While the Baltimore Ravens have struggled to find consistency as a team through the six games of the 2022 season. However, one constant has been the high and sometimes elite-level play of starting defensive tackle Justin Madubuike.
“He’s playing at a high level [with] flashes of dominance, really,” head coach John Harbaugh said in a press conference on October 19, 2022. “[He is] quick, twitchy, explosive, very physical [and] really coming into his own.”
The third-year pro is emerging as one of the most disruptive interior defensive linemen and front seven players overall in the entire league this year. He is tied with inside linebacker and fellow 2020 draft classmate Patrick Queen for the team lead in sacks with a career-high 2.5 and is on pace to do the same across the board.
“I think it started last offseason,” Madubuike said in a press conference on October 19, 2022. “Just putting in the hard work, trying to take no days off, seeing my family for a little bit, and then getting back to work. It’s just developing that mental, habitual, ‘Keep working, keep getting better.’ So, I think that bled over to camp and just to the season.”
According to Pro Football Reference, the former third-round pick has also recorded 18 total tackles including nine solos and five for loss, four quarterback hits, two pass deflections, three hurries, and seven pressures. Even though it came in a losing effort, he is coming off one of his best games of the season thus far where he led the Ravens’ defensive linemen in total tackles with five including one for a loss, logged a sack and a quarterback hit.
.@JustinMadubuike stepping up with a sack and 5 total tackles (1 for loss) for the Ravens #NFLAggies
As much improvement as he has shown as a pass rusher, he has earned the nickname ‘MaduBeast’ for his overall dominance which includes being a technically sound and dominant run defender as well.
They call him MaduBEAST for a reason.
Locks out, extends an inside single arm, then clubs with his outside arm to break the blockers wrist, then rips with his inside arm, stuffs the run on first and ten.
Beast. Technically perfect play. #blackbeltcertified
He has had some especially impressive games against opposing offenses that run zone-blocking schemes like the one he’ll be facing in Week 7 when the Cleveland Browns come to town that allow him to let his superior athleticism shine.
“He plays both sides well,” defensive coordinator Mike Macdaonald said in a press conference on October 20, 2022. “On the front side he gets great knockback, he doesn’t lie to the guy behind him which is nice…He’s so athletic on the backside that he can stay alive and make it from the backside too…He’s got a really well-rounded game right now.”
Staying Humble and Hungry
The budding breakout star has been receiving a lot of hype and lofty praise dating back to last season but he has been able to tune it out and focus on his continued improvement in his pursuit to reach his full potential.
“I talked to Calais (Campbell) about it, and he said when people are patting me on the back and stuff like that, it’s easy for you to get complacent,” Madubuike said. “You have to always keep working, always keep it in the back of your head. That’s what I’ve taken into account for myself – just not getting satisfied (and) always trying to find a way to get better, every single day.”
James Proche Will Play More Going Forward
Another third-year pro on the opposite side of the ball that has yet to flash this season due to a lack of opportunity than an indictment on his talent is one of Madubuike’s other 2020 draft classmates. The former sixth-round receiver has only been on the field for four games and has just one catch on two targets for seven yards, all of which came in the team’s Week 5 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Proche has only been on the field for 32 offensive snaps with over half coming in the same game. Even though the team has added a pair of notable names with plenty of speed to the position group in recent weeks with the signing of former second-round pick Andy Isabella and DeSean Jackson to the practice squad.
“I wouldn’t overthink that,” Harbaugh said. “The new rules in the NFL give you an opportunity to really be creative with your practice roster, so that’s it. You bring guys in, you give them an opportunity, see how they do, you build them into what you’re trying to do, and see if there’s a future.”
He said that Proche’s lack of playing time to start the season specifically in Week 6 against the Giants was more about the particular game plan they wanted to deploy but that alluded that he will be more involved in the offense moving forward.
“He’s a guy that we have a lot of high hopes for,” Harbaugh said. “I think James Proche is going to step up in the next few weeks, and you’re going to see him make some plays. We were in some bigger personnel groups last week. The team we were playing – the Giants – that was a bigger team and we felt like we wanted to match big for big a little bit in certain situations. So, that group wasn’t on the field as much. … He’s going to be playing a lot more in the future, and he’s going to be making plays for us. I have no problem with James Proche.”
Retired and former Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr, recently joined retired and former Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe on his podcast ‘Club Shay Shay’ and said he believes that Proche is the team’s “most well-rounded receiver” over the likes of Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, and Demarcus Robinson who have out-snapped him by a wide margin to start the year according to Pro Football Reference.
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Ravens 3rd-Year Defensive Lineman Is Showing ‘Flashes of Dominance’