Four Metrics Jesse Minter Must Correct For Ravens Defense

We’ve documented some numbers and metrics from the 2025 season that helped define the Ravens’ sweeping regression on that side of the ball and that must improve immediately.

But we all know things were even worse on defense. The lack of anyone who could pretend to get close to an NFL quarterback was jarring and the Nnamdi Madubuike injury further exposed the nativity of general manager Eric DeCosta’s roster construction and this defense crumbled fast. The slide was already well in motion in 2024, of course, but they sunk no real assets into making it any better.

Which brings us to 2026 and an attempt for land Maxx Crosby – before bailing because they realize they were giving up more than they wanted and could get Trey Hendrickson cheaper than they thought on the open market. And adding Calais Campbell on top of that and bringing back key corner Chidobe Awuzie and using a second-round pick on an edge player and keeping guys who appear to be losing it in Marlon Humphrey and Roquan Smith back at $40M combined.

Of course, they moved on from head coach John Harbaugh in place of a 40-something defensive coordinator in Jesse Minter, so stacking the deck on that side of the ball was always going to be the way. Now it has to lead to major advances from Week 1 on – no learning curve – considering how much is changing on offense and where the personnel pendulum swung.

Minter needs to improve these numbers ASAP:

1.5 Sacks

This was the season-high in third down sacks by a Ravens player, courtesy of Tavius Robinson. This should be impossible in the NFL and absolutely in Baltimore given the defensive history here. I mean, seems hardly put of the question that someone (Hendrickson?) might equal this in Week 1?

Its indicative of the overall pass-rush rot that took hold here over years with DeCosta whiffing systematically in the draft on “projectable pass rushers” - a lot like the kid he just took in the second round. Minter doesn’t want to blitz much and he relies on deception and pre-snap and interchangeable pieces to overwhelm opponents. He also has no excuses from a personnel standpoint not to make it happen.

99 Snaps

This is what the Ravens got out of Madubuike last season on defense before he succumbed to a serious neck injury that could have ended his career and required surgery in April. The Ravens are keeping their fingers crossed and being careful about projecting any firm timeline but things appear headed in the right direction.

They need to be.

There is no real cover here should problems arise again. Our friend Doug Farrar, an excellent NFL analyst who thinks as highly of Minter’s defensive prowess and scheme as anyone, believes this defensive tackle is the difference between making the playoffs and not. I tend to agree.

If he is good for anything close to the 750 a year he was producing before the injury, then this could be a very deep and robust and diverse defensive line rotation. Without it, yikes.

30.5% of their Coverage Reps

Zach Orr had the Ravens in Cover-0 or Cover-1 nearly a third of the time last season. They were second in the NFL in Cover-0 use and 8th in Cover-1. He had no one who could get home, but he also had a bad secondary and they were left hanging with this coverage.

We know Minter is all about zoning it up all the time, and we know there is going to be a shell over the top of the defense quite a bit and playing as much quarters coverage as anyone in the NFL. Some of these changes are baked into the cake and some of these longer corners like TJ Tampa might shine in this scheme and there is going to be a lot of shuffling between positions and roles. Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton in the slot on opposite sides of the field, going with more one linebacker looks.

I’m here for it.

-8 Differential

All of those schematics above are designed to make the other team scrape and scratch for yardage. No gifts. No easy deep shots. It’s been a massive issue here for years and it came to a head in 2025, when the Ravens allowed eight more big plays than they generated.

Sean McVay spoke quite a bit about explosive differential on “The Daily Flock Show,” and we started running the numbers and the teams that were true Super Bowl contenders invariably were in the top eight in this metric and teams like the Ravens, in the bottom 10, didn’t make the playoffs let alone challenge for anything.

The Ravens for all of their problems on offense last season were still firmly above average producing plays of 20 yards or more. They just couldn’t stop even washed quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers from doing it to them, even in the final week of the season when they were out of gas and with everything on the line to play for.

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