The Baltimore Ravens entered the 2024 offseason with multiple priorities. They had an all-time free agent class that included multiple star players and understood that they needed to bring back whoever they could to once again compete for a championship.
Baltimore’s top priority for many was re-signing defensive lineman Justin Madubuike after his career year. The team and Madubuike reached an extension in the days leading up to 2024 free agency, and new defensive coordinator Zach Orr is excited to continue to see growth from the former Texas A&M star in the years to come.
“Eric [DeCosta] said it. Justin [Madubuike] is great against the run. He’s great against the pass, and this year what I felt like helped take his game to the next level [is] if you really just watch our film and pay attention to it, he played all across the defensive line. So, I mean he played the shade, the head-up zero, he played the three [technique], played the four [technique] and played the six [technique]. Sometimes he played the five [technique]. He played the run and rushed out at all those positions, and like I said, this year was his first time getting those opportunities to do that. So, now it’s just another year of being comfortable with the technique that we want at all those different positions. That way, teams can’t just focus in on one spot where he’s at, and he’s going to continue to get better at that. It’s going to be great for us. That’s how I see him getting better – just continuing to work on the technique, just like he said he’s going to do, and it allows us to move him around different spots so offenses just can’t key in on him.”
As Orr mentions, Madubuike is a player who is not limited to one spot on the defensive line. He can move around all over the field, and with how disruptive he can be both as a run defender and a pass rusher, the sky is the limit for what his 2024 year looks like.
