Ravens Defense Poised For Success Following Strong Trade Deadline

Much has been said about the Baltimore Ravens this season, and while most of it has been about their lackluster defense thus far, the franchise addressed those concerns ahead of the NFL trade deadline.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta pulled off another massive trade in his relatively-young tenure as he was able to get the highly-coveted inside linebacker and two-time All-Pro Roquan Smith from the Chicago Bears.

DeCosta only needed to send out their second and fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft plus veteran linebacker A.J. Klein for a high-level linebacker that can instantly transform how they look on defense.

Almost unanimously, NFL pundits and fans were quick to show their surprise at the assets that the Ravens had to give up for Smith since the Georgia product is still extremely young at 25 years old and has already shown to live up to the hype.

While the Ravens were lucky enough to get Smith at such a value, Ravens fans are equally excited with the news about Tyus Bowser and David Ojabo being available.

Bowser started off the season on the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list after tearing his Achilles in January while Ojabo, the 45th overall pick in the 2022 draft, appears to be ready to get back onto the field after suffering the same injury during pro day ahead of the draft.

The pair is reportedly set to make their season debut against the New Orleans Saints next Monday, making their appearances at such a crucial juncture in the season.

The Ravens have one of the most favorable schedules in the league the rest of the way and the addition of key pieces is set to propel them to possibly taking home the AFC North crown en route to a postseason slot with ease.

Baltimore is currently ranked 24th in the league when it comes to yards allowed per game at 364.3, but the addition of Smith, Bowser and Ojabo to the squad is set to limit those numbers in a major way.

With so much talent being brought into the Ravens’ defense, fans already have high expectations from a team that could have gone unbeaten had they not had late-game collapses against the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and New York Giants.

After they face the Saints, Baltimore will have their Week 10 bye before welcoming the Carolina Panthers to M&T Bank Stadium in Week 11 and will have one of the weakest schedules to close out the regular season which gives them an even better chance at making the postseason.