Short-handed Ravens Front Overpowered by Eagles

The Ravens played the preseason opener with a thin cadre of players splitting the OLB/DE snaps after the first quarter in a game where the Eagles piled up 78 plays (excluding penalties).

Malik Harrison departed after 2 series at OLB and defensive linemen Brent Urban and Travis Jones after 3.  Broderick Washington made just a brief appearance in Q2.

That left the Ravens with Joe Evans, Tavius Robinson, Deadrin Senat, CJ Ravenell, Josh Tupou, and Tramel Walthour to man the line of scrimmage almost exclusively for the last 3 quarters.

The Eagles responded by running directly at the Ravens depleted front with a combination of power and zone schemes.  The Ravens did a good job of eliminating breakaways (the longest run was 9 yards) and it might seem funny to bash a defense that allowed just 3.8 YPC on 38 attempts but the Eagles managed 13 of their 24 first downs by rush and the overworked line succumbed to double teams and had difficulty holding the edge.

This wasn’t the front the Ravens will take to the field versus KC but Friday’s game was an opportunity missed for several players jockeying for practice-squad spots.

Cornerback/Safety Deployment

Juxtaposed to the lack of efficiency against the run, the secondary had an outstanding night versus Pickett and McKee who combined for just 2.8 YPA on 40 pass plays and did not complete a single pass for more than 11 yards.  Zach Orr continued to start the bulk of plays with a 2-high look which appeared to help discourage deep shots (the Eagles were a collective 0 for 5 on passes of 15+ yards) as it did for much of 2023.  All that was accomplished without the top 4 starters in the secondary (Humphrey, Stephens, Hamilton, and Marcus Williams).  Tackling for the group was generally good (the Eagles had 65 of 128 passing yards as YAC but much of that was red yards on screens) and they piled up 6 official PDs.

Package Oddity

We keep personnel by drive rather than by play during the preseason, but I did not observe any plays where the Ravens played something other than base or nickel.  They had 2 ILBs on every play.  Effectively, each substitution they made was a CB for a DL or a 1-for-1 change at a position group.

Unlike some past years, the Ravens played primarily an open (uncovered) nickel (1 OLB, 3 DL) after the first quarter rather than the standard nickel (2 OLBs, 2 DL).  Most commonly, that group employed DT/DE CJ Ravenell on one edge with OLB Joe Evans on the other.

Who’s to Blame?

The first Eagles TD was blamed (by camera) on Wiggins, but it appeared to me that Josh Ross was taken out of the play by a fine pick from TE Grant Calcaterra.  The other ILB (Simpson) was blitzing off the offensive left side (OLS) which makes it more likely Ross was responsible for RB Will Shipley in the flat.  Wiggins appeared to be responsible for Calcaterra although Woodson pointed out that had he diagnosed Calcaterra’s pick in time, he could have taken it upon himself to change responsibilities.

Individual Grades and Notes

As in past years, I have given each Ravens player a grade from +3 to -3 reflecting how much my expectation of their impact on this year’s team changed based on their performance (game grade before the front slash, cumulative grade after).  I don’t rate starters, players who have no place on the team, or anyone for whom I don’t think I have any data for a judgment.  The players here are new to the team, rookies, on the cusp of making the team, have new responsibilities this season, in positional battles, or have otherwise have something to prove.

Armour-Davis (0):  Jalyn played every snap at RCB through the first drive of Q3 (44 snaps) with mixed results:

  • (Q1, 8:39): Blocked by WR Wilson on WR screen left to WR Covey PL7 (-3 +10) [1]
  • (Q1, 2:37): He was bodied out on Pickett’s slant to WR Ross PL9 (6 + 3) [1]
  • (Q2, 6:26): He made a quick tackle of WR Ross PL10 (11 -1) [4] to force punt
  • (Q2, 1:11): He was flagged for DPI on WR Ross 10 yards [1] which may have been incidental contact
  • (Q2, 1:06): He had step-for-step coverage of Ross 25 yards [1] which was overthrown INC
  • (Q2, 1:02): Pickett’s throw for WR Wilson was high and behind with JAD in coverage

In 7 postseason games during his tenure, this was just the 2nd he has played.

Board (0):  Chris retired after rotational play for the first series (7 snaps) during which he was blocked on 2 of the Eagles run wins (Q1, 13:50 and Q1, 13:15).  The Ravens had a little depth on which to draw at ILB, but an available Board could have reduced the load on Trenton Simpson.

Brade (+1):  Beau entered on the 2nd drive of Q3 and played well.  In racing form:

  • (Q4, 14:05): On 2nd/20, he was bearing down on WR Harris 18 yards [2] who was unable to collect the ball prior to contact
  • (Q4, 5:37): He drew an OH flag from the pulling LG Gates on the left edge to negate RB Davis-Price RL13
  • (Q4, 2:19): He missed the tackle of RB Milton on eventual RM9
  • (Q4, 1:19): He flew in to undercut Milton for RL-1 after Ravenell’s MT in backfield
  • (Q4, 1:15): He penetrated off the OLS to force Milton cutback on RL2 finished by Tupou and Senat

Brade faces an uphill battle for a roster spot is in a crowded competition at safety but this game certainly bolstered his chances to make the practice squad.

Cooper (+1):  Bump also entered on the 2nd drive of Q3 and played well.  His notes:

  • (Q3, 6:02): On 3rd/1, he rushed unblocked off OLS to force McKee roll right, INC OOB
  • (Q3, 3:18): On 2nd/6, he had tight coverage of WR Harris 23 yards [1] in end zone and delivered a clean PD
  • (Q4, 14:09): On 1st/20, he was bearing down on TE Jenkins who dropped McKee’s pass 4 yards [4]
  • (Q4, 14:00): On 3rd/20, McKee overthrew Milton 1 yard [4] in open field with Cooper closing
  • (Q4, 4:28): On 3rd/6, he had tight coverage of WR Smith on PM7 (7 + 0) [3] conversion tackled by Rigby
  • (Q4, 4:06): He had step-for-step coverage of WR Harris 5 yards [1] to force OOB INC

Cooper’s game follows up some quality play in camp.  He could be the Ravens first option at CB on the practice squad.  If he makes the team it will be because he has more future value than a player like JAD or Pepe given current relative tenure

Evans (-2):  Joe had a very long night (68 snaps) that was not without highlights but was primarily characterized by difficulty maintaining the edge on run plays.  To make matters worse, he was handled by a TE frequently (5 of 7 plays for which we recorded a “blocked” note).  He dropped to cover which helped disguise Pepe’s blitz/sack (Q2, 3:47).  He should have drawn a hold on RT Kinnard who clotheslined him (Q2, 7:46), but the flag was instead thrown on RG Steen whose hold of Travis Jones was closer to the scramble.  He bulled LT Scharping for a pressure (Q3, 9:06) that nevertheless resulted in a first-down pass to Harris.  He also missed the tackle on Uzomah (Q2, 7:21).  His 28 career sacks rank 5th in Big 10 history but he wasn’t drafted, in part due to concerns about size and length.  He didn’t do enough to assuage those fears versus the Eagles.

Harrison (0):  Malik played only the first two series on defense and only at OLB where the Ravens were extremely thin.  I have him for 1 solid edge set and no negative notes.  His spot on the roster is entirely secure and I won’t have a blurb for him for the next game unless he spends time at ILB.

Hollman (0): Ka’Dar entered late in Q2 and played all but 1 series the remainder of the game at LCB.  He surrendered a 5-yard pass to WR Watkins (Q3, 6:42) where he had fine coverage, just missed the PD, and made an immediate tackle.  He was bodied out on the slant by WR Harris (Q3, 3:12) which went for a gain of 11 at was capped off by the HTH foul by Kane.  He had step-for-step coverage of WR Ngata (Q3, 5:41) on an incomplete thrown behind the receiver.

Isaac (0): DNP.  He just returned to practice this week and was not expected to play, so I don’t have a change in expectation for his 2024 contribution based on the Eagles game.  However, he’s missed so much of camp, my expectation is definitely below where it was on draft night.

Jennings (0): He did not enter until the first play of Q4 as the Ravens leaned heavily on Trenton Simpson.  He had 3 official tackles, but one of those came on a defensive loss (RM6 on 2nd/5) and the other 2 came immediately prior to each of the Eagles 2 game-winning FG attempts on plays intended to center the ball.

Kane (0): He had a mixed night that included 20 defensive snaps and ended with injury but it’s not hard to see why the Ravens like his tackling ability for special teams (2 tackles, 1 MT).  As I saw it, the HTH penalty was unfortunate but not malicious.  Here are his notes as we recorded them:

  • (Q3, 5:23): He cleaned up on Simpson’s MT with Ross on WR Harris PR7 (1 + 6) [5]
  • (Q3, 4:41): He had coverage of Harris 2 yards [5] which was INC with Ravenell not fooled on boot
  • (Q3, 3:12): On 3rd/6, he was flagged for HTH hit on Harris and left the game with a head injury

As with all rookies that aren’t highly drafted, he can ill afford to miss time in camp or the second preseason game but he may still be able to participate in the joint practices with the Packers as well as the preseason finale. 

Matthew (-1): While most of the CBs were playing well, Matthew was flagged for a huge illegal contact foul to convert 2nd/20 (Q4, 5:20).  He surrendered a 5-yard conversion on 3rd/3 (Q3, 9:06) where he had good coverage of Harris, but could not dislodge the football.

Mullen (-1): DNP he’s losing ground with his shoulder injury, relative tenure, and good play by other corners.

Ojabo (-1):  Harbaugh said after the game that David was not cleared by the doctors to play.  That’s strange given he returned to practice early in camp and has participated in all the padded practices.  I am concerned this may be a different injury.

Ravenell (+1):  He entered in Q2 and played the remainder of the game at DE as the Ravens played with just 1 OLB (Evans) for most of the game.  Here are his notes:

  • (Q2, 0:15): He bulled then shed LT Johnson to share S-5 with Walthour
  • (Q3, 13:26): He contained/tackled Pickett on designed RL1
  • (Q3, 12:12): On 3rd/6, he bulled C Toth for pressure on PR-1 (-5 + 4) [5] to force punt
  • (Q3, 4:41): He was not fooled on McKee’s PA boot right which was INC for WR Harris 2 yards [5] with Kane covering
  • (Q4, 5:20): He bulled then shed RT Kinnard for QH negated by Matthew’s IC on Harris
  • (Q4, 2:00): On 2nd/1, he lost the right edge to RT Kinnard to allow Milton RR6
  • (Q4, 1:19): He penetrated unblocked through the right D-gap for initial contact on Milton but MT at -1 cleaned up by Brade’s undercut RL-1

At 6’5”, 292, Ravenell is built like a 5-tech and I think he improved his chances to stick on the practice squad with his play vs the Eagles.  The Ravens have other body types available for other practice squad spots including Tupou and Senat.

Rigby (0):  He had a share of 7 tackles (all in Q4, 21 snaps), but only 1 was a defensive win and that came on the final snap as the Eagles were centering the ball via QB sneak for the game-winning FG.  Yvandy missed more than a week of practice and is playing catch-up.  That said, he’s the one ILB (Harrison excluded) on the current roster that has the size to fill in for Roquan at Mike.

Robinson (+1):  He played 37 snaps and had a solid night with 2 pressures (Q2, 1:53; Q2, 1:06).  He shed LT Johnson to tackle Shipley RM2 (Q1, 6:59).  We recorded 2 notes on which he was effectively blocked at or near the point of attack on one of Philadelphia’s run wins (Q1, 13:50; Q2, 9:48).  Tavius has looked much more physical in camp and this effort corroborated what I’ve seen in 11 on 11s this Summer.

Roche (-1):  DNP.  He’s an OLB and the Ravens could have used him in this one.  It’s an opportunity missed.

Ross (0):  He played for the first 3 quarters (55 snaps) at ILB, mostly with Simpson, and had a mixed bag of notes versus the run on a night where “mixed” was better than most of the front 7.

  • (Q1, 14:23): He was soft in coverage of WR Wilson PM7 (4 + 3) [3] but made the tackle
  • (Q1, 9:15): He shed RT Kinnard to tackle RB Gainwell RM3
  • (Q1, 6:22): His blitz was picked up by Kinnard and RB Shipley on Pickett PR9 (9 + 0) [5] to WR Ross
  • (Q1, 0:35): He was eliminated by TE Calcaterra on Pickett PR7 TD to Shipley
  • (Q2, 10:25): He tackled Pickett RM1 on scramble
  • (Q2, 3:47): He was picked up on blitz off ORS but block allowed Pepe to rush untouched for S-10
  • (Q3, 12:49): He finished the tackle of RB Nichols RR3 after Senat MT

I have not included 4 notes where he was blocked or caught in the wash near the point of attack on Philly run wins.

Senat (0):  Deadrin first entered on the second Eagles drive and played most of the remainder of the game (38 snaps).  For much of the night, the Eagles used combination blocks inside to move or neutralize both the DT and NT and were able to get enough movement to help fuel their ground success.  He appeared to miss the tackle on RB Nichols (Q3, 12:49), but slowed him down enough that Ross was able to finish RR3.  I scored him for 1 pressure when he bulled C McMahon and Tupou also won his matchup to register his PD at the LoS.

Tampa (0):  DNP.  He practiced on the side last week, so it’s possible (and important) that he’ll see action this preseason.

Tupou (+2):  Josh had a fine night (53 snaps) despite lots of frustrating double teams.  By racing-form notes:

  • (Q2, 9:09): On 3rd/2, he shed C Toth to tackle Nichols RM1 with assist Simpson
  • (Q3, 9:47): He beat C McMahon left as McKee’s pass right was knocked down by Worley
  • (Q4, 14:16): He pancaked RG Hennessey who then held him leading to stalled drive
  • (Q4, 14:09): On 1st/20, he bulled RG Hennessey for pressure on INC 4 yards [4]
  • (Q4, 14:05): On 2nd/20, he bulled and pancaked Hennessey for pressure as McKee’s high pass for Harris went INC
  • (Q4, 4:32): On 2nd/6, he bulled Hennessey for PD at LoS
  • (Q4, 3:27): He went to one knee to beat Hennessey and tackle Milton RL1
  • (Q4, 1:15): He and Senat cleaned up Milton cutback RL2

Tupou is entering his 7th season at age 30 with just 366 career snaps but he’s a DT/NT that probably will not last the season on the practice squad.

Walthour (-1): Tramel is undersized for the IDL at 283 pounds but played 33 snaps that included 5 notes as being absorbed by blockers (3 singles, 2 doubles) at or near the point of attack on Philly run wins.  His highlight was a bull of LG Keegan to share the S-5 of Pickett with Ravenell (Q2, 0:15).

Washington, A. (+1):  Ar’Darius played the entire first half (41 snaps), exclusively at safety, despite the injury to Maulet creating an opportunity at SCB.  He deserves a substantial share of the credit for the ineffectiveness of the Eagles passing game.  His racing-form notes:

  • (Q1, 8:39): He upended WR Covey on WR screen PL7 (-3 + 10) [1]
  • (Q1, 5:14): He penetrated through right B-gap to trip up RB Shipley RM1
  • (Q1, 0:35): On Pickett’s TD pass to Shipley he tried but was late picking up coverage
  • (Q2, 3:56): He had coverage of TE Okwuegbunam 6 yards [4] and was credited with a PD on contested catch
  • (Q2, 3:47): He showed blitz on the ORS but dropped which helped create S-10 by Williams from OLS

The Ravens have several options to address their hole at SCB of which Ar’Darius may be the best.  He can do nothing to hurt his cause with versatility to play the back end.

Wiggins (+3):  Nate was the most impressive Ravens defender in his first NFL game with just 8 yards allowed on 6 targets.  He’s looked a little lost at times during camp but after watching his boundary physicality versus the Eagles I’m sold on the notion he should be playing at least rotationally when the season begins.  Here are our notes for him:

  • (Q1, 15:00): He tackled WR Covey PR6 (-3 + 9) [4] on screen right
  • (Q1, 12:23): On 1st/15, he delivered PD over the top in coverage of WR Wilson 4 yards [5]
  • (Q1, 11:36): On 3rd/8, he had step-for-step coverage of WR Ross 27 yards [5] but the pass was underthrown and deflected off his back
  • (Q1, 11:31): On 4th/8, he had a PD in coverage of WR Ngata 12 yards [5] to end the drive
  • (Q1, 6:22): He contested Pickett’s PR9 (9 + 0) [5] to Ross unsuccessfully but made a quick tackle
  • (Q1, 0:35): He appeared to have coverage of TE Calcaterra in end zone but his pick set up Shipley PR7 TD
  • (Q2, 3:52): He contested the throw for TD Okwuegbunam 13 yards [5] and was not credited for a PD when the ball was lost OOB
  • (Q3, 12:12): On 3rd/6, he undercut RB Nichols for PR-1 (-5 + 4) [5] to force punt but left field with apparent arm/shoulder injury

Nate’s injury is the biggest concern coming out of the first preseason game.

Williams, D (+2):  Pepe played through the first drive of Q3 at SCB and returned for a few snaps at safety later in Q3.  He was impressive:

  • (Q1, 6:22): His blitz was picked up by RT Kinnard on WR Ross PR9 (9 + 0) [5]
  • (Q2, 3:47): On 3rd/10, he blitzed untouched through the left B-gap for S-10 to force punt
  • (Q2, 1:53): He made a quick tackle of WR Covey PL5 (5 + 0) [2]
  • (Q2, 0:59): On 3rd/10, he pushed TE Okwuegbunam OOB on PR6 (6 + 0) [5] to force punt

The last spots for DBs on the Ravens roster are crowded battles but Williams is certainly in the discussion for the SCB role with Maulet out.

Worley (+1):  Daryl played 59 snaps over the last 3 quarters while moving between safety and SCB.  He knocked down McKee’s pass right for WR Harris in the backfield (Q3, 9:47), undercut TE Jenkins for PL4 (1+3) by the left sideline to foil McKee’s PA boot left, and shared a quick tackle of WR Covey PM7 (7+0) with Evans (Q2, 1:31).  Like others who played safety in this game, he deserves a share of the credit for the fine pass defense results.

Defensive MVPs:

  1. Nate Wiggins
  2. Pepe Williams
  3. Josh Tupou

Honorable mention to Beau Brade, Bump Cooper, CJ Ravenell, Tavius Robinson, Ar’Darius Washington, and Daryl Worley.