Cameron Jordan still ranked a top-5 edge rusher after down year in 2020

Cameron Jordan still a top-5 edge rusher after down year in 2020

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Cameron Jordan turned in a performance last season that would be best described as good, though not great. He still led the New Orleans Saints defense in quarterback pressures (61), per Pro Football Focus, but that number snapped a five-year streak of 70-plus pressure years. His 7.5 sacks tied his lowest output since notching just one takedown as a rookie way back in 2011.

Still, Jordan is a force to be reckoned with. He’s someone opponents must plan for week in and week out. Doug Farrar over at Touchdown Wire, who ranked him fifth-best among his peers, writing:

“One of the most consistently effective pass-rushers of his generation, Jordan — who was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2011 draft — has amassed at least 70 total pressures every season from 2015 through 2019. 2020 saw a slight downturn in total pressure with 61 (eight sacks, nine quarterback hits, and 44 quarterback hurries), but that doesn’t mean Jordan was any less available to provide pressure. Often, it meant that he was the one on New Orleans’ line who was double-teamed to that others could get to the quarterback.”

It would make sense if Jordan is starting to slow down. He’s 32 and has played 900 or more snaps every year of his career, except for 2011, and you have to think that workload will start to erode his body eventually. It’s certainly something the Saints are beginning to plan for by drafting Payton Turner in the first round this spring; either Jordan or Marcus Davenport, 2018’s disappointing first rounder, will be on the outs in a few years.

Another observation from Farrar’s list is the strength of play around the NFC. Tampa Bay Buccaneers sack artist Shaquille Barrett is Farrar’s No. 1 edge rusher, while other conference rivals who made the cut include Za’Darius Smith (No. 4), Nick Bosa (No. 7), Chandler Jones (No. 8), and Chase Young (No. 9). And of the 11 players ranked at Touchdown Wire, five are scheduled to play the Saints this year. Bookend blockers Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk have their work cut out for them.

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11 pass rushers the Ravens could target in free agency

The Baltimore Ravens desperately need help getting after the quarterback, especially if they lose Matthew Judon. These 11 players could help

Anyone who watched the Baltimore Ravens during their incredible 14-2 run last season, while being blown away by the offense, must have noticed just how frequently the team blitzed on defense. The numbers back up this visual assessment, as the Ravens blitzed at the highest rate in the NFL last season, sending extra rushers on 54.9% of their defensive plays. Yet despite this aggression, the Ravens finished with only 37 sacks, the 12th fewest in the league.

Sacks are not everything of course. However, the other measure of pass-rush success is quarterback hits, which Baltimore struggled with outside of Matthew Judon. With Judon among the Ravens’ pending free agents, Baltimore could be left with Tyus Bowser and Jaylon Ferguson pushed into starting roles. Considering the pair had just 19 combined quarterback hits compared to Judon’s 33, that would be a massive blow they’d have to fill immediately.

Hopefully, the Ravens and their front office have noticed this too and will be taking steps to beef up the teams’ pass rush this offseason. They may well look to do this through the draft, but there are some potential pass rushers on the free agency market that the team may consider bringing in.

Arik Armstead

Armstead enjoyed a breakout season as a member of the San Francisco 49ers’ smothering defense in 2019. He had a slow start to his time in the NFL, being active for just 30 games in his first three seasons and only starting 11 of the games he played in during that timeframe.

But Armstead has started every game in each of the last two seasons, and in 2019 he amassed a career-high 10.0 sacks, while also posting 18 quarterback hits and 11 tackles for loss. Armstead only had 13 TFLs in his first four seasons combined. Armstead offers some versatility having played at both defensive end and defensive tackle at times for the 49ers.

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Should the Ravens target OLB Shaq Barrett in free agency?

The folks at Pro Football Focus think that the Ravens pass-rushing woes could be solved by targeting this player in free agency.

Getting after the quarterback was something that the Baltimore Ravens struggled to do in 2019. Despite blitzing at the highest rate in the NFL, Baltimore pass rushers managed just 37 sacks — 20 teams got to the quarterback more. With their leading pass rusher Matt Judon heading for free agency and potentially on the trading block, the Ravens will be looking to bolster their pass rush prior to the 2020 season.

One pending free agent the Ravens should pursue is outside linebacker Shaq Barrett, who enjoyed a breakout season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019. After signing a one-year deal last offseason, Barrett had a franchise-record 19.5 sacks, with a further 19 tackles for loss. It was a dramatic leap up in production for Barrett, who had 14 sacks and 25 tackles for loss combined over five seasons with the Denver Broncos prior to 2019.

Pro Football Focus, in their piece about a free agent that every time should target, notes that Barrett outplayed every Baltimore pass rusher last season.

“His 82 pressures on the year were the fourth most and 20 more than any other Raven.”

A proven pass rusher would certainly be a boost to the Ravens defense. But there are a number of reasons why I don’t think it’s likely that Barrett will be a Baltimore Raven in 2020.

First of all, there is the worry regarding whether we can actually class Barrett as a proven pass rusher. After all, 2019 was the only year he’s really put it all together. Granted, he was among PFF’s top-25 ranked pass rushers in his first five seasons while with the Broncos. But PFF grades are one thing, actual sack totals are another and 58.2% of Barrett’s career sacks came in a single season, albeit the last one.

Secondly, Barrett isn’t going to be cheap. If the Ravens will potentially balk at what Judon could earn on the free-agent market, Barrett could easily earn a lot more given his sack total last year. Spotract puts Barrett’s market value just shy of $16 million per year, which isn’t much in savings over where they have Judon.

Plus, and this is the most important — I don’t think it is likely that Barrett will actually get to the open market. The Buccaneers have the fourth-most estimated effective cap space heading into 2020, so they don’t have to be cheap when it comes to keeping their best players around. Barrett was the one good thing about Tampa Bay’s pass defense last season and they’d be really crazy to let him walk. If a long-term deal cannot be reached, then there are also the franchise or transition tags.

Don’t get me wrong, the Ravens need to upgrade the pass rush and Barrett is a name we’re going to hear as a dream free agent for Baltimore. But for all the reasons Judon isn’t a slam dunk to re-sign, Barrett falls into the same problems for the Ravens.

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6 early potential free agent targets for Cardinals in 2020

With the Cardinals out of the playoffs, who are some free agents in 2020 to keep an eye on?

The Arizona Cardinals, now officially out of the playoffs, are likely starting to plan for next year. They have already begun looking at their own soon-to-be free agents, inking tight end Maxx Williams to an extension and engaging in talks with D.J. Humphries.

While the season isn’t over yet, there are several players the Cardinals may be keeping their eyes on that may be good free agent pickups and ones that fans should keep an eye on too.

Packers OT Bryan Bulaga

Bulaga is far more likely to return to the Packers than anything else, but their cap situation next year isn’t great, so there’s a possibility that they could move on from Bulaga like they have with other offensive line veterans recently, like T.J. Lang in recent years.

If that is the case, Arizona would be wise to make use of the veteran to upgrade their right tackle position.

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