Kyle Van Noy, Lamar Jackson React to Criticism of Ravens All-Pro

He’s an All-Pro, but Roquan Smith isn’t above being criticized for his conditioning, and the Baltimore Ravens don’t like it. Specifically, ageing but still effective edge-rusher Kyle Van Noy and two-time NFL MVP, quarterback Lamar Jackson had a blunt message for Smith’s critic.

Specifically, 34-year-old Van Noy did the talking, but Jackson liked what the Pro Bowler had to say. Van Noy took to social media and used some blistering profanity in response to a ranking of the NFL’s top 10 off-ball linebackers, put together by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

The latter spoke to several league executives, coaches and scouts on an anonymous basis. One unnamed AFC exec took Smith to task for struggles with staying in shape, a critique culminating in the phrase “looks a little sluggish at times.”

Van Noy wasn’t just going to let that slide. Instead, he posted a message for Fowler on ‘X.’ It read, “Hey J Fowler tell that NFL assistant to [expletive] cuz agent Zero is on some [expletive] and you are a B for hiding ! Put your name on it!!!”

It wasn’t long before Jackson retweeted Van Noy’s fiery rant.

Getting this emphatic show of support from two of his most high-profile teammates should please Smith ahead of a pivotal season. The 28-year-old is still the on-field signal-caller for one of the league’s tougher defenses, but it’s a unit becoming defined more by defensive backs than linebackers.

That’s partly because the Ravens boast an enviable array of versatile playmakers in the secondary. The shift in emphasis is also partly because the Ravens still haven’t found the right partner next to Smith since letting Patrick Queen walk in free agency last offseason.

Roquan Smith Becoming Less Important for Ravens

Smith is still a do-all playmaker at the heart of the front seven, one who helps others make plays. Like he did with this run blitz to take out a blocker and free nose tackle Travis Jones to make a stop against the Washington Commanders last season, per The Athletic Football Show’s Derrik Klassen.

He’s still aggressive getting downhill and active backpedaling into space, but Smith’s becoming a one-man band at his position. Queen joining AFC North rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024 was supposed to herald Trenton Simpson’s maturation into a true breakout player, but the latter has struggled to handle the responsibility.

The Ravens lack credible alternatives to Simpson after Malik Harrison joined Queen in Pittsburgh, while Chris Board finally completed a long-awaited move to the New York Giants. What the Ravens are left with is a set of unheralded young linebackers.

Among them, there’s a sleeper from this year’s draft class, as well as an ultra-active undrafted player ready to impress. In the meantime, “Simpson has a decent hold on the job heading into camp, but it’s hardly ironclad,” according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.

Zrebiec also explained why the issues next to Smith may not have too much of an impact on Baltimore’s defense.

Ravens No Longer a Linebacker-Led Defense

The Ravens have long been defined by linebacker-led defenses, ever since the days of franchise great Ray Lewis, but things are changing. Coverage personnel are taking over.

As Zrebiec put it, “I fully expect the Ravens to load the field with defensive backs. I don’t think they’ll need to have two inside linebackers on the field regularly.”

This redeployment makes sense when the Ravens have so many moving pieces on the back end. They include All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, who can move in the box, man the slot and operate deep.

Hamilton does it all, but so can top draft pick Malaki Starks, who “played 93 man coverage snaps in the slot” for Georgia last season, per Wide Left’s James Foster.

Starks and Hamilton will move around a lot, but so will All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey. He’s another force in the slot, so the Ravens will continue using Humphrey to help change the picture in their multiple-defensive back packages.

Those packages will make the Ravens less reliant on Smith, but the veteran will still have a point to prove to his critics.