Ravens Not Worried About OLB Depth

After the loss of outside linebacker Malik Hamm, the Baltimore Ravens remain confident in their depth on the edge.

Nov 16, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy (50) warms up before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens suffered a big loss on Tuesday, as second-year outside linebacker Malik Hamm will miss the entire season after landing on injured reserve.

Hamm, a 23-year-old from Baltimore, surprisingly made the 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent out of Lafayette, but spent the entire season on IR with an ankle injury. Now he heads to injured reserve for the second year in a row, this time with a knee injury. An extremely unfortunate chain of events for a player who seems to have a good deal of potential.

With Hamm's injury, the Ravens' overall depth at the position has come into question. Adisa Isaac, a third-round pick from Penn State, hasn't practiced since rookie minicamp in early May and recently landed on the non-football injury list, so that's two key rotational players who are dealing with notable injuries.

Despite those concerns, Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr remains confident in the outside linebacker group he has.

"Obviously, losing Hamm was tough. Our prayers are with him," Orr told reporters Tuesday. "We're still excited about Adisa. Hopefully, we get him back soon, but I think we've got guys that can help carry the load until Adisa gets back.

"You've got Malik Harrison who we've been training there, and he's doing a heck of a job at the outside linebacker position, along with 'Dafe' [Odafe Oweh], Kyle Van Noy, [David] Ojabo, T-Rob [Tavius Robinson]. So, definitely, you'd like to have another guy since Hamm went down, but those guys are competing and doing a good job."

As it stands now, Oweh and Van Noy seem to have the starting jobs on lock. Oweh seems primed for a breakout season in Year 4, while Van Noy posted a career-high nine sacks in his age-32 season.

Behind them, Ojabo hopes to finally stay healthy after playing just five games in his first two seasons, while Robinson looks to build off a decent rookie season. The recent addition of Quincy Roche, who played 17 games for the New York Giants from 2021-22, should also help shore up the depth.

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