Predicting the Ravens 2020 secret weapons on both sides of the ball
Every year on just about every NFL team some players fly under the radar and don’t garner as much media attention or fanfare but play integral roles for their team’s overall success. They may not begin or even end the year as starters but their contributions in their defined, limited, or diverse responsibilities were secretly deciding or game-changing factors for their respective sides of the ball.
Here is a prediction of the Baltimore Ravens secret weapons on both offense and defense:
Defense-
S Geno Stone
Third-year safety DeShon Elliott would’ve been on this list before he was elevated to full-time starter status following the release of seven-time Pro Bowler Earl Thomas on Sunday for conduct detrimental. Since starters can’t be classified as secrets even if they are lesser-known nationally like Elliott, the rookie seventh-round safety out of Iowa gets his spot on the list.
The Ravens were lauded by draft analysts and media pundits for their selection of Stone and were astounded that he lasted until the final round. He’s a gifted athlete who was praised for his incredible range, intellect, and instincts coming out of college. Stone recorded a career-high 70 total tackles, a sack, an interception, four pass breakups, and three forced fumbles in his last season for the Hawkeyes.
He’s known for having a nose for the ball much like Elliott and has looked good in training camp running with the second-team defense. As far as the role he will play on the defense a rookie, look no further than the third safety role that Elliott played in six games last year before he went down with a season-ending knee injury. He’d be tasked with assisting cover the deep middle of the field in sub-packages when either Elliott or defensive signal-caller Chuck Clark moves down to play alongside the MIKE linebacker in dime, nickel, and quarter defenses.
Defensive Coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale finds creative ways to utilize his versatile personnel especially when they have diverse skillsets and can be used in several different packages. He’ll carve out a role for a rangy centerfielder like Stone to get on the field in the backend.
ILB L.J. Fort
The seven-year journeyman veteran is right in the thick of the competition for the starting weakside/WILL linebacker position. The winner will play alongside first-round selection Patrick Queen who will be the starting MIKE but even if Fort doesn’t beat out rookie third-rounder Malik Harrison or former undrafted gems Chris Board and Otaro Alaka, he will still be a factor on the defense in both a rotational and mentor role.
He is the most experienced player in the youthful position group and has already been a tremendous asset to the pair of rookies by hammering home the importance of technique and fundamentals at the pro level. His ability to willingness to be like big brother and an extra coach on and off the field for the inexperienced yet gifted bunch of inside linebackers will be instrumental in reducing their steep learning curve leading up to and during the season.
As far as what Fort brings to the table from an on the field standpoint in terms of his play and ability, he’s as versatile as they come. He’s an intelligent defender that is a sure tackler and possesses underrated coverage ability in both man and zone. Since he’s played in six different systems with six different teams, he’s adept to lining up in several different spots
OLB Tyus Bowser
Heading into training camp second-year player Jaylon Ferguson was garnering most of the media attention in terms of the Ravens ascending edge talent that would be lining up across from 2019 Pro Bowler Matthew Judon in 2020. He took over the rush linebacker spot after veteran Pernell McPhee went down with torn triceps, started nine games as a rookie, and came on strong near the end of the year.
However, he hasn’t been the most impressive outside linebacker in camp this year. That designation goes to 2017 second-round pick, Tyus Bowser. He’s been one of the brightest standouts in camp, especially once the pads came on. His pass-rush skill specifically is where reporters in attendance have noticed the most improvement.
After underwhelming in his first two seasons buried behind established veterans and being experimented with at different positions, Bowser had a strong finish to his third season last year. Despite not starting a single game in 2019, he recorded the second-most sacks on the team in 2019 with five, three of which came after the bye week. He appears to have picked up where he left off and is poised for a breakout campaign in the final year of his rookie contract.
Bowser could follow in the footsteps of other former late bloomers at the outside linebacker position for the Ravens that broke out in their fourth season with the team. Former Ravens Zadarius Smith and Paul Kruger parlayed their breakout years into lucrative multi-year deals with new teams in the ensuing offseason. If he achieves his goal of joining the double-digit sack club this season, he could be the next in line for a big payday.
Offense-
TE Nick Boyle
Around the league, the five-year veteran is renowned for his ability as a dominant blocker in the running game but his prowess as a pass-catcher is an underrated aspect of his game that Ravens will look to utilize more following the departure of Hayden Hurst via trade earlier this offseason. He possesses sure hands and is a tough tackle in the open field once he gets a head of steam.
Last season Boyle recorded career highs in receptions (31) and receiving yards (321) last season, and scored the first two touchdown catches of career. Even though he didn’t haul in as many passes or record nearly as many yards as No.1 tight end and pass-catching specialist Mark Andrews did in his breakout season last year, he did post a better catch rate, bring in 31 of his 43 targets for a mark of 72.1 percent compared to Andrews 65.3 percent that he earned by catching 64 of the 98 passes thrown his way.
Boyle has been a reliable underneath and dump-off option in the passing game dating back to his rookie season as a fifth-round pick out of Delaware. Early on in his career when he was on the field, he was often the last read in the quarterback’s progression even after the running back and would often find himself wide open in the flat the same way that the great fullback Vonta Leach used be when the Ravens ran a play-action pass play.
In addition to possessing an underrated ability as a pass-catcher, Boyle is sneaky athletic too and won’t hesitate to leap over defenders that try to take his legs out from under him with one of his notoriously nasty hurdles.
He’s been showing out as a receiver throughout training camp this year and will factor more into the passing game in 2020, making his days as an afterthought in the aerial attack are likely over once teams begin to respect him as a receiver after he’s burnt them for a big gain or two.
FB Patrick Ricard
Speaking of tight ends, the Ravens Pro Bowl fullback in 2019 is also expected to help offset the loss of Hurst in 2020. The converted defensive lineman already spends most of his time on the practice field and in meeting with the position group and now that his days of being the rare two-way player are likely over since the team added more depth to the interior of their defensive line, he’s also in line for an increased role on offense and poses a threat as a pass-catcher.
While it isn’t much to brag about, Ricard who is a devastating blocker in the run game also posted career-high marks as a receiver out of the backfield and as an in-line blocker. He hauled in eight of his 11 targets for 47 yards and a touchdown with a 5.9 yard per catch average.
Don’t expect to see Ricard streaking down the seam or winning a bunch of 50-50 jump balls in the red zone but where he will likely be utilized is in a similar fashion that Boyle has been used in his career prior to this season. He’ll likely be relied on as underneath target that gets overlooked in coverage and winds up wide open in the flat or at the intermediate level on Texas and angle routes.
WR James Proche II
As it currently stands the sixth-round rookie out of SMU is a lock to make the team but he is also likely fifth on the wide receiver depth chart behind Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, Miles Boykin, Willie Snead IV, and fellow first-year wideout Devin Duvernay. That means that offensive snaps will be hard to come by early on in the season unless the team gets off to a hot start and is blowing out opponents, allowing him to get in the game in cleanup duty.
While he’s currently not slated to start at wide receiver, he is the leading in house candidate to win the starting returner job. If he can add some juice and display some playmaking ability returning kicks and punts, he could earn his way onto the field because, in Baltimore, less-heralded players like Proche prove themselves on special teams first before ascending to more prominent roles.
Once a rookie or unproven player shows the desired traits that will translate to the requisite skillset required to excel at his position then he will begin to receive more playing time on his respective side of the ball.
Just because the third phase of the game may be where Proche makes his mark to begin his rookie year, it doesn’t mean that he won’t become a factor or at least a solid contributor down the stretch. He is a gifted receiver with strong hands, inside and outside versatility, and a knack for making splashy plays. He made arguably the most impressive and athletic play in all of training camp when he fully extended himself to haul in a diving catch during a rain-drenched practice a few weeks ago.
The Ravens are an equal opportunity employer and their coaching staff operates under the same principles. Head Coach John Harbaugh and company believe in letting the best players play and if a player is showing out in practice consistently and another player at his position higher on the depth chart isn’t, they won’t hesitate to play the guy who is stacking more good days than bad. They also believe in riding the hot hand so if Proche gets an opportunity to show what he’s got in games and performs well, he will continue to play and his snap count and role in the offense will continue to expand.
