What options do the Ravens have to help the backend of their defense?

The Ravens once again look like a real Super Bowl contender. Lamar Jackson is playing like he deserves his third MVP award. Again, they look like a historic rushing team with the Derrick Henry addition. They have weapons galore on offense. The defense is on pace for better rushing-defense numbers than the 2000 Ravens.

But the pass defense has not been good enough, plain and simple. They are in the bottom six in the NFL for passing yards allowed, quarterback rate, yards per attempt, 1st downs allowed, touchdowns allowed, and 20-plus yard plays allowed. The cornerbacks haven’t been the issue either. Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, and rookie Nate Wiggins haven’t played badly. Kyle Hamilton is playing well. The issue has been the back end. Safeties Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson haven’t made plays or prevented offensive plays from happening. Williams and Jackson have PFF grades of 48.9 and 45.4 respectively, near the bottom of the entire league, with 46.8 and 47 coverage grades.

If the Ravens want to make a playoff run, they have to shore up their pass defense. Getting better play on the back end of their secondary might be a way to do it. What are the Ravens’ options to improve there?

Marcus Williams

The best option for the Ravens is for Marcus Williams to simply improve his play. The Ravens signed Williams to a 5-year, $70 million contract in 2022 as one of the elite centerfield safeties in the NFL. It looked like a good signing too, as Williams started his first year in Baltimore with three interceptions, five passes defended and a fumble recovery in his first four games with the Ravens. He got hurt during his 5th game and hasn’t been the same since.

He missed 13 games between two injuries in 2022 and 2023, playing in 22 games since his first injury with the Ravens, only nabbing two interceptions in that span. While his play wasn’t elite in 2022 and 2023, he wasn’t a liability and had the excuse of injuries. In 2024, he’s been healthy all season but has a PFF grade of 48.9, nearly 23 points worse than the worst season grade of his career.

Williams improving his play to even average would be massive. If he could get back to being elite, the preseason talk of one of the best secondary’s in the league could come to fruition. The Ravens already have a ton of resources invested in the secondary so they won’t want to make a trade and spend even more there. They believe in Marcus Williams and think he can play better. But if he doesn’t, the Ravens might have to.

Jevon Holland

Holland is a rangy free safety who has been a consistent playmaker for the Miami Dolphins who could end up becoming sellers this year with the injury to Tua Tagovailoa. Holland is in the last year of his rookie contract and could be a valuable trade piece for Miami who already has a lot of big contracts on their book. Holland had a 90.4 PFF grade last season, but only has a 60.9 this season, with a 53.5 coverage grade. How much of that is being put in a bad situation is unknown, but those grades could improve in Baltimore and are still an upgrade over Williams and Jackson.

Holland is probably the most talented safety that might be available this deadline, but questions remain about how much interest he could draw and what the compensation might be. There isn’t much money on the books for him but is currently dealing with a broken hand. He’s only been practicing in a limited capacity and has missed the last two games. He is expected to play again this season. Holland’s cap hit is $4.29 million. Reminder, the Ravens would need to pay the remaining salary for the year, not the total cap hit.

Tyrann Mathieu

Mathieu is a name Ravens fans should be familiar with. Once one of the top defenders in the entire NFL, the Ravens have been linked to him many times, including in the offseason when they signed Marcus Williams instead. Mathieu has quietly been balling on a bad and broken Saints team that will be sellers come the deadline. Before week 7, Mathieu had a PFF grade of 77.3 with a coverage grade of 74.5. He also has two interceptions on the year, overall an upgrade of play over Williams and Jackson.

New Orleans will likely be holding a fire sale this year with being massively over the cap for 2025. Mathieu has this year and next year on the books, with a $5.5 million cap hit this year and $11 million next year.

Budda Baker

Rumblings around Arizona selling have already started, with their general manager stating that talks are beginning and having hinted at parting ways with Budda Baker. Baker is a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro. His skill set compliments Hamilton and Williams well and could be a better third safety option than Jackson, which could improve Williams’s play. While Baker is a major piece for the Cardinals for a long time and a trade might be shocking from that viewpoint, its important to remember he did request a trade last offseason over his contract. While he did get a slight pay increase, he wasn’t extended like he wanted.

Baker is also in the last year of his contract so there would be no long-term commitment from the Ravens. Baker has a 69.3 PFF grade with a 64 coverage grade but a $19 million cap hit. While the Ravens wouldn’t be on the books for that much, a trade for Baker would require cap movements from the front office to make it work but could immediately help this secondary’s struggles.

Andre Cisco

Like Holland, Cisco is a young safety on the last year of his rookie deal. Also like Holland, Cisco’s play this year hasn’t been the same as years previous for a common play maker but could be improved by moving to a more talented team. The Jaguars are a mess and despite a London win, will likely look to sell at the deadline. Cisco’s name is already being brought up after comments that he thought the team “had a lot of quit” after a bad loss.

While Cisco hasn’t had a great 2024, PFF grade of 57.8 and a coverage grade of 57.5 (which is still better than Williams and Jackson), Cisco has typically graded positively in his NFL career and has been a turnover machine, with seven picks over his last two seasons and another this year. He would be a cheap acquisition, both in the cap department and capital needed to make the trade.

Verdict

The Ravens have spent a lot of resources on their secondary. Large contracts, high draft picks, and big names everywhere. Unfortunately, seven weeks in, it hasn’t really worked outside of one game against Buffalo who didn’t have a premier receiver, which recently changed. The Ravens have a real shot to be one of the elite teams in the NFL and make a Super Bowl run, but the defense has to be better to make that happen. While it would suck and be an admission from the front office, the Ravens might need to sink more resources into secondary and trade.

If Marcus Williams doesn’t improve, trading for a playmaking safety should be a priority at the deadline, preferably paired with a big pass rusher move. Tyrann Mathieu would be a cheaper move, give defensive coordinator Zach Orr another chess piece player, and still allow them to make another trade.