6 Ravens who will have a chip on their shoulder in 2024

The vast majority of professional athletes who make it to the height of competition in their respective sports have a bit of a chip on their shoulders they use to motivate themselves. However, some are naturally big given doubts about their lack of physical tools and others grow over time after their ability to perform or stay healthy is called into question.

There are a handful of players on the Baltimore Ravens who fall into the latter category and will likely be playing with a large chip on their shoulders in 2024, looking to prove themselves right and silence their doubters and detractors in the process.

Here are half a dozen Ravens who will have a chip on their shoulder this upcoming season.

OT Ronnie Stanley

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The eight-year veteran has had a chunk of the prime years of his career ravaged or hampered by injuries over the past four seasons. He will be looking to regain his former First Team All Pro form he reached during his breakout season in 2019 and recently expressed how he feels better than ever ahead of a pivotal year in his career.

Stanley suffered the first in a series of injury-related setbacks just days after signing a mega-extension during the 2020 season and missed 34 of a possible 72 games including the postseason since then. The 30-year-old former first-rounder will be trying to earn another lucrative deal in 2024 after agreeing to a restructured contract this offseason which will make him an unrestricted free agent after this upcoming season.

OLB David Ojabo

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The third-year pro came into the league injured after a torn Achilles he suffered at his Pro Day in March of 2022, causing him to fall not just out of the top 15 but from the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft entirely. He was still able to make it onto the field near the end of his rookie year and even recorded his first sack and forced fumble on the same play when he strip-sacked Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in the regular season finale.

Following an offseason of hype and disappointing preseason, Ojabo seemed to pick back up where he left off and recorded a strip sack of Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud in the 2023 season opener before the injury bug struck again. A partially torn ACL he suffered in Week 3 caused him to miss the remainder of the season and his recovery kept him from being a full participant in the Ravens’ offseason program.

Ojabo is expected to be taking part in on-field team drills “somewhere in training camp” according to head coach John Harbaugh. Once he gets on the field, his top priority will be ensuring he can stay on it and then helping the Ravens’ pass rush shock the league again after finishing with the most sacks in 2023.

The Ravens knew he would likely miss most of his rookie year as he recovered and had a lot of high hopes for him ahead of last season. They were able to generate consistent pressure without him last year thanks in large part to a pair of 10-year veteran edge defenders who had career years. With just two years left on his rookie deal, Ojabo will definitely be playing with a chip on his shoulder in 2024 because he’ll be eligible for an extension next offseason.

WR Rashod Bateman

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The fourth-year pro was awarded a contract extension during an offseason in which he admitted he wasn’t sure where he stood in the eyes of the franchise following an injury-riddled first three seasons in the league after being a first-round pick in 2021. He will be looking to reward the Ravens’ faith in him by delivering on the tantalizing potential he has flashed when healthy as an explosive playmaker and elite separator.

Bateman’s most productive season to date came in his rookie campaign where he missed the first five games of the year as he recovered from a groin injury that required surgery. Over the next 12 games, he recorded 46 catches on 68 targets for 515 receiving yards and a touchdown. His 2022 season got off to a hot start but was cut short by a Lisfranc foot injury and even though he appeared in a career-high 16 games last year, including 12 starts, he only managed to post 32 catches on 56 targets for 367 receiving yards and one score.

Living up to expectations can be difficult for many first-round picks, especially at wide receiver where so many are borderline elite right out of the gate these days. There is even more pressure when playing for a franchise such as the Ravens that has bit snakebitten at the position when it comes to hitting on homegrown talent. Bateman will be fiercely determined to prove himself and the front office right by staying healthy and performing to the best of his impressive abilities in 2024.

CB Marlon Humphrey

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The seven-year veteran is coming off the first injury-riddled season of his career where a foot surgery he underwent in training camp caused him to miss the first four games and calf injuries forced him to miss four more games including the Divisional round of the playoffs. Despite being just one year removed from being voted to his third career Pro Bowl after not giving up a single touchdown in 626 coverage snaps according to Pro Football Focus, his ability and long-term future with the team have been called into question by pundits and clickbait chasers alike.

Humphrey was even labeled overrated in an article by Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay and on a recent episode of his podcast ‘The Punchline Podcast’, he addressed it and shared how such vitriol is motivating him to ensure he reminds everyone who he is and what he is capable of.

“I did see that from one of those people that posted it. As I sat there, I was like, I was hurt last year. So, I didn’t really lock up anybody last year,” Humphrey said. “So just get daggum healthy and lock some people up. But that list ain’t bad. But why you cooking me? … Bleacher Report, I got to get it back in blood, it is what it is.”

Humphrey remains the fourth-highest-paid cornerback and fifth-highest-paid defensive back overall in terms of average annual annual salary with a mark of $19.5 million. He is still under contract through 2026 so he is not playing for a new deal but rather to show why he is still worth every penny his near top-of-the-market deal. As big as his deal looks now, it could turn out looking like a bargain in short order compared to what his fellow First Team All Pro safety Kyle Hamilton will command as soon as next offseason.

OG Ben Cleveland

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The fourth-year pro is heading into the final year of his rookie contract and is poised to be the next Ravens mid-to-late-round offensive lineman who could make the most of a chance to earn a lucrative deal if he delivers on his potential in 2024.

Unlike the other players listed on this list, Cleveland’s career arc hasn’t been hampered by injuries outside of a minor knee sprain he suffered as a rookie. His inability to break out up to this point has been due more to a lack of seizing an opportunity to emerge as a starter than an indictment on his talent. He has performed well when called upon in spot duty including the final two games of last season when he started in the place of 2023 Pro Bowler Kevin Zeitler.

The key to Cleveland becoming the next John Simpson, Ben Powers, Bradley Bozeman or Ryan Jensen is consistency in his performance in both practice as well as games because the Ravens will only start the best five blockers they observe throughout the week, not just on game days. The team committed to rebuilding the starting offensive line this offseason by letting Simpson and Zeitler walk in free agency and trading away veteran right tackle Morgan Moses because they want the give players like Cleveland a chance to establish themselves. Now it’s up to him to not let another opportunity pass him by.

DB Marcus Williams

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The seven-year veteran free safety has yet to play in more than 11 regular season games since joining the Ravens as their prized free agent acquisition two off-seasons ago in 2022. However, when he has been on the field and healthy, Williams has been a ball-hawking playmaker with elite range, instincts and ball skills. Even in the games where his health has been compromised, he still managed to make clutch plays while displaying toughness and a high IQ.

Williams’ first five games as a Raven in 2022 couldn’t have gotten off to a better start with three interceptions before a dislocated wrist caused him to miss the next seven games and he logged his fourth pick of the year in his first game back.

A partially torn pectoral he suffered in the 2023 season opener caused him to miss six games and left him playing with essentially one functional arm for the other 12 games he appeared in, including the playoffs. Nevertheless, he was still able to record 55 total tackles including one for a loss, eight pass breakups and one interception in 11 regular season starts.

With his primary backup, who was the 2023 team and AFC interceptions leader Geno Stone, now gone after signing with the Bengals in free agency, Williams remaining on the field will be paramount in 2024. The depth behind Marcus is unproven or also injury-prone. He still ranks in the top 10 of highest-paid players at his position with an average annual salary of $14 million and will be aiming to prove he too is worth every penny this upcoming season.