Lamar Jackson<\/a> retweeted the post, showing support without adding a word\u2014because in Baltimore, sometimes silence says it all.Fans flooded social media, applauding the show of unity. Many questioned why someone would attack Smith anonymously, especially given his leadership and consistent performance. Some even called for ESPN to stop publishing quotes that aren\u2019t attributed, arguing it feeds baseless preseason narratives.<\/p>\nRoquan Smith\u2019s game tape tells another story<\/p>\n
While one anonymous voice questioned Smith\u2019s form, his 2024 stats delivered a different narrative. Smith ended last season with 154 total tackles, including 81 solo, along with 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and an interception. He also defended four passes and led the Ravens\u2019 defense with his trademark sideline-to-sideline range and leadership.Smith, who was traded to Baltimore from Chicago in 2022, signed a five-year, $100 million deal in January 2023, making him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history. With $60 million guaranteed, he\u2019s under contract through 2027, though there is an out after the upcoming season. However, sources close to the franchise say there\u2019s no plan to move on from the All-Pro linebacker, who remains a vocal captain and tone-setter in the locker room.<\/p>\n
Players are no longer silent\u2014and fans are listening<\/p>\n
Anonymous critiques are nothing new in NFL preseason chatter, but Van Noy\u2019s response has amplified a growing pushback from current players. As platforms like X give athletes the power to respond instantly, fans are leaning more into player voices than vague scouting reports.Smith hasn\u2019t responded publicly yet\u2014but frankly, he doesn\u2019t need to. His numbers speak volumes, and his teammates have already made one thing clear: in Baltimore, loyalty is louder than any unnamed quote.Also read: Kyle Juszczyk\u2019s wife Kristin reimagines Sydney Sweeney\u2019s runway corset in a head-turning ESPYs look<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Roquan Smith stays locked in as critics question his form (Image via Getty) Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217139,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2052],"tags":[6507,45362,184,117,2282,45360,7,192,895,6,45361,45363,45364,169,466],"class_list":{"0":"post-217138","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-baltimore-ravens","8":"tag-2025-nfl-season","9":"tag-anonymous-coach-criticism","10":"tag-baltimore","11":"tag-baltimore-ravens","12":"tag-baltimoreravens","13":"tag-espn-jeremy-fowler","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-kyle-van-noy","16":"tag-lamar-jackson","17":"tag-nfl","18":"tag-nfl-assistant-coach","19":"tag-nfl-conditioning","20":"tag-nfl-preseason-report","21":"tag-ravens","22":"tag-roquan-smith"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114874960190957941","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217138\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Kyle](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/122768040.jpg\" "\\"Roquan")
Roquan Smith stays locked in as critics question his form (Image via Getty) Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy has ignited a wave of reaction after calling out an anonymous NFL assistant coach who questioned Roquan Smith\u2019s conditioning in a new preseason report by ESPN\u2019s Jeremy Fowler. The unnamed coach claimed Smith \u201clooked sluggish,\u201d triggering immediate backlash from the Ravens’ locker room and sparking a viral moment that now defines the team\u2019s defensive mindset heading into the 2025 NFL season.<\/p>\n