The Ravens are looking to return to the AFC Championship game, where they’ll look for a different outcome after falling to the Chiefs, 17-10 this past January.
After after suffering free agent losses, Baltimore is still among the best teams in the league, and landed at No. 2 on an NFL.com list of the top ten most complete squads.
They’re also debatably less deep in the backfield, even if the addition of Derrick Henry and the return from injury of Keaton Mitchell provide hope. With reigning MVP Lamar Jackson at the peak of his powers, helped by a strong supporting cast of Henry, Mark Andrews, Zay Flowers and others, the offense should keep humming — assuming the offensive line can find enough pieces to man all the positions ably.
Defensively, this remains a very good group, even with the losses of Queen, Jadeveon Clowney and Ronald Darby. Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith are two of the very best at what they do. Keeping Justin Madubuike was crucial; he teams with Michael Pierce to form a very stout middle up front. The hope is that young pass rushers Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo and Adisa Isaac can keep the rush unit effective after a 60-sack season.
For Baltimore, the biggest concerns will be avoiding major injuries to Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, while replacing Patrick Queen at linebacker.