Boosting their pass rush remains on the to-do list for the Baltimore Ravens, but they won’t find many better still available in 2025 NFL free agency than a former Super Bowl MVP and eight-time Pro Bowler.
The free agent in question is Von Miller, a 36-year-old who lifted the Lombardi Trophy with both the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams, and would surely relish the chance to go after a third Super Bowl ring. The Ravens are qualified to give Miller that chance thanks to a Championship-caliber roster, but they could use somebody with the experience of winning the biggest games in the clutch moments of a season.
It helps “Baltimore is obviously open to adding older players to help chase a championship in 2025—it added 32-year-old receiver DeAndre Hopkins early in free agency—and Miller could be an asset. He logged six sacks while playing just 33 percent of the defensive snaps in Buffalo last season,” according to Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox.
Those numbers cited by Knox show Miller still has the engine and skills to put pressure on the pocket. He’d fit the Ravens beautifully in a situational role “to complement Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh.”
If the deal has a downside it would involve the Ravens getting older, not younger, in the pass-rush department. Not to mention Miller’s presence potentially blocking the development of a fringe edge-rusher like David Ojabo.
Von Miller Retains Skills Ravens Need
Miller hasn’t lost the core traits that have allowed him to amass 129.5 career sacks and put on an MVP performance for the 2015 Broncos in Super Bowl 50. Those traits showed up with the Buffalo Bills last season, notably for this takedown of Drake Maye against the New England Patriots in Week 18.
As Aaron Day of DLineVids pointed out, Miller utilized “a great get off” and made clever use of his hands to get to the quarterback.
Miller still has a quick first step after 13 pro seasons. He’s somebody Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr could trust to be disruptive on obvious passing downs.
Rotating Miller with fellow 30-something veteran Kyle Van Noy and breakout player Odafe Oweh would give an erratic pass rush the missing X-factor. That’s something the Ravens can’t count on brittle and inconsistent Ojabo to provide, but they can still go younger on the edges.
Ravens Can Get Younger on the Edges
Aside from Miller, the Ravens could make a smart trade for a more youthful edge defender who compares favorably to Van Noy. It’s another possible way to safeguard against having to move on from Oweh, who is a free agent in a year.
Dealing Oweh before the 2025 NFL draft would give general manager Eric DeCosta incentive to dip into this rookie class for pass rush help. There are intriguing options for the 27th-overall pick, including Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr.
Whatever they do, the Ravens need a coherent strategy for improving the edges of their front seven. The plan to have Ojabo occupy a situational role hasn’t succeeded, while imposing physical specimen Tavius Robinson remains a work in progress.
DeCosta handing Miller a one-year deal would at least give the defense a proven specialist in the short term.
