Ravens Emerge As 'Makes Sense' Suitor for Pro Bowler
Ravens Emerge As 'Makes Sense' Suitor for Pro Bowler originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Baltimore Ravens have Pro Bowl talent up and down the roster. The offense is amongst the most complete and versatile in the NFL, and the defense features impact players on all three levels.
Advertisement
Zach Orr's defense underwent some growing pains in his first year as coordinator, but the team returns a lot of promise for this season, with hopes a full year of experience in his system will result in more production in 2025.
One area of the defense that might raise a sense of urgency is the pass rush.
Veteran Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh - two double-digit sack-getters - are on expiring contracts. Baltimore drafted college football's sack champion in Mike Green, but you can never go wrong with adding more experience to the depth chart to bring along a highly-touted rookie.
Trenton Simpson underwhelmed last season, so a veteran linebacker presence could offer him some mentorship, too, and be an insurance plan if Simpson continues to struggle.
Advertisement
Frankly, at a spot like pass rusher, you can always be happy with more. Especially on a team with Super Bowl aspirations like the Ravens.
One name on the free agency market is a familiar one for Ravens fans: outside linebacker Matt Judon.
A free agency contract to Judon, who was in Baltimore from 2016-2020, may not threaten a starting spot, but could offer more depth and a chance at spotty production to aid the starters with a breather.
As Last Word On Sports writes, "the linebacker will sign at least with a contender, as he wants to head to a team that 'makes sense.'
Baltimore fits that mold, and it's leg-up in familiarity could help its chances in joining the bidding war for the four-time Pro Bowler.
Advertisement
"... No one should rule out the idea of a reunion, as Judon isn't shutting the door on that," Writer Anthony Palacios said. "Between Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy, Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson, Judon could complete this package to add more firepower."
He's coming off a down season in 2024, but Judon may still have the physical attributes to compete at a high level. He posted an impressive 15.5 sack total as recent as 2022 with the New England Patriots.
Last season on the Atlanta Falcons, he totaled 5.5 sacks, 41 tackles, seven tackles for loss and the first interception of his nine-year career - it was returned for a touchdown.
His best years may be behind him, but on a cheap homecoming deal, Judon could provide much-needed pass rush depth to the team that drafted him almost a decade ago in the Ravens.
Advertisement
Related: Ravens Coach Names Unlikely 'Centerpiece' of Defense
Related: Ravens Making Case for Best Roster in Franchise History
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Matt Cardona Makes John Cena Post After Getting Called Out During Smackdown
Matt Cardona Makes John Cena Post After Getting Called Out During Smackdown originally appeared on Athlon Sports. WWE Undisputed Champion John Cena and TNA Wrestling superstar Matt Cardona broke the professional wrestling fourth wall over the past two days. Advertisement It all started during Friday's episode of WWE's weekly show, 'SmackDown,' where Cena faced off against Ron Killings in the main event. Ultimately, Cena lost the match by disqualification because he hit Killings in the head with his championship belt. Then, CM Punk, a longtime rival of Cena's, came out to engage in a brawl with him that ended with Cena slamming Punk through a table. As Punk laid through the broken table in pain, Cena created his own version of Punk's infamous 'Pipebomb' segment from 2011, where he let his feelings be known about his longtime rival. As Cena's segment continued, he decided to give a shoutout to three former WWE superstars: Claudio Castagnoli (Cesaro), Nic Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler) and Cardona (Zack Ryder). This caused the crowd to burst into cheers, and Cardona issued a response to the moment on X. Advertisement 'Hey @JohnCena,' Cardona posted on Friday along with an old photo of himself and Cena on Saturday from his time in the WWE. However, the callout is not a surprise because the WWE started a multi-year partnership with TNA Wrestling in January, allowing both promotions to have their wrestlers to compete in each other's companies. So far, the partnership has been primarily focused on WWE's developmental show NXT, where TNA superstars such as Joe Hendry and TNA Knockout World Champion Masha Slamovich have competed in several matches. Meanwhile, Punk is expected to challenge Cena for the WWE Undisputed Championship at the Night of Champions pay-per-view on June 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Advertisement Related: WWE Releases Unexpected Superstar After John Cena Match This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
LeBron James Reacts to Kevin Durant's Announcement
LeBron James Reacts to Kevin Durant's Announcement originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant is expected to be traded this offseason. A 15-time NBA All-Star, Durant was part of a star trio in Phoenix that included Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. But this group failed to win a playoff game in two seasons together, and missed the 2025 postseason entirely. Advertisement Durant has been linked to several teams this offseason, with the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat being the three on his preferred list (via ESPN). As these rumors continue to circulate, Durant made an off the court announcement earlier this week with Boardroom, his co-owned media network. Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35)© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images In a joint Instagram post with Boardroom, Durant announced he is launching a collaboration with Paris Saint-Germain to create exclusive merchandise and collectables. "Kevin Durant, PSG and Boardroom just dropped a capsule that bridges D.C. and Paris in style," the post began. "... The drop is part of a larger partnership between @psg, @easymoneysniper, and Boardroom debuting ahead of PSG's Club World Cup events." Advertisement With nearly 100,000 likes, this post generated a lot of attention. Among those who reacted to it was Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who liked the post himself. Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James likes a post from Phoenix Suns forward Kevin boardroom / Instagram James and Durant have battled it out on the NBA's biggest stage. Meeting in the 2012 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder, the two faced off again the the 2017 and 2018 Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. Also teammates this past summer at the Paris Olympics, James and Durant have a lot of history. Related: Potential Kevin Durant to Celtics Trade Receives Update on Friday Related: LeBron James Facing Backlash for Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Decision This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Popular Sports Reporter Rachel DeMita Announces She Was Fired Over Caitlin Clark Post
Popular sports reporter Rachel DeMita is opening up about being fired by Ice Cube's basketball league, the Big3, where she worked as a courtside commentator. After rumors exploded on social media that she had been terminated, she posted a video confirming the firing, declaring that she was "blindsided" by it. DeMita explained that she believes the league was upset that she tweeted posts about Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever game during a Big3 broadcast, as the leagues are competitors. "We need to address the elephant in the room or the elephant currently going viral on social media," she said in the June 20 video, which has more than 1 million views. "I feel a responsibility to tell you guys the truth and let you guys know what happened. The rumors are true. I was fired from the Big3. My team received an email at 11 p.m. on Tuesday (June 17) with a letter that essentially said I was terminated." She then read from the email that said, in part, that it has "come to Big3's attention that Ms. DeMita was posting on her social media platforms during this past weekend's Big3 games and promoting the competing New York Liberty versus Indiana Fever WNBA game that was being broadcast at the same time." The email said that DeMita showed a "severe lapse in judgment while performing services for the league, during which time she should have reasonably known that she should have been promoting only league games." Management was "completely taken aback to learn that she was posting about another league's games while in the midst of rendering services" to the Big3, the email read by DeMita said. "This is true. I did send out three tweets about the Indiana Fever during the Big3 broadcast," she said. One of them was a video showing a three-point shot by Caitlin Clark, that said "for those that question the hype." The Big3 tried to recruit Clark before she went to the WNBA, the New York Post reported. "I did feel a little bummed that there wasn't any discussion pior to me being fired. I wasn't under the impression that those tweets would do any harm to the Big3," she added. "I will take it on the chin, my bad, I will apologize for it." She said she felt she did a good job for the Big3. She said she is going to move on and wishes the Big3 "nothing but the best."Popular Sports Reporter Rachel DeMita Announces She Was Fired Over Caitlin Clark Post first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 21, 2025
