Ravens News 3/26: Hip-Drop Banned

What will the Ravens offense look like with Derrick Henry? John Harbaugh says ‘it’ll look different.’

Brian Wacker, The Baltimore Sun

“It’ll look different, there’s no doubt about that,” Harbaugh said. “That’s the one thing we believe in is keeping it moving. You can never keep it the same.

“No patterns. We don’t want patterns. We don’t want to be predictable in what we’re doing.”

In that unpredictability, however, also comes some uncertainty — at least for now.

Jackson has never played with a dominant feature back of Henry’s ilk, and his arrival comes just one season after offensive coordinator Todd Monken was hired to transform Baltimore from a heavy, ground-and-pound scheme to a more wide-open, spread attack. The change last year resulted in career highs for Jackson in passing yards (3,678) and completion percentage (67.2) and Baltimore came within a game of its first Super Bowl appearance in more than a decade. But in its AFC title game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Ravens running backs strangely accounted for just six carries.

“We drafted two great players in the last three years the first round,” Harbaugh said about Flowers, a rookie last season who led the team in catches and yards, and Bateman. “I would think Rashod and Zay would be excited to step to the front together. That’s where it begins. Then we get a veteran player back in Nelly who did such a great job last year. … He played at a high level, he’s a real versatile player.”

Twelve Ravens Thoughts on Harbaugh press conference at NFL owners meetings

Luke Jones, Baltimore Positive

Unsurprisingly, the offensive line was a hot topic with Harbaugh saying they “expect it to be better than last year.” He cited the healthy return of Ronnie Stanley and the coaching chops of Joe D’Alessandris as big factors, but much needs to go well for that goal to be realized.

The Ravens liked the versatility of Josh Jones after he played multiple offensive line spots in Houston and Arizona, and Harbaugh compared his addition to John Simpson last year. Jones has also played extensively at right guard, but left guard seems like the more realistic spot based on Harbaugh’s comments.

Harbaugh has stayed in contact with Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy and says Baltimore remains optimistic about re-signing either veteran, but there’s no clear timetable for a decision from either player. Clowney has been drawing plenty of interest from other potential suitors.

Harbaugh said Josh Johnson will be the backup quarterback with Malik Cunningham having “an opportunity” to develop. Perhaps that morphs into a competition by training camp, but that depth chart assessment from the Baltimore coach was more definitive than usual at this point in the offseason.

NFL owners vote to ban hip-drop tackle at Annual League Meeting

Kevin Patra, NFL.com

The hip-drop tackle is officially illegal.

Owners banned the hip-drop tackle on Monday morning during the Annual League Meeting in Orlando, Fla., the league announced.

The NFL’s Competition Committee was unanimous in their voice that the tackle was one the league wanted out of the game. Owners agreed.

The official rule is as follows:

ARTICLE 18. HIP-DROP TACKLE. It is a foul if a player uses the following technique to bring a runner to the ground:

(a) grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms; and

(b) unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.

Penalty: For a Hip-Drop Tackle: Loss of 15 yards and an automatic first down.

2024 NFL Draft Position Rankings: Offensive tackles

Trevor Sikkema, PFF

8. T TYLER GUYTON, OKLAHOMA

PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 29

Guyton is raw in how to win with technique at the position, but there aren’t many offensive linemen who have a better athletic mold. He has starting-caliber NFL gifts but must eliminate negatives in both the run and pass games to succeed at the next level.

9. T JORDAN MORGAN, ARIZONA

PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 41

Morgan needs to get stronger, whether he’s at tackle or guard in the NFL, but he has desirable athletic traits with fast hands and feet that bolster his starting-caliber potential.

10. T KINGSLEY SUAMATAIA, BYU

PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 45

Suamataia is a dream prospect to draft and develop somewhere on day two. I worry about him being baptized by fire if drafted in the first round and called upon to start right away.

Baltimore Ravens big board: Options at No. 30 starting to come into focus

Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic

Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State (No. 28)

Coleman’s a polarizing prospect with some questions about his vertical speed. Yet, the 6-foot-3, 213-pound receiver brings a skill set the Ravens lack. He’s a big and physical receiver who specializes in making contested catches and playing “above the rim.” His ability to make highlight reel catches speaks to his size, physicality and ball skills. Selecting a fourth first-round receiver in six years is probably a stretch for Baltimore, but Coleman certainly would diversify the team’s receiving corps.

Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas (No. 35)

The former Longhorn has been a hot name in the pre-draft process with pundits predicting that he’ll be taken sooner than people think. It’s easy to see why. Mitchell has the size (6-foot-4, 192 pounds), speed (4.34 in the 40-yard dash) and ball skills to become a front-line receiver in the NFL. There were some inconsistencies with his performance at Texas and his route running needs polishing. However, the Ravens would be getting a big-play threat, proficient in separating, catching jump balls and deep passes, and picking up yards after the catch. He averaged 15.4 yards per reception at Texas and had 18 touchdowns in 35 college games. He started his career at Georgia, playing under current Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

NFL Power Rankings 2024: Which teams improved in free agency?

Jamison Hensley, ESPN

4. Baltimore Ravens

Way-too-early ranking: 1

Under-the-radar move: Trading OT Morgan Moses

The Ravens moved up 22 spots in a swap of fourth-round picks with the New York Jets and received a sixth-rounder (No. 218) for Moses, who was likely going to be cut by Baltimore. The 33-year-old Moses allowed a team-high nine sacks and showed signs of wearing down. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has emphasized building through the draft because quarterback Lamar Jackson is on a big-money contract. By dealing Moses, Baltimore improved its draft capital and shed $5.5 million in salary.