Ravens Pass Rush Felt Absence of Pro Bowl DT

The Baltimore Ravens' defense was one of the most potent and productive units when it came to rushing the passer in 2024 after many pundits questioned their ability to do so heading into that season. They finished with the second-most sacks with 54, only behind the Denver Broncos, who led the league with 63.

While the top-seeded Broncos were able to lead the league again in 2025 by recording even more sacks with 68, the Ravens plummeted to near the bottom with their 30 sacks, tying for the third-fewest, a whopping two dozen fewer than they had the year prior.

The single most significant contributing factor that led to such a precipitous drop-off in their ability to consistently generate pressure on and bring down opposing quarterbacks this season, compared to last, was the absence of two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Maduibuke. He suffered what ended up being a season-ending neck injury after recording two sacks in the first two games, and the Ravens' pass rush never recovered from his loss.

Madubuike is an elite destructive force on his own, with 24.5 sacks and 58 quarterback hits in his last 40 games dating back to his breakout season in 2023, including playoffs. The sixth-year veteran is capable of lining up and wreaking havoc along the defensive alignment, but the attention and respect he commands from opposing teams anytime he's on the field create opportunities for his teammates to shine in more one-on-one opportunities. Madubuike is also integral to how the Ravens can effectively and swiftly create quick and delayed pressure off of stunts and twists. Without him, the outside linebackers who had career-best sack production in 2024 saw their numbers drop off a cliff.

"I think Madubuike is part of the reason why Kyle Van Noy went from 10.5 [or] 12 sacks to two," owner Steve Bisciotti said. "I think it was a domino effect; I think it was a trickle effect. I think Travis Jones being – with Broderick [Washington Jr.] gone and Madubuike gone, God bless Travis. I think he did the very best he could, but if he'd had Madubuike next to him, he'd have been singled all year long, and instead, they were able to double him all year long."

Jones was the only member of the front seven who stepped and consistently performed at a high level, especially down the stretch when he recorded 3.5 of his team-leading and new career-high five sacks in the Ravens' last four games. The Ravens were able to ink him to an extension before his breakout campaign really caught fire in the final month, but the long-term availability of his teammate, mentor and friend, Madubuike, remains shrouded by unsettling doubt and uncertainty.

"I can't really discuss that, obviously," general manager Eric DeCosta said. "I will say, not having Nnamdi this year was a horrible situation for our team. I think it affected us in different ways – in many ways. He is a great player, a great person [and] a special person. [We are] still working through a lot of his different ideas and things [so] that we can hopefully get more and more information about his situation. But more than that, I think just – I couldn't talk about the specifics of him and his situation."

As the Ravens learned with defensive coordinator Zach Orr when he had his promising young career as a player abruptly cut short after a Second Team All Pro season in 2016, neck injuries can threaten more than just a career, but a player's quality of life with the risk of permanent paralysis.

Whether Madubuike can resume his career or needs more time evaluate his concerning medical situation, DeCosta needs to invest more resources into fortifying the defensive trenches up the middle as well as on the edge through free agency or trade and with a top 100 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

"We will participate in free agency, and we will trade for players," DeCosta said. "We've done that. It has to be [the] right player [at the] right price. If there's an elite Hall-of-Fame-type talent that's available that we think can come in and be – as [owner] Steve [Bisciotti] likes to call them – game wreckers, we look at that. We consider that very strongly. But to do that for a really, really good player and have to pay the exorbitant price and also give up all the draft pick capital, that can set your franchise back for a long time as we've seen."

Offensive line regressed despite having great continuity

Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten (70) on the sidelines against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4. — Sep 28, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten (70) on the sidelines against the Baltimore Ravens during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Ravens' starting blocking unit recovered from early growing pains in 2024 after replacing 3-of-5 starters from the year before and rounded into one of the best in the league by the end of the season, becoming a defined strength heading into the postseason. Even though they brought back 4-of-5 starters from that unit, with the lone difference being the reinsertion of 2023 seventh-rounder Andrew Vorhees at left guard, where he opened his second season as the starter before an injury cost him the job.

Unlike the dip in pass rush production, Bisciotti concluded that the step back that the offensive line took in 2025 was more of a result of poor coaching than a lack of talent, given that they brought back essentially the same group that silenced their doubters and detractors less than 12 months ago.

"I think those offensive linemen didn't improve," Bisciotti said bluntly. "When I said the coaches, that's what I meant. I think that you can look at a lot of guys on our team that we had expected to take the next step that did not take that next step. And we've got to get to the bottom of that with coaching and scouting."

The Ravens had one of the best offensive line coaches in the league, Joe D'Alessandris, who passed away during training camp in 2024 and brought in George Warhop to take over for that season. After seeing the progress their young lineman made and the career resurgence of a healthy Ronnie Stanley at left tackle, it made sense to bring him back to continue working with them.

However, after seeing how the unit failed to build off that strong finish and struggled with consistency and execution throughout this past season, it'd be a surprise if Warhop was retained under whoever is hired to replace John Harbaugh as the next head coach.

On the scouting front, DeCosta deserves some blame for not doing more to bring in more competition and better reinforcements to the unit, aside from signing veteran swing tackle Joseph Noteboom, who got leapfrogged by a Day 3 developmental prospect, and drafting an injured career college tackle with the intent of making him a guard. Expect to see him rectify those shortcomings this offseason with a recommitment of more resources to the offensive line with a notable veteran signing and top 100 selection in the draft.

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