He's no Micah Parsons, but Head Coach John Harbaugh got a firsthand look at his offensive line Friday in practice when he jumped into drills as an extra pass rusher off the edge.
"I just felt like in that walkthrough, they needed a little speed, quickness, athleticism out there on the edge, and I felt like I'd be that guy to provide that," Harbaugh said with a laugh.
The Ravens' offensive line has been under fire this week in Baltimore after another rocky performance with breakdowns in critical situations. Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby wreaked the game last week.
With Parsons and other talented Cowboys pass rushers up next, Harbaugh hinted at possible changes along the Ravens' offensive line formation.
"We are a work in progress. It's still competition, [and] it's still up in the air for certain spots," Harbaugh said. "You probably will see some different guys in spots, so that's just part of it."
Right guard Daniel Faalele gave up a critical sack late in the fourth quarter against the Raiders, dooming the Ravens' potential game-winning drive. The Raiders kicked a game-winning field goal on the next possession.
Baltimore has options. Ben Cleveland could be inserted or put into a rotation. Veteran Patrick Mekari, who has been rotating with rookie Roger Rosengarten at right tackle, can play all five spots.
Harbaugh said the Ravens have been down this road before on the offensive line and he's "very confident that we're going to be the kind of offensive line that we need to be." He stressed that "you can't be a great offense without having a great offensive line."
"We're going to go into this game and play the game, and I'm really excited because I think we're going to play great," Harbaugh said. "I believe our offensive line is going to play great. You have to believe that and feel that way, and I'm looking forward to it."
Ravens Had Strong Week of Practice
On Wednesday, Lamar Jackson said the Ravens had one of their best practices of the season. At the conclusion of the week, Harbaugh felt good about the work the Ravens have done as they sit at 0-2 with a crucial game against the Cowboys next.
"We always practice at a high level with a lot of energy, but there are levels to that," Harbaugh said. "And this week, the guys were on it; they were on it. They set a standard for this season for sure, and I want to keep building on that standard.
"If you're willing to go out and practice hard and well, then you have a chance to win that race to get better. That was good to see. Now, the next part of that is you take that practice into the game."
Ravens Defense Has Had Extra Meetings This Week
Through two weeks, the Ravens have the top run defense in the NFL, giving up less than 50 rushing yards per game, but they also have the worst pass defense, surrendering 257 passing yards per game.
Hamilton said those numbers kind of play into each other.
"I think we're knocking the run out so much that teams kind of abandon it," Hamilton said. "That kind of skews the passing numbers a little bit.
"Once you can't run the ball, you have to pass it or punt it, so I think we're getting a lot more passes because of that. We have to be more tied up in the back end. We've been having extra meetings as players to go out there and right the stuff that's not going right."
This week will be a big test for the Ravens as they face the MVP runner-up Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, who had 1,749 receiving yards in 2023.
"I don't think it's time to pull the fire alarm yet," Hamilton said. "I think we have a chance to go silence a lot of people on Sunday. I'm hoping we can do that."
Hamilton Doesn't Want Two-High Safeties Banned While He's Playing
Through the first two weeks of the NFL season, passing yards have dipped compared to years past, which prompted ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. to say the league should ban two-high safety looks.
"I feel like a lot of DBs would be retiring earlier, and a lot of DB coaches would get fired," Hamilton said. "Too much talent in this league to know what coverage you're going to be in all the time."
While nothing will happen this season, Hamilton didn't rule out a change in the future.
"It might happen one day, honestly," Hamilton said. "People started talking about the kickoff like that and we got a new kickoff. Hopefully it doesn't happen while I'm in the league."
Harbaugh joked that he hopes it gets banned because Baltimore gave up a long touchdown to the Chiefs in a two-high safety look, but he said in all seriousness he doesn't think it will soon.
"I don't think it's going to get banned any time soon. It forces teams to be disciplined and to execute and to not make mistakes on offense and go the long [and] hard route," Harbaugh said. "That's what you have to get good at doing on offense. That's something that we need to get good at doing."
