The Baltimore Ravens are dreaming of winning the Super Bowl championship once again, but their 2024 regular season got off to a gut-wrenching start.
They opened it against the Kansas City Chiefs, the team that downed them in last season’s AFC Championship Game, on Thursday. Trailing 27-20 with seconds remaining, they appeared to get a touchdown reception from tight end Isaiah Likely, but it was waived off because his toe was just barely out of bounds.
It is clear that while the Ravens have a strong defense, they could use some more pressure off the edge. While Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn’t have one of his vintage performances, they allowed him to complete 20 of 28 pass attempts and sacked him only twice.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay suggested the Ravens trade for Haason Reddick, the veteran pass rusher who has been holding out after asking the New York Jets to trade him earlier this summer.
“While the Jets likely won’t get the conditional third-rounder they coughed up to the Philadelphia Eagles, they could still net an early Day 3 pick from a franchise like the Baltimore Ravens,” wrote Kay. “Baltimore lost Jadeveon Clowney in free agency after he ranked second on the team in sacks last year and needs a proven talent on the edge to pair with interior rusher Justin Madubuike.
“With an aging Kyle Van Noy their current best option, a deal for Reddick would make plenty of sense. If the Ravens are willing to pay the 29-year-old—who has racked up 50.5 sacks over the last four seasons—they’ll have a much more potent pass-rushing unit than initially expected for the 2024 campaign.”
Van Noy, who had 9.0 sacks, nine quarterback hits and 10 tackles for loss last year, suffered an eye injury in the third quarter of Thursday’s game and did not return, which means his status moving forward could be in question.
Reddick was traded by the Philadelphia Eagles to the Jets several months ago, even though his contract status was up in the air. With only this season remaining on his current contract, he has been looking for a lucrative extension, but New York hasn’t budged.
There is no doubt, however, that he’s an impact player. He has made the Pro Bowl in both of the last two seasons, and he has posted at least 11.0 sacks in each of the last four years.
Since the Baltimore Ravens may not have any legitimate deep threats on offense, they will have to win with defense. But if you cannot consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks, you won’t have a strong defense. For them to finally get over the hump and play for the Vince Lombardi Trophy, they will have to find a way to infuse their front seven with some pass-rushing power.
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