Back in March, John Harbaugh made it clear that the Ravens could be an outstanding team if they had to play a game today, but Baltimore still has holes at key positions. The Ravens had the second-most sacks in the league last season (54) and two players in double digits (Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh). They wanted to upgrade the pass rush and landed Marshall’s Mike Green in round two after he slid out of the first round.

Still, Baltimore has all of its outside linebackers returning, led by Van Noy and Oweh, and young players at the position, including Tavius Robinson and last year’s third-round pick Adisa Isaac. Robinson has diligently grown as a player, and on Wednesday, following OTA No. 9, the former Ole Miss star was highly praised by Ravens defensive line coach Chuck Smith.

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While talking to reporters after practice, Smith called Robinson one of “the centerpieces” of the Ravens’ defense.

The former Ole Miss pass rusher had 32 tackles (13 solo), including 3.5 sacks, one pass defensed, and 12 QB hits in 17 games last season.

The 2023 fourth-round pick out of Ole Miss spent the first half of the season in a rotational role at edge rusher, but he did start in the final six regular-season games. Robinson will likely serve as the Ravens’ primary backup edge rusher for the 2025 campaign behind Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, while potentially sliding inside to defensive end in key schemes that feature Mike Green off the edge.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Chuck Smith praises Tavius Robinson after Ravens’ OTASs