalty, the first time he’s done that this season. Loop’s excellent rookie season continues, and with Lamar Jackson down for at least Week 5 and maybe longer, Loop could become the main source of points for this team for the next couple of games.
LaJohntay Wester
Wester was silent on Sunday with no punt returns or offensive production to speak of. But so far this season, Wester has been a breath of fresh air fielding punts. Wester lacks any timidness with the ball in the air, making confident decisions on returns, fair catches, and when to let it go. He’s been dynamic with the ball in his hands, and I fully expect a couple of large returns the rest of the season, with at least one touchdown. Unless multiple injuries occur in the wide receiver room (which is possible, considering the way this season has gone), don’t expect Wester to get more than one or two snaps on offense a game.
Aeneas Peebles
Peebles’ snap count went down again this week, playing only nine snaps, the lowest count and percentage so far in his career (12%). Despite the injuries along the defensive line, the Ravens relied more on the new callups like Okoye and Tupou than Peebles, who is in a clear pass-rush-only role at this point. This is probably for the best, as this is what Peebles was drafted for and specializes in as a smaller defensive tackle. It’s been a rather lackluster start so far for Peebles as well, who has three tackles with three total pressures paired with it in his first four games.
With Madubuike out for the season and Washington out for at least three more games, Peebles has a real opportunity to carve out a role for himself in the coming weeks. Travis Jones’ return to the pass rush could help Peebles by taking some attention. The edge rushers winning more would also help.
UDFAs:
With the injuries mounting for the Ravens, specifically on the defensive side of the ball, the rookie report will contain Keyon Martin, Jay Higgins, and Rueben Lowery as their roles grow. Higgins didn’t play any defensive snaps, but his role could skyrocket in the coming weeks. Roquan Smith is down for multiple weeks, according to reports. That leaves rookie Teddye Buchanan at the top of the depth chart. Trenton Simpson would presumably be next, but across the first four games this year and last season, he’s not been known for holding on to his role. Higgins would also have to jump Jake Hummel, who got 26 snaps Sunday but didn’t come in until the third quarter. If Higgins gets his shot, he could steal that role and not let go.
Lowery has barely played at all this season. He was a healthy scratch in two of the four games and only played six snaps in the other two. But with Marlon Humphrey reported to miss multiple weeks and Nate Wiggins’ status in question, there are open defensive back spots on game day. Humphrey specifically starts a train for Lowery to receive snaps. Keyon Martin appears to be the top nickel option for now, but Lowery played all the secondary spots in camp so they could share a role there. Alternatively, if Kyle Hamilton moves to play more slot, Lowery could receive safety snaps, but Sanoussi Kane may remain ahead of him there.
Keyon Martin: Martin has been the only UDFA to see significant action, taking snaps whenever Humphrey has left the field. On Sunday, Martin got his first defensive snap on the first play of the drive following Humphrey’s exit. He played 39 snaps total, grading out at 59.0 on PFF. He played a pure nickel role, with all of his snaps occurring when there were five defensive backs on the field. The play so far this season hasn’t been anything of note, but astoundingly, that’s been an improvement over the All-Pro Humphrey, who went from earning honors as a nickel corner last year to being picked on by opposing offenses this year. Hopefully, this injury break will give Humphrey a chance to reset, but in the meantime, Martin has a chance to earn snaps down the line by filling in now.
