With the 2024 season officially in the books and the start of the new league year a week away, it’s the perfect time to review the Baltimore Ravens one position group at a time before completely turning the page forward to gearing up for 2025.
In the next installment of this article series, the defensive linemen are up after a year where they were the driving force behind the NFL’s top run defense and aided in elevating one of the top pass-rushing units.
Nnamdi Madubuike
AFC Wild Card Playoffs: Pittsburgh Steelers v Baltimore Ravens Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
After breaking the bank following a breakout 2023 campaign in which he led all interior defensive linemen in the league with sacks and earned both Pro Bowl and Second Team All Pro honors, Madubuike entered the 2024 season with elevated expectations. With a proven pedigree and a new tax bracket came more attention from opposing offenses trying to limit his impact and was still a disruptive force. He was being double and triple-teamed at a much higher rate this past season compared to the year before and saw his sack and quarterback hits totals cut in half down to 6.5 sacks and 17 from 13 and 33 in 2023 but was still received his second straight Pro Bowl nod.
The Ravens firmly believe that sacks aren’t everything especially when it comes to evaluating the full scope of a pass rusher’s impact. Madubuike’s presence helped raise the level of play of those around him and the extra blockers and sliding of protection that were devoted to keeping him at bay allowed some of his teammates to wreak havoc and they did. The Ravens finished second in the league in sacks with outside linebackers reaching double digits in sacks. When the Ravens needed a play made upfront down the stretch and in the playoffs, Madubuike often answered the call whether it was a sack, tackle for loss or key pressure. He led the team in sacks during the playoffs including two against the Steelers for his second game of the season with multiple.
Travis Jones
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The 2022 third-rounder’s 2024 season was a prime example of sacks aren’t everything as he just had one in the regular season and none in the playoffs yet he was dominant for most of the year as both an interior pass rusher and run stuffer. Jones regularly parted double-teams like Red Sea and gobbled up ball carriers for big stops at and behind the line of scrimmage. He was a driving force for the Ravens’ top-ranked rush defense and recorded a career-high 42 total tackles including four for a loss and four quarterback hits.
Michael Pierce
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While the Ravens finished the regular season with the top rushing defense, they didn’t hold that mantle from start to finish but the veteran nose tackle played an integral role in helping them finish atop the rankings. It’s not a coincidence that the most inconsistent stretch the unit went through when it came to slowing down opposing running games occurred during the time Pierce was on injured reserve with a calf strain. From Week 9-13, they gave up three of their six 100-yard rushing games including a regular-season-high 140 to the Philadelphia Eagles before the bye week.
Upon his return, they got back to dominating in the trenches against the run, allowing an average of 71.5 yards on the ground in the final four games. In 13 games including the playoffs, Pierce recorded three sacks, five quarterback hits, 25 total tackles including two for a loss and his first career interception in the regular season finale on a phenomenal play where he dropped into coverage and broke on the ball.
Broderick Washington
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The fifth-year veteran saw a slight uptick in his playing time this past season, being on the field for 45% of total defensive snaps which is up from 38% in 2023. Washington continued to do the dirty work on early downs against the run while flashing his ability as an interior pass rusher when he could, tying his single-season career-high of two for the second year in a row. He appeared in 15 games and recorded 21 total tackles including one for a loss, two quarterback hits, two pass breakups and his first career forced fumble.
Brent Urban
AFC Wild Card Playoffs: Pittsburgh Steelers v Baltimore Ravens Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
Despite being the only defensive lineman not to record a sack or quarterback hit a year after logging career-highs in both the year before with three and six, the 11-year veteran defensive end still found was to make his presence felt in the games he appeared in. Urban was active for 13 regular season games as an early down run defender. He recorded 20-plus total tackles for the third year in a row since returning to Baltimore and even though he didn’t get home for a sack, he was able to bat down a pair of passes at the line of scrimmage for incompletions.