Here’s to you, Mr. Robinson!

It’s no secret that pass rush has been an issue from the jump for the Ravens during the 2025 season. Seemingly everyone knew it would be except the folks in the Ravens personnel room. Yet here we are with an underachieving and overpaid defense that ranks 24th in hurries, 30th in sacks (tied with NYJ) and 31st in sack percentage.

But as they say, it is what it is and there’s not a damn thing the team can do about it now.

Or is there?

In a previous edition of Cup of Joe, I shared a few thoughts on why Odafe Oweh has been so much more productive while wearing a lightning bolt than he was this season in Baltimore. Part of the success can be attributed to a complementary array of players in LA’s pass rush sub packages. Maybe Oweh’s skills now lend themselves more to Jesse Minter’s style of offense v. that of Zach Orr.

Perhaps something similar is happening in Baltimore.

Tavius Robinson played his first game in 2 months last Sunday in Cincinnati. It was the first game that he’s played with Dre’Mont Jones. It’s possible that the skillsets of Robinson and Jones are complementary in the way Oweh’s are in LA with Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu.

“It was kind of cool to feed off of his energy.” @taviusrobinson on his first time playing with @TheOfficial_80 pic.twitter.com/KlkE9oTyW6

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 17, 2025

Both Robinson and Jones are versatile, but neither provides the edge presence of say a Maxx Crosby or a Will Anderson. However, that doesn’t mean these two players along with Travis Jones, Kyle Van Noy and Mike Green can’t be more productive from this point forward. What has happened with the pass rush up to this point in the season, isn’t a predictor of what is to come now that this combination of players can affect a passer’s level of comfort in ways we haven’t seen so far this season.

Take for example this play in the video below. KVN bluffs a rush over the Bengals left guard and then drops into a zone. The bluff gets the guard out of position and when Robinson loops inside to the A gap, the guard can’t recover in time leaving Burrow exposed. The result is a pick-6 influenced by a simulated pressure package.

The Ravens updated version of the Glitch Blitz finished off the Bengals in Wk 15. From a 3-3 Nickel look, Travis Jones/Kyle Van Noy drop out after occupying the C-LG duo; everyone else is in Man or rushing Burrow, who throws a pick six directly to Van Noy.#RavensFlock #Ravens pic.twitter.com/7FArRRpzs7

— All 22 Films (@All_22_NFL_Cuts) December 15, 2025

Just as Oweh was a missing ingredient for the Chargers given their personnel package, Robinson’s return coupled with the addition of Jones could elevate the Ravens pass rush in ways that allow them to compete more effectively with the league’s best passers. And there’s no denying that Joe Burrow is among the game’s elite.

The right combination of talent can make a difference. We only need to think back to the 2012 season when the Ravens had a late season lineup change across the offensive front. They put Bryant McKinnie at left tackle, flipped Michael Oher to right tackle and then slid Kelechi Osemele in at left guard. It worked spectacularly.

Maybe this time around the Ravens can catch lightning in a bottle across the defensive front.

After all, as the stats above illustrate, it couldn’t get much worse.

I’ll have the pleasure of handling the Q&A with Tavius on Monday. Hope to see you there. Going to be an electric atmosphere this coming Monday @JimmysSeafood after the Ravens dub and the Steelers flub on Sunday! https://t.co/82WKjmwk9W

— Lombardi Party of One (@RSRLombardi) December 18, 2025

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