Coming into the year, Baltimore had a grand total of zero reliable pass rushers. They let Za’Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs walk in the offseason. How in the world were they going to get after the quarterback? They were picking up washed up dudes off the street like Shane Ray and Pernell McPhee. Tim Williams is a bust and Tyus Bowser is close to it. Things were looking awful, except one man stepped up. Matthew Judon is on the verge of stardom. He has saved the Ravens pass rushing unit.
Judon has 8.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles through 13 games. Okay, maybe Judon isn’t a star. He’s a VERY good player. He even drops back in coverage on occassion and does a hell of a job. The question is whether the Ravens will pay him. Based on their history, it doesn’t look likely.
Baltimore through it’s history has drafted pass rushers and linebackers like this and let them all walk. Pernell McPhee, Bart Scott, Adalius Thomas, CJ Mosley, Elvis Dumervil, Daryl Smith, Jameel McClain, Ed Hartwell, and Dannell Ellerbee are just some of the examples. NONE of them played for Baltimore past 5 years. McClain was the only one to make it to even 5 years. The Ravens let this type of player walk.
I’m not saying it’s a bad strategy. Collect 4 years of cheap labor, let them walk, collect the compensation pick. That’s what smart franchises should do. In this case, Judon saved this pass rushing unit from turning into a disaster. In years past, they had Terrell Suggs as the one constant. He’s not walking through that door anymore.
Will the Ravens re-sign Matthew Judon? History says no. A former low round draft pick from Grand Valley State is holding the entire pass rushing unit for the Ravens together. He’s an impending free agent. That has to be a scary thought for Baltimore.
