OTL: Behold the Rise of Travis Jones

There’s a lot to like about Travis Jones.

And when we say “a lot,” we aren’t just referring to the 6-4, 340 pounds of giant mass often found located in the middle of the Ravens’ defensive front. There are some real skills attached to that pile of human being, and those skills are starting to shine this year on the field for the 2-2 Ravens.

For starters, Jones has grown as a player every one of his two-plus seasons in the league. PFF gave him a defensive score of 62.5 his rookie season, then 70.6 in his sophomore campaign and now a robust 74.1 mark in his third year. Against Buffalo, in front of a national television audience last week, Jones was particularly effective, constantly bludgeoning his way into the Bills’ backfield and delivering one of the hardest hits on a quarterback you will find in this Charmin-like league of today.

The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec wrote an interesting piece this morning, and he discussed Jones’ impact this season.

“When Ravens executives, coaches and players were asked about potential breakout candidates ahead of the 2024 regular season, one of the first names to come up was usually Jones, a 2022 third-round pick out of Connecticut,” wrote Zrebiec.

“At 6-foot-4, 338 pounds, Jones might be the team’s strongest player,” he continued. “He’s grown more proficient in using his size and strength. He’s also developed more of a pass-rush repertoire, working with defensive assistant and pass-rush specialist Chuck Smith and alongside defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike, who had a 13-sack season in 2023.”

Speaking of Chuck Smith, it’s interesting to note how good the Ravens pass-rush has been since he joined the team last season. Last season, it was the Ravens’ pass rush that was supposed to be the team’s weakness, and they followed that up by leading the league in sacks.

This offseason they lost Jadeveon Clowney, and many preached gloom and doom for the team’s pass rush again this year.

To this point, the two highest-graded players on the Ravens’ entire defense are Odafe Oweh (89.5) and Kyle Van Noy (88.0). We’ve also watched Nnamdi Madubuike improve drastically under Smith’s tutelage. It appears the Ravens have a real star in their coaching room when it comes to pass-rush.

A New Week

It’s been fun basking in the glow of the Ravens’ beatdown of the Bills last Sunday, but there’s a new challenge ahead for this week, and it’s a big one. Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals are in the wings, waiting for the Ravens to come to town.

Ignore that 1-3 record to start the season. The Bengals are dangerous, and Burrow appears to be in late-season form already. Their defense has struggled, and that’s where the Ravens appear to have an advantage. But that passing game in Cincinnati is indeed dangerous, and one to keep an eye on throughout the affair.

Childs Walker dove into the matchup in The Baltimore Sun.

Ravens vs. Bengals scouting report for Week 5: Who has the edge?

“Despite Cincinnati’s 0-3 start, quarterback Joe Burrow’s statistical lines have been vintage over the last two weeks,” wrote Walker. “His No. 2 target, Tee Higgins, is back after missing the first two games, and Ja’Marr Chase (19 catches on 24 targets, 300 yards, three touchdowns) remains one of the league’s elite wide receivers. Burrow took eight sacks over the first three games, and the Ravens will surely try to attack rookie right tackle Amarius Mims, who’s filling in for injured veteran Trent Brown. Former Raven Orlando Brown Jr. has done a solid job protecting Burrow’s blind side.”

Alas, it will probably come down to tackling Chase, limiting Higgins’ downfield acrobatics and getting fast pressure on Burrow, particularly up the middle so he has nowhere to step up to in order to make the throw. That’s where Travis Jones and Madubuike could come in pretty handy, right?

Walker also discussed another key matchup in this one: The Ravens’ run game against the Bengals’ run defense.

“The Ravens will look for another dominant performance against a defense that ranked 28th in DVOA against the run in 2023 and ranks 22nd so far this season,” Walker said. “The Bengals have allowed 145.5 yards per game and 4.4 yards per carry against ground attacks that do not measure up to Baltimore’s. They have a pair of good linebackers in Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt but badly miss D.J. Reader, who was their dominant interior run defender for years.”

Also of note:

Where Will Cincy Finish? Is Baltimore Team to Beat? | Cincy Jungle

Ravens Urged to Add Pro Bowler Frank Clark | SI

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