5 NFL teams who don’t need the preseason to be ready for 2020
5. The Baltimore Ravens don’t need the NFL preseason
What a difference a year makes! After transitioning from the veteran, pocket-passer Joe Flacco to the mobile rookie Lamar Jackson in 2018, the Baltimore Ravens took the league by storm in 2019. Greg Roman’s incredible rushing offense combined with John Harbaugh’s fierce defense allowed the Ravens to claim the No. 1 seed in the AFC before ultimately falling in the divisional round of the playoffs.
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While the Ravens experienced massive changeover between 2018 and 2019 when transitioning Jackson to the starting role, they’ll have the benefit of consistency as they head into Jackson’s third NFL season.
Baltimore’s offensive additions were mostly depth-related, as J.K. Dobbins, Devin Duvernay and James Proche are not expected to see significant playing time early on. While the loss of Hayden Hurst will certainly have an impact, veteran Nick Boyle should easily take over duties as the team’s TE2.
On defense, the Ravens lost some valuable pieces. Key contributors like Tony Jefferson, Patrick Onwuasor, Michael Pierce and Josh Bynes left Baltimore for greener pastures in free agency.
However, the Ravens arguably upgraded their defensive talent this offseason with the additions of Calais Campbell, Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison. With elite veteran talent like Marcus Peters, Earl Thomas and Matt Judon already on the roster, the learning curve for the new additions should be flattened.