Steve Seufert | June 16th, 2020
It’s super bowl or bust for the Baltimore Ravens in 2020. They have the reigning MVP and added talents to all parts of their roster. The only way you improve off of a 14-2 season is by making that super bowl appearance, but one game at a time has to be the motto. There’s a ton of hype surrounding this team, many thanks to Lamar Jackson. It’s important they acknowledge that and continue to put him in the best position to win. I love this Ravens team in 2020, and I know you do too.
Make sure to check out all of our other team award predictions here.
MVP: Lamar Jackson
Surprise, surprise! My projected Ravens MVP is the reigning MVP. Jackson, who is also known as “Smiley Face,” should continue to dominate the league. He’s so dynamic as a runner but it’s so much different than any other fast quarterback. Michael Vick was amazing, but he struggled with some injuries. Robert Griffin III was electric as a rookie but he took way too much damage. Jackson is just so elusive, I have no concerns with durability. He’s the most elusive player in the entire NFL.
If you combine the ball-carrying traits with his elite arm talent, you’re looking at an NFL MVP contender for years to come. Not to mention, Greg Roman is the perfect man to work under. Roman was responsible for Tyrod Taylor and Colin Kaepernick‘s best seasons during their professional careers. Both electric quarterbacks that really thrived when working off-schedule. Jackson isn’t only the MVP of the Ravens but he’s the MVP of the league. That should leave fans with a “Smiley Face.”
https://twitter.com/thomasrp93/status/1269723165049139202?s=20
Offensive Player: Mark Andrews
The former Sooner is good, right? In fact, he’s really good. But not every fan knows that this is the slowest developing position in the NFL. Andrews is young, and he’s only going to improve as a blocker. His receiving skills already scream Travis Kelce-like potential. He literally forced Hayden Hurst out of town, the former first-round pick in Andrews’ same draft class. We are talking about an elite talent in Andrews, and even though he’s already had his breakout season, I expect him to take the next step to stardom.
It might be easier to tackle a moderate sized SUV than Mark Andrews in the open field pic.twitter.com/byPwaYiQrG
— Barstool Sports (@BarstoolsTweets) August 23, 2019
Defensive Player: Marlon Humphrey
Humphrey shined as a rookie and it has Ravens fans excited, considering his young age. In year two, he ended the season as an elite cornerback where opposing quarterbacks and coordinators took notice and stopped throwing his way. Did I mention he was young? He’s 23 and entering year three. He already has the respect, on the field, of a veteran. He’s physical, athletic, versatile, and has really good ball skills. The ball skills are something he’s improved tremendously since his days at Alabama.
The Ravens always seem to be good on defense. It’s their culture. They take shots on young athletic guys or just high character football players that will show up to play, every single day. That’s good for Humphrey. He’s always going to be surrounded by talent. I expect another all-pro selection in year three, and it might not be by the way of interceptions, but by the way of absolutely suffocating the opponent’s number one receiving option.
Offensive Rookie: J.K. Dobbins
Man, I really love Gus Edwards and wish they went in a different direction. But maybe this is just Mark Ingram‘s future replacement and Edwards sticks on the roster. Anyways, my love for Edwards aside, Dobbins is the perfect fit for this offense. His contact balance in between the tackles and into the second level is incredible. He’s almost like a souped-up Ingram at this point and I fully expect him to dethrone Ingram before the midway point of the season.
All running backs that play next to Jackson are in a unique situation. Typically there’s a linebacker keying in on Dobbins but with Jackson drawing an extra set of eyes, Ravens running backs often go unmarked and unaccounted for, screwing up the run fits of the opposing defense. Dobbins hasn’t proved much as a receiver but I don’t see why he can’t pick up some work in that area, too. Devin Duvernay is intriguing but Dobbins gets the early award from me.
https://twitter.com/TonyClementsTC/status/1200827335244754945?s=20
Defensive Rookie: Malik Harrison
If you follow me on Twitter or have read my Ravens articles in the past, you know I love Harrison. He’s a big and long linebacker that plays with great leverage. He’s also physical and he causes a train wreck in his gap responsibility. His effort and instincts will create a lot of tackling opportunities but his pass rushing ability is really what goes unnoticed. He can move around and rush the passer from many different positions and his length creates leverage on opposing offensive lineman.
Harrison is going to start and he’s going to start behind a solid and experienced defensive line. He’s going to be able to play free thanks to his defensive line, but even if they slip up, Harrison has no issue playing through contact. I know Patrick Queen is the prized first-rounder but Harrison is just better at this point and that’s my take.
Biggest Surprise: Bradley Bozeman
This is a surprise, isn’t it? I mean, Bozeman obviously isn’t going to surprise in the way of touchdowns or box score beauty, but he’s going to surprise with well above-average play. Bozeman was just serviceable last season, but maybe I’m being a little tough on him. I thought he played good during the late season stretch and he actually ended up playing the eighth-most snaps in the league at the guard position.
Here’s the catch. Bozeman is not a guard, he doesn’t have the athleticism to stick with quick three-techniques especially when teams were lining up in nickel and bringing in athletic big men. So why will he be the biggest surprise? He’s likely moving to center and that sounds like the plan. This is by far his more natural position and one they drafted him at. He will fair much better in pass protection and we already know he’s intelligent and durable. Lookout for Bozeman to shine on this offensive line in 2020.
Biggest Disappointment: Earl Thomas
The former all-pro was already a disappointment in his first season with Baltimore. He was solid, maybe even good at times but it was a major decline from the 2018 season. I just didn’t see the elite range and he didn’t have the biggest impact in the run game. He’s entering his age 31 season and he’s on a large deal where he would have to do something spectacular to honor it.
At this point, this is Thomas’ last season in Baltimore based on the structuring of the deal. You can expect solid play but it will never be what they truly expected. Not to mention, Thomas was kind of a distraction with the bizarre incident that happened with him, his wife, and his brother in May. If you like mediocrity, maybe you’ll be fine but I know that’s not what Ravens fans are about.
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