For years, an age-old theory was tossed around. ‘Offense sells tickets while defense wins championships. That idea was altered. Some say defense doesn’t win. It only allows the opportunity, but the offense has to lead its team to the finish line. These days, teams load up on offensive talent, stating that’s the best defense anyway. Other organizations, including the Baltimore Ravens, have found a way to manage the balancing act by adding elite talent on both sides of the ball.

Mentioning the studs on Baltimore’s offense and their impact would require another 1,000 words or so. The Ravens‘ defense isn’t often given its flowers, so we’ll do so here. General manager Eric DeCosta and the company have utilized every tool in the toolbelt to craft what is now seen as one of the NFL’s most potent and feared units.

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The Ravens’ defense has risen to elite status with quiet ingenuity and mastery on the front page.

It takes villages to raise children, and it takes free agency, trades, and the NFL Draft to build winners. DeCosta blends those tools effortlessly as the Ravens are a perfect blend of seasoned veterans, young stars in the making, and exciting rookies.

Recently, NFL.com Editor at Large Gennaro Filice ranked the NFL’s top ten defenses ahead of the 2025 NFL season. Baltimore ranked third. Only the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles finished higher than the rest. Ranking first and second, respectively.

Baltimore improved steadily all season following Mike MacDonald’s departure to pursue his own head-coaching opportunity. This is Zachary Orr’s unit now, and after a solid finish to the campaign, an already loaded unit added more talent.

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The Ravens’ defense is a mix of stars added by way of trades (Roquan Smith) and shrewd free-agent acquisitions (Jaire Alexander and Kyle Van Noy). In consecutive NFL Drafts, they said three uber-talented defensive backs: Kyle Hamilton, Nate Wiggins, and Malaki Starks.

Last season, five of their 11 Pro Bowlers were members of the defensive roster: Smith, Van Noy, defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, and Kyle Hamilton.

Smith and Humphrey were named First-Team All-Pros. Hamilton was named as a Second-Teamer. Filice hits the nail on the head with his analysis.

“Highly pedigreed, instinctive safety Malaki Starks not only feels like a perfect Raven, but his ability as a center fielder will allow Hamilton to move back toward the line of scrimmage, where he terrorizes opposing offenses as a roaming playmaker. GM Eric DeCosta also fortified the cornerback position, taking a worthwhile gamble on injury-riddled former Pro Bowler Jaire Alexander and signing Chidobe Awuzie as veteran depth. Mix in second-round pick Mike Green as a designated pass rusher in the edge rotation, and Orr’s defense appears poised to build on last winter’s remarkable surge.”

Rookie Mike Green is someone you should watch. Legal trouble convinced many teams to remove him from their draft boards. Baltimore gave him a shot, and he looks like he could morph into a second-day steal. Don’t forget how the Ravens got here, though. Perhaps Filice puts it best.

“Zach Orr’s debut season as defensive coordinator got off to a disastrous start in the first two months, with Baltimore ranking 25th or worse in scoring defense (26.1 ppg), total defense (361.3 ypg), passer rating against (103.4) and opponents’ third-down percentage (46.7). But the young coach completely flipped the script at midseason. From Week 9 through the end of the regular season, the Ravens ranked first in scoring defense (16.9 ppg), second in total defense (291.2 ypg) and passer rating against (79.0) and third in opponents’ third-down percentage (33.9).”

This unit is going to do some incredible things all season. We know Baltimore can dominate with its offense, but if, by chance, they have an off-day, it’s nice to know that Orr and company can help facilitate victories. After all, ‘offense sells tickets but defense wins championships’… maybe…

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This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Ravens defense earns elite mention thanks to vision and ingenuity