The Baltimore Ravens lost three valuable edge rushers during the 2021 offseason in Matthew Judon, Yannick Ngakoue, and Jihad Ward. The team will be relying on some young outside linebackers to step up and get to the quarterback, but the pressure won’t be on just them to contribute in that department.
When asked about his thoughts on the pass rush heading into the 2021 season, Williams made it clear that it will be a “team effort” to bring the quarterback down.
“Getting to the passer isn’t dependent on one person – it’s an all 11 thing. A corner has to cover, a linebacker has to do their job, and defensive line has to stop the run so we can get in those situations. It takes all of us to get to the passer and get those sacks. It’s not just relying on one person. So, we’re going to do a team effort and get to the quarterback.”
Williams is absolutely correct in his assessment. With Baltimore having such a phenomenal secondary, it gives the pass rushers more time to bring the quarterback down. However, if there’s a blown coverage, the signal caller can get the ball out quickly, taking away any chance at a sack. It’s the same type of idea with the linebackers and even the players rushing the quarterback as well. If the Ravens want to have a productive year from a sack perspective, there will have to be contributions from all 11 players on the field, not just a few.