The Ravens Spent The Summer Talking Up LB Trenton Simpson. They'll Need Him To Live Up To It Sunday

The Ravens not only rested their starters in the preseason they kept many key backups off the field as well.

Veteran linebacker Trenton Simpson was among those who merely watched the exhibition games. His status was caught between being a starter or a special-teams role depending on the health of Teddye Buchanan, on his way back from late-season ACL surgery. Given that situation and the lack of other depth to ride shotgun next to Roquan Smith in the heart of this defense, Simpson was too valuable to test in these games despite three seasons in the NFL that fell well short of the Ravens’ own lofty expectations for the former third-round pick.

And with the Ravens nearing the end of their workweek, and with Buchanan still unable to practice fully for a full workweek – and the same holds for All Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike as well - Simpson could be in line for quite a significant role Sunday against a Colts offense that tore through Ravens head coach Jesse Minter’s unit last season. Simpson was the source of consistent compliments from coaches and teammates this summer, and that’s about to be put to the test in a very real way.

“His growth and development from where I remember him to where he is now has just been astronomical," defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who was here when Simpson was drafted before going to Miami, said this offseason.

"I feel really good about him," head coach Jesse Minter said on Simpson in late August. "He is an extremely versatile, athletic linebacker that's got a lot of great traits. He can do a lot for us. He can line up in a lot of different places.”

Ideally, getting Simpson out into space more and letting him attack the ballcarrier from the edge is probably how the Ravens would like to deploy him. Playing to his strengths and trying to protect him in coverage. But that might not be possible in Week 1, and this is a Colts attack that is cunning in its ability to pick up big gains by throwing at linebackers only a few yards downfield.

Smith, who wears the green dot and is coming off a poor year in which he was particularly vulnerable in coverage, has harped on the need for this team to tackle well despite starters not playing in the preseason (“You definitely have to be prepared to tackle,” he said this week). And when Minter faced the Colts last year, quarterback Daniel Jones was 15/18 for 140 yards and two touchdowns (136.5 rating) throwing less than five yards downfield.

The linebackers are going to be tested in a big way there, and also by dominant running back Jonathan Taylor, who tore through the lighter personnel groupings Minter prefers against his defense last year for seven yards per carry. We suspect Minter gets a little heavier with his approach Sunday.

Necessary Adjustments

Simpson has heard the buzz around him. Playing two of his three seasons in defenses that were in heavy-regression mode didn’t help. But the reality is he was looked at as someone to replace former first-round pick Patrick Queen and be an impact player and after being an understudy in Mike Macdonald’s record-setting defense in 2023, he was set loose in 2024.

He was essentially shelved on defense through Week 14 of that season, relegated to sub packages until the final three weeks of last season. The Ravens were running thin on defense and turned back to Simpson late (he played just 43 snaps on defense from Week 8-14).

There were some flashes – two tackles for loss against New England – but it wasn’t great.

Baltimore faced a QB in Week 18 very similar to what Jones does – 40% of the attempts within five yards of the LOS – and Simpson was targeted a career-high seven times by aged Aaron Rodgers, for five completions. The Ravens are 10-12 when Simpson plays 20 or more snaps on defense, and while there were far higher-paid players who contributed to those defeats, Simpson has yet to find his way in the regular season.

Minter is a master tactician who knows how to put players in positions to succeed. We’ll find out soon enough how much that applies to this linebacker, who has been putting in the work at home and in the meeting rooms.

"I could say honestly this offseason I focused on film study,” Simpson said during camp, “making sure I take another approach to the game mentally, knowing the ins and outs of what to expect from the offense, and then just being confident, being me, playing fast, physical football and just being prepared."

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