Getty Former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Rasheem Green celebrates a fumble recovery during a January 2021 game.
The Baltimore Ravens are exploring new pass-rushing options after missing out on a reunion with Za’Darius Smith, hosting former NFC West defensive ends Arden Key and Rasheem Green for visits on March 23, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport.
In addition to hailing from the same division – Key from the San Francisco 49ers and Green from the Seattle Seahawks – both players were also third-round selections in the 2018 NFL Draft.
But those similarities are less important to the Ravens than the parallels between the players’ breakout 2021 seasons, which featured a career-high 6.5 sacks for both Key and Green.
That pass-rushing production would be valuable for the Ravens, who finished with just 34 sacks as a team last year with only one player recording more than 7.5 sacks on his own: outside linebacker Tyus Bowser, who is rehabbing from a torn Achilles suffered in January that could delay his start to next season. With veterans Justin Houston and Calais Campbell exploring free agency, 2021 first-rounder Odafe Oweh is Baltimore’s only defender with at least 30 quarterback pressures last season who is set to return for Week 1 in 2022, per Pro Football Focus.
As a result, signing Key or Green cold be a smart move as the Ravens move to get younger along their defensive line. They aren’t high-caliber run defenders, but according to PFF, they have both finished three of their four NFL seasons with more than 20 pressures from a variety of alignments on the edge and interior of the defensive line.
Baltimore clearly values that combination of production and versatility, a driving force behind their initial attempt to sign Za’Darius Smith before he opted to hold out for a better deal from the Minnesota Vikings.