Tag: Justin Madubuike

Is Ravens all-pro Kyle Hamilton the best safety in the NFL?

Could Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton possibly be the best safety in the entire NFL?

Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton began turning heads last season, and his acclaim is well deserved. Could Hamilton possibly be the best safety in the entire NFL?

The Ravens tallied an NFL record 60 sacks last season, with Hamilton contributing three to that total. It’s relatively easy to pass-defend when the opposing quarterback can’t even get a pass attempt off.

Nevertheless, Hamilton still recorded four interceptions and 13 pass deflections, alongside 63 solo tackles, in 15 games played.

The NFL’s best tight ends at the strong safety position often challenge Hamilton. This scenario was when he matched up with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce in the AFC Championship.  Though Kelce got the better of Hamilton in the game, things may be different in the future.

At just 23, Hamilton has yet to reach his pinnacle, and with consecutive seasons of NFL-level strength and conditioning, he is likely to bulk up.

With enough speed to keep up with anyone and sure tackling ability, Hamilton is undoubtedly among the best safeties in the NFL.

Projecting the Ravens offensive depth chart following the mandatory minicamp

Projecting the Baltimore Ravens offensive depth chart following the mandatory minicamp

The Ravens are still in the crux of a potential Super Bowl window.

Still, after changing the offensive line, running back, and wide receiver positions, the team will look drastically different on offense. Baltimore seemed to win the first wave of the free agency period after getting Derrick Henry for two years and $16 million. The talented running back could earn $20 million throughout the deal.

All wasn’t perfect, as the Ravens suffered significant free-agent losses. Patrick Queen (Steelers), Geno Stone (Bengals), and Gus Edwards (Chargers) were among eight free agents to sign elsewhere.

Baltimore also traded Morgan Moses to the Jets and released Tyus Bowser in a cost-cutting move.

We’re looking at an updated depth chart with the mandatory minicamp completed.

Starter — Lamar Jackson
2nd–Josh Johnson
3rd-Devin Leary

4th–Emory Jones

Tyler Huntley moved on in free agency, and Baltimore brought back Josh Johnson, while Malik Cunningham will continue to develop at the wide receiver position. Devin Leary was selected late in the draft and looks to be the backup for the future. Emory Jones offers potential as a developmental quarterback.

Starter-Derrick Henry
2nd-Justice Hill/Keaton Mitchell

3rd-Rasheen Ali
4th–Owen Wright

Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins are replaced by the legendary Derrick ‘King’ Henry. One of the biggest signings of the early free agency period, Henry gives Baltimore a star at the position.

Starter–Patrick Ricard

Starter–Nelson Agholor
2nd–Sean Ryan

Agholor re-signed with Baltimore on a 1-year deal prior to the start of free agency.

Starter–Rashod Bateman
2nd–DeVontez Walker/Tylan Wallace

Starter–Zay Flowers

2nd–Deonte Harty

Starter–Mark Andrews
2nd-Isaiah Likely
3rd–Charlie Kolar
4th–Scotty Washington

Starter–Ronnie Stanley

2nd–Patrick Mekari

Stanley will return at left tackle after restructuring his contract.

Starter–Sala Aumavae-Laulu/Josh Jones
2nd–Tykeem Doss
3rd–Tashawn Manning

With John Simpson signing with the Jets, Aumavae-Laulu could get the first shot at the starting left guard role.

Starter–Tyler Linderbaum

2nd–Nick Samac

Starter–Andrew Voorhees
2nd–Ben Cleveland

Voorhees missed the entire 2023 NFL season with a torn ACL but could start the season at right guard in place of a departed Kevin Zeitler.

Starter–Roger Rosengarten
2nd–Daniel Faalele

Morgan Moses was traded to the New York Jets. Baltimore could roll with second-round pick Roger Rosengarten or Faalele.

Will Ravens DT Justin Madubuike return in rare form?

Baltimore Ravens DT Justin Madubuike tallied 13 of his teams 60 sacks last season. Will Madubuike return in rare form?

Baltimore Ravens DT Justin Madubuike tallied 13 of his team’s 60 sacks last season. Will Madubuike return in rare form under new defensive coordinator Zach Orr?

While Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Patrick Queen is busy bumping his gums, he should be thanking Madubuike for the blitz lanes that allowed him to tally up ten stuffs last year. Madubuike’s work in the a-gap cannot be overstated, pressing opposing guards out of position and causing significant disruption in the backfield.  


What’s even better for Madubuike this year is that he’ll have practice reps against an even more physical running back in Derrick Henry. The Ravens will likely digress in pass defense, and if so, Orr will need to scheme zone blitz plays to create a pass rush advantage. 

The Ravens hope Madubuike’s four-year, $98 million deal will motivate him to win at the snap until Orr can structure a new scheme to replicate last year’s production.

Madubuike should expect help from linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh who combined for 14 sacks last season. With linebacker Jadeveon Clowney gone, Madubuike must be ready to shoulder the load as the Ravens’ main guy in the pass rush.

First year DC Zach Orr must carry on the Ravens tradition

After a record-breaking season for the Baltimore Ravens defense, new defensive coordinator Zach Orr will look to carry on the tradition.

After a record-breaking season for the Baltimore Ravens defense, new defensive coordinator Zach Orr will look to carry on the tradition.

Last season, former defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald and Orr,  who then operated as the linebackers coach, schemed the team to 60 sacks and 18 interceptions. Players who combined for 12 or more of those sacks are now wearing different uniforms, however, and Orr must be ready to pick up the pieces.

Orr watched painfully as the Ravens squandered an opportunity to advance to Super Bowl LVII. The loss in the AFC Championship has motivated him as he prepares for training camp in less than 60 days.

With safety Kyle Hamilton and defensive tackle Justin Madubuike returning, the only question mark remains how the shoes of inside linebacker Patrick Queen will be filled. Hopefully, Orr can develop rookie linebacker Adisa Issac relatively quickly. Issac’s height may be essential when they must slow down the more physically tight ends as the season progresses.

As a former Ravens linebacker and linebacker coach, Orr has the blueprint to ensure that Queen’s loss doesn’t damage the defensive infrastructure too much.

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Ranking the top 30 interior DL in the league after the 2024 NFL draft

With Aaron Donald out of the picture, who will become the new king at this position?

After 10 years of dominating the Seattle Seahawks and just about everybody else in the NFL, the best interior defensive lineman in the league has mercifully hung up his spurs and called it a career. Having won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, making 10 Pro Bowl teams and earning eight All-Pro honors, Aaron Donald went out on top – leading all interior linemen in tackles for a loss (16) last season.

With Aaron Donald out of the picture, who will become the new king of the iDL? Let’s find out. Here’s how we rank the top 30 interior defensive linemen in the NFL going into the 2024 season, beginning with a few rookies who will take the league by storm once they get up to speed.

7 takeaways from the Seahawks’ open OTAs practice on Wednesday

Mike Macdonald on what Byron Murphy II brings to the table for Seahawks

After the Seahawks selected Murphy in the first round of the draft, Macdonald gushed to reporters about what he can do for this team.

If you can’t get excited about seeing what Byron Murphy can do working under the best defensive playcaller in the NFL, then we can’t help you.

After the Seahawks selected Murphy in the first round of the draft, Macdonald gushed to reporters about what he can do for this team.

The standard for Macdonald’s Ravens defense last season was set by Justin Madubuike, who totaled 13 sacks, 33 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for a loss. While it wouldn’t be fair to hold Murphy to anything approaching that production as a rookie, the hope is that Seattle is getting a similar super-disruptive force for their interior pass rush.

With Leonard Williams lining up on the other side of Jarran Reed it’s going to be tough for opponents to double team Murphy, which should open up a lot of opportunities for him. Pressure compounds and the more pass rushers the Seahawks can put on the field the more likely they’ll be able to wreck other teams’ backfields the way their own has been for so many years. That’s why we think the one missing piece they need most right now is another plus edge rusher to backup Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe.

It’s possible they have already found him, though. Undrafted free agent Nelson Ceasar out of Houston had a fifth-round grade and should be able to break into the rotation as a rookie. Our latest projection has him making the initial 53-man roster.

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Eric DeCosta talks about the role of Chuck Smith in evaluating pass rushers

The Baltimore Ravens have been heavily lauded for their hiring of pass rush guru Chuck Smith as the team’s outside linebackers coach. After selecting outside linebacker Adisa Isaac in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Ravens general manager …

The Baltimore Ravens have been heavily lauded for their hiring of pass rush guru Chuck Smith as the team’s outside linebackers coach. After selecting outside linebacker Adisa Isaac in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta was asked if his evaluation of athletic pass rushers has changed because of Chuck Smith.

“I really pay attention to [pass rush coach] Chuck [Smith],” DeCosta said. “when he talks, I listen because he is a great pass-rush specialist, and he’s looking for specific traits, and he gets excited by certain guys, and I like that. I love his enthusiasm. He’s a joy to work with in the draft meetings because you know if he loves a guy, and that’s exciting. That’s what you want as an evaluator and as a guy that organizes the draft. You really want your scouts and your coaches to take ownership of certain guys and get on the table for guys, and Chuck does that, and he’s a great coach. So, if he sees these traits in somebody, I get excited. I think we all saw how our guys developed last year and emerge and what we did, and I think Chuck is a big part of that.”

Smith’s impact was clear in his first season in Baltimore, not only for the outside linebackers but for the entire defensive line. The Ravens led the NFL in sacks with 60 with defensive tackle Justin Madubuike leading the way with 13 — earning him a four-year, $98 million contract from Baltimore. Veteran outside linebackers Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy also enjoyed their best seasons from a sack standpoint, totaling 9.5 and 9 sacks respectively.

Every move the Ravens have made so far this offseason

With the 2024 NFL Draft fast approaching, we’re looking at every move the Baltimore Ravens have made this off-season

The Ravens will look drastically different on both sides of the football field after undergoing massive changes in player personnel and the coaching staff.

Baltimore signed Justin Madubuike, one of the league’s best defensive linemen, to an extension. After inking Madubuike to a deal, Baltimore landed Derrick Henry for two years and $16 million.

However, the Ravens suffered significant free-agent losses. 

Patrick Queen (Steelers), Geno Stone (Bengals), and Gus Edwards (Chargers) were among eight free agents to sign elsewhere. Baltimore also traded Morgan Moses to the Jets and released Tyus Bowser in a cost-cutting move.

With the NFL draft fast approaching, we’re reviewing every move Baltimore made this off-season.

Contract details of Derrick Brown’s 4-year extension with Panthers

Let’s go inside the numbers of Derrick Brown’s big four-year extension with the Panthers.

Thanks in part to their president and executive vice president of football operations, the Carolina Panthers have given Derrick Brown another term.

As announced on Friday afternoon, the team agreed to a four-year extension with their star lineman. So, what are the details of the deal?

First off, as initially reported by ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, the pact is worth a total of $96 million with $63.165 million guaranteed. The total is tied for the fourth-highest value amongst all defensive tackles, moving Brown next to New York Jets anchor Quinnen Williams.

That number over four years gives the contract an average annual worth of $24 million, which is also tied with Williams’ deal as the fourth-highest at the position. The very top is headlined by Kansas City’s Chris Jones ($31.75 million) with Las Vegas’ Christian Wilkins ($27.5 million) and Baltimore’s Justin Madubuike ($24.5 million) following up.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated would also add that Brown will receive $49 million over the first two seasons of the agreement and $72 million over the first three.

Great job, Dan and Brandt!

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Panthers, Derrick Brown agree to 4-year extension

The Panthers locked down Derrick Brown on Friday.

The Carolina Panthers have cemented a cornerstone of their franchise.

As announced by the team on Friday afternoon, defensive tackle Derrick Brown has agreed to a multi-year extension. Per ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, Brown will be signing a four-year, $96 million deal with approximately $63.1 in guarantees.

Carolina selected Brown with the seventh overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft. Since then, the Auburn University product has served as a pillar in the middle of the Panthers defense—having played in 66 of a possible 67 games over four pro campaigns.

In that time, Brown has amassed 245 combined tackles (28 for a loss), 8.0 sacks, 48 quarterback hits, two interceptions and 21 passes defensed. He’s fresh off recording 103 tackles in 2023—which not only stands as a new single-season NFL record for a defensive lineman, but also helped him earn the first Pro Bowl selection of his career.

Brown’s deal will make him the fourth-highest paid player at his position on an annual basis—behind Kansas City’s Chris Jones, Las Vegas’ Christian Wilkins and Baltimore’s Justin Madubuike.

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