Ex-Cal Star Teddye Buchanan Shines as a Rookie For Struggling Ravens

Things aren’t going well for the Baltimore Ravens right now, but former Cal linebacker Teddye Buchanan is making the most of his opportunity as a rookie starter in the NFL.

Buchanan, who played one season at Cal after three years at FCS-level UC Davis, collected a season-high 15 tackles on Sunday in the Ravens’ 44-10 loss to the Houston Texans.

Another former Cal linebacker, Hardy Nickerson, totaled 1,586 tackles during his 16-year (1987-2002) NFL career and led the league with 214 in 1993 when he was a first-team All-Pro selection.

But there is no official record of the most tackles Nickerson ever made in a single game.

Teddye Buchanan at Cal last season | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Buchanan, a fourth-round draft pick out of Cal, was in the starting lineup for the fourth straight game. The 23-year-old showed what he can do without five-time first- or second-team All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith playing alongside him.

Smith was sidelined by a hamstring injury. The Ravens (1-4) also played without two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and two other defensive starters.

According to the team’s official website, Buchanan played all 70 defensive snaps and had an 88.9 grade against the run. He rated just 31.4 in coverage, giving him an overall grade of 59.8.

Buchanan, just a two-star recruit out of high school, won a starting job with Baltimore in Week 2. Through five weeks, he leads the Ravens with 40 tackles.

"Before every game I just take a moment to appreciate it, take it all in," Buchanan told the team’s official website after making his first NFL start last month. "Now that I'm here, it's all about performing and helping the team win.”

Smith, who owns the club record with 21 tackles in a game, has been helpful as a tutor to Buchanan.

“Ro' is special. ”It's like having a coach out there on the field, especially for a young guy like me,” Buchanan said. “He's the quarterback of our defense, and standing right next to him, I get to hear everything he's saying, and obviously, I'm taking in whatever he says, and it's helped me a ton.”

Buchanan’s tackles total on Sunday equaled the highest by any NFL player this week, matching the 15 tackles by Shemar James, a rookie linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys.

Buchanan, one of four Cal defensive players taken in this year’s NFL draft, embraces the chance he’s had to start as a rookie.

"It's a blessing, for sure, just to have that responsibility. It means a lot to me, and I take that very seriously,” he said. “I know the type of pedigree that the Ravens defense – especially Ravens linebackers – have.

“For me, that's easy motivation to just do my best on the field."

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