Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver was all smiles after Friday’s training camp practice.
He had reason to be. His defense had just closed practice with four straight red zone stops. Second-year safety Malaki Starks capped off the final stand with an interception that forced the offense to do push-ups before heading into The Castle.
On that play and several others, the Ravens’ pass rushers made an impact, consistently forcing the quarterbacks to throw off-platform or out of rhythm.
Trey Hendrickson, who struggled against left tackle Ronnie Stanley during his time as a Bengal, has gotten the better of his new teammate a number of times to open camp. Mike Green has given right tackle Roger Rosengarten fits, and Tavius Robinson has wreaked havoc from multiple spots along the defensive line.
Undrafted rookie Ethan Burke has also flashed. On Friday, he combined with UDFA defensive tackle Aaron Graves for back-to-back pressures, including a well-executed stunt/loop that sent Burke into the quarterback’s lap. The 6-foot-6, 257-pound Texas product is high-cut but a fluid mover with surprising bend. He could be a dark horse for the fifth spot in the edge rusher room.
What’s more, Baltimore has been able to generate this consistent pressure without their top three interior rushers: Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, and Calais Campbell. Once all of his options are at his disposal, Weaver thinks his job as DC will be “pretty easy.”
“You do not have to try to scheme up free runners or things like that,” he said. “You can use the complexity of illusion to let those guys go win.”
Weaver could be hinting at the Ravens’ plan for their revamped pass rush. Streamlining edge rushers’ responsibilities and using more line games on the interior are both ways to get home with four while maintaining numbers in coverage. That would be appropriate synergy between a head coach with a secondary background and a defensive coordinator who has played and coached the defensive line position for more than two decades.
