{"id":56382,"date":"2025-06-16T08:12:22","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T08:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=56382"},"modified":"2025-06-16T08:12:22","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T08:12:22","slug":"ravens-urged-to-sign-former-2nd-round-edge-rusher-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=56382","title":{"rendered":"Ravens Urged to Sign Former 2nd-Round Edge-Rusher"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"l-article__header\"><\/header>\n<div class=\"l-article__meta\">\n<div class=\"l-article__meta-item l-article__meta-item--dates\">\n<ul class=\"c-meta c-meta--post c-meta--list c-meta--dates\">\n<li class=\"c-meta__item c-meta__item--updated\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"l-article__content\">\n<div class=\"c-content entry-content\">\n<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\" class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div class=\"h-responsive\">\n<figure class=\"h-responsive__inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2185258102-e1750011022531.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2185258102-e1750011022531.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2185258102-e1750011022531.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2185258102-e1750011022531.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Preston Smith\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" data-img-load-time=\"612\" data-dom-ready-time=\"888\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-post-image-caption-text\">The Baltimore Ravens are urged to sign a former second-round pick in free agency to solve their edge-rusher problem.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Boosting their options at edge-rusher remains on the to-do list for the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/baltimore-ravens\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\">B<\/a>altimore Ravens, so it\u2019s a good thing a former top-40 draft pick is still available in 2025 NFL free agency, a 10-year veteran who\u2019s a natural scheme fit for coordinator Zach Orr\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n<p>A career record of 70.5 sacks in 10 seasons proves\u00a0Preston Smith\u2019s credentials as somebody who could help the Ravens. The former Washington,\u00a0Green Bay Packers\u00a0and\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers\u00a0outside linebacker is the pick from\u00a0Carmen Vitali of Fox Sports\u00a0to fill the Ravens\u2019 biggest remaining need.<\/p>\n<p>Vitali believes \u201cthere\u2019s something left to be desired in the pass rush. Kyle Van Noy is a great player. Odafe Oweh is, too. But to keep consistent pressure coming off the edge, I\u2019d like to see a deeper rotation \u2014 especially to capitalize on the players Baltimore has on the interior. Guys like Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones can wreak havoc inside, which makes things easier and mismatches more common with guys on the outside.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_1_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-1 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_1\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s a strong argument, and Smith is a good choice to add some veteran insurance at a key spot. Yet, what the 32-year-old wouldn\u2019t do is underpin the necessary youth movement the Ravens need more at the edges of their front seven.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Preston Smith a Natural Scheme Fit for Ravens<\/h2>\n<p>Smith has spent his career in the pros rushing the passer from the outside. The player taken with the 38th pick in the 2015 NFL draft has alternated between attacking protection as a standup rusher or after putting his hand in the dirt as a traditional defensive end.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s primarily an outside linebacker, but the Ravens use players at the position in multiple ways on their hybrid fronts. They require big-bodied force setters against the run and agile rushers able to beat protection.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, Smith showed last season he still has the physical traits and general know-how to get to the quarterback. One of his better plays was this takedown of\u00a0Will Levis\u00a0against the\u00a0Tennessee Titans\u00a0in Week 3, highlighted by\u00a0USA Today\u2019s Josh Carney, who applauded Smith as a \u201cSavvy pass rusher, has a plan and executes at a productive level.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_2_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-2 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"3dab5d701745a0c0b7f818ae3e200902\" class=\"embed_container\">\n<div class=\"tweet-container\">\n<article class=\"tweet-container_article\">\n<div class=\"tweet-container_header \">\n<div class=\"tweet-header__author tweet-header__author--verified\">\n<div class=\"tweet-header__meta\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-header-brand\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-body\">\n<p>One of new #Steelers EDGE Preston Smith\u2019s two full sacks on the season.<\/p>\n<p>Great use of hands to punch and then swim the tackle, allowing him to turn the corner and get to #Titans QB Will Levis for the sack.<\/p>\n<p>Savvy pass rusher, has a plan and executes at a productive level.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-media tweet-media--1\">\n<div class=\"tweet-media__container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-actions\"><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Production has rarely been a problem for Smith, who\u2019s\u00a0logged eight or more sacks\u00a0in a single season six times in his career. He\u2019s also registered 20-plus pressures five times,\u00a0per Pro Football Reference.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_3_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-3 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_3\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Just as important as his statistics, Smith offers a heightened level of versatility the Ravens could use in a variety of ways. That flexibility showed up for this sack for the Steelers, when Smith slid inside to \u201c3-tech DT\u201d and got to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/cincinnati-bengals\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\">C<\/a>incinnati Bengals\u00a0QB1\u00a0Joe Burrow,\u00a0per Steel Curtain Network\u2019s Kevin Smith.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"edae581d16320a7964ffa3ce36c8b1c9\" class=\"embed_container\">\n<div class=\"tweet-container\">\n<article class=\"tweet-container_article\">\n<div class=\"tweet-container_header \">\n<div class=\"tweet-header__author tweet-header__author--verified\">\n<div class=\"tweet-header__meta\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-header-brand\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-body\">\n<p>Steelers with the interesting 1-4-6 Dime package with Preston Smith bumped inside as a 3-tech DT. Edge pressure from Watt forces Burrow to step up in the pocket and Smith gets the sack. Steelers are ramping up the pressure!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-media tweet-media--1\">\n<div class=\"tweet-media__container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-actions\"><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a lot to recommend Smith to the Ravens, but general manager Eric DeCosta could justify passing on the deal to double down on the team getting younger on the edges.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_4_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-4 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_4\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Ravens Undergoing Slow Reset on the Edge<\/h2>\n<p>DeCosta has already begun the process of resetting his team\u2019s options at edge-rusher. Using a second-round pick in this year\u2019s draft to select\u00a0Mike Green, college football\u2019s sack leader last season, was a solid start.<\/p>\n<p>Green is a\u00a0legitimate breakout candidate, but he\u2019s not the only up and coming outside pass-rusher capable of taking on a bigger role in Baltimore. There\u2019s also an\u00a0unlikely physical mismatch\u00a0touted to emerge as the \u201ccenterpiece\u201d of the front seven.<\/p>\n<p>The Ravens already have would-be bookends behind 34-year-old\u00a0Kyle Van Noy\u00a0and 2026 free agent\u00a0Odafe Oweh. It means there\u2019s little need to part with limited space under the salary cap to sign Smith.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty The Baltimore Ravens are urged to sign a former second-round pick in free agency to solve their edge-rusher problem. Boosting their options at edge-rusher remains on&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ravens Urged to Sign Former 2nd-Round Edge-Rusher - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=56382\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ravens Urged to Sign Former 2nd-Round Edge-Rusher - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Getty The Baltimore Ravens are urged to sign a former second-round pick in free agency to solve their edge-rusher problem. 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