Building a blueprint to get Lamar Jackson, Ravens over postseason hump

"We will be back!"

After dropping the AFC Championship Game to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens huddled up in the locker room and vowed to make a title run next season. While the thought of taking care of unfinished business will motivate the team throughout the offseason and training camp, the Ravens will soon discover how hard it is to take the next step in the postseason tournament.

As a young player with the Green Bay Packers in the mid-1990s, I experienced the agony of falling short in a conference title game. Though I did not dress out or participate in the 1996 NFC Championship Game, the gut-wrenching loss to the Dallas Cowboys was quickly dismissed by an optimistic squad that viewed the disappointment as a part of a journey that would eventually result in a championship.

With Brett Favre, Reggie White and LeRoy Butler leading the "Wait Til Next Year" push, a trip to Super Bowl XXXI seemed like a given based on the return of that trio of future gold-jacket players.

The Packers' veteran coaching staff, however, quickly warned the team that the next step is not guaranteed.

Defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur opened the first defensive meeting of the offseason with a stern warning against complacency and assumption. He told the group that the previous year's success would not impact the unit's performance the following season. He reminded us that momentum does not carry over, and we would have to start from scratch to evolve into a title contender.

In Baltimore, John Harbaugh faces a similar challenge as he works to rebuild the Ravens into title contenders in 2024. He must weigh the pros and cons of running it back with the same group while facing several tough decisions regarding contract extensions and salary cap issues. 

In addition, with Mike Macdonald leaving to become head coach of the Seahawks, Harbaugh had to replace an elite defensive playcaller who spearheaded the NFL's top-ranked unit. Last season, in fact, Baltimore was the first NFL team to claim the defensive triple crown: the No. 1 ranked defense in points allowed, takeaways and sacks. On Thursday, the Ravens promoted inside linebackers coach Zach Orr to defensive coordinator. Orr will have a tall task repeating such an accomplishment.

As the Ravens also cope with the loss of well-respected secondary coach Dennard Wilson to the rival Titans, the new version of Baltimore's dominant defense will be without a pair of five-star coaches and a group of players on one-year deals (Kyle Van Noy and Jadeveon Clowney) who sparked the unit's climb to the top of the defensive mountain. 

With the team needing to decide whether to pay big bucks to retain Geno Stone, Patrick Queen and Justin Madubuike, the Ravens will enter next season with a reconstructed defense built around new stars. Sure, Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton remain the core pieces of the defensive puzzle, but the dynamic supporting cast could feature new faces in 2024.

Whether the team takes on a handful of veterans willing to take prove-it deals or finds a couple of hidden gems in the draft, the Ravens will need to find some cheap starters to support the stars responsible for the squad's defensive resurgence.

That said, the Ravens cannot allow too many blue-chip defenders to walk, otherwise the defense will lose its magic with a new playcaller and a watered-down lineup. The loss of elite coaches should prompt Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta to prioritize the front seven when contemplating which of the team's free agents are "must haves" on the priority board. The Ravens have dominated opponents by controlling the middle of the field, with Madubuike and Queen emerging as dynamic players at the point of attack.

With a disruptive defensive tackle with elite pass-rushing skills and a "see-ball, get-ball" linebacker in place to match running backs or tight ends from sideline to sideline, the Ravens have the personnel to play with force or finesse against any opponent. If forced to choose between Madubuike or Queen due to salary cap economics, the ultra-athletic defensive tackle gets the nod over the playmaking linebacker.

Finding a pass-rushing defensive tackle in the draft is harder, and the Ravens have a potential successor on the roster in Trenton Simpson. Though Queen teams with Smith to give the Ravens one of the top linebacker tandems in the league, the Ravens might pause before devoting significant salary cap space to a pair of off-the-ball linebackers. If the team views Simpson as a comparable talent, Queen's departure could free up some money to retain another defensive piece or a valuable offensive weapon.

Offensively, the Ravens must make tough decisions about whether to bring back a couple of veterans who failed to deliver in the playoffs. Odell Beckham Jr., and Nelson Agholor provided plenty of sparks during the regular season, but their disappearance in the postseason (combined for seven catches, 85 yards and one score on 14 total targets), particularly the AFC Championship Game, makes it challenging to pay them top-of-the-market money when the production does not match the compensation.

For OBJ, the former Pro Bowler is a fringe WR2 at this career stage. He no longer commands double coverage and he's no longer able to win his one-on-one matchups consistently. Though he finished the regular season as the Ravens' second-leading receiver in receiving yards (565), the Ravens cannot pay $15 million for a pass-catcher with just 35 catches in 14 game appearances.

With the oft-injured JK Dobbins unlikely to return after suffering another season-ending injury, the Ravens will need to reshuffle the skill players around star quarterback Lamar Jackson to jump-start an offense that disappointed in the playoffs.

The offensive line will also require some attention, with the team transitioning from a run-heavy approach to a more balanced attack with an increased emphasis on the passing game. The subtle tweak could force the Ravens to move away from the road grader-types that have routinely populated the unit. Though Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses are penciled in as bookend starters for 2024, the Ravens will need to consider adding future replacements via the draft to complete the offensive makeover designed to take Jackson's game to the next level.

Speaking of the soon-to-be two-time MVP, the Ravens' QB1 has to solve his playoff woes. Despite entering the tournament as one of the most accomplished regular-season performers in NFL history, Jackson has been at his absolute worst in the playoffs. In six playoff games, he has completed just 57.4% of his passes for six touchdowns and six interceptions. In addition, Jackson has taken 24 sacks while notching just two playoff wins as a starter.

No matter how you slice it, an elite quarterback is expected to win when it matters, and Jackson's repeated failures in January put the pressure on him to solve the postseason riddle to earn admittance into the QB VIP club.

If the Ravens are going to make a run at Super Bowl LIX, they will need to own their playoff shortcomings while tweaking a roster in transition. In addition, the team will need to hire a new defensive coordinator to oversee a top-ranked unit poised to lose a few key pieces. With the offense also needing some tweaks to ensure more consistent play in the postseason, the Ravens enter a challenging offseason with a Super Bowl ring in mind.

While the players might expect to advance beyond the AFC Championship Game based on the momentum from a strong 2023, the Ravens' decision-makers must make tough choices to help the team take the final steps in 2024. 

Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He also breaks down the game for NFL Network and as a cohost of the "Moving the Sticks" podcast. Follow him on Twitter @BuckyBrooks.