Ravens Beat Writer Aaron Wilson
Ravens Beat Writer Aaron Wilson
Ravens beat writer Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun joins Scott and Jeremy to discuss the details of Baltimore's legal troubles in the offseason and roster outlook on defense in training camp.
The Ravens have been in the news quite a bit of late for the wrong reasons, including the latest arrest of emerging cornerback Jimmy Smith over the weekend.
However, Aaron Wilson notes that the noise surrounding the team may be louder than the chaos within the organization.
"Taken individually, except for the Ray Rice situation, they're all misdemeanors," Wilson notes. "In this instance, you've got a case that's very resolvable legally. In the case of reputation and team chemistry, I'd expect Harbaugh to say something to Jimmy about it."
"Jimmy has made a lot of progress on and off the field since his college days, so this is kind of a step back for him."
Though smith is not expected to draw a suspension from the NFL, this being his first offense in his professional career, running back Ray Rice is still awaiting a ruling from the NFL regarding his legal troubles.
"The Ravens are really expecting a multi-game suspension—two to four games--and it's probably happening between now and the beginning of training camp," said Wilson.
"Usually, the league will leak it to the NFL network initially, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear about that within the next couple of weeks. This is really typical of the NFL, to take that much time."
On the field, Baltimore has been linked to a number of rumors involving a possible trade for Houston's star receiver Andre Johnson. Johnson demanded a trade through his agent just over a week ago.
Though the trade would certainly make the Ravens more dangerous, Wilson speculates there's simply not enough room on the team.
"I don't see them disrupting what they have in term of chemistry within their receivers. I think they have enough weapons--certainly more than they've had in years," said Wilson. They should be able to win with [them]."
"Guys like Marlon Brown have already been asked to take reduced roles because of arrivals to the team such as Steve Smith," Wilson added.
Though the Johnson move is highly unlikely because of a stacked roster, there are still far more concerned about the Ravens' offense than the defensive side.
Considering the defensive depth chart, Wilson only highlights a few potential issues on defense, but the entire offense will be under fire at the start of camp.
"I think C.J. Mosely is probably the favorite to start [at middle linebacker]. At free safety, whether [free agent] Darien Stewart or [Rookie] Terrence Brooks starts is a question, but I really don't think people are concerned about the Ravens defense at all. It's all about whether the offensive line will be better, if Joe will be better, and so on," said Wilson.
