Ravens Rising Star Expected to Be Defense’s Best Player

With Travis Jones fully healthy and entering a pivotal contract year, punters may want to consider betting on the Ravens' defense making a significant impact this season, potentially boosting their odds for winning matches.

The Baltimore Ravens have several players who are either the best or among the NFL's elite at their respective positions when they're healthy. Fourth-year defensive lineman Travis Jones is one of them and is poised to become a household name heading into a contract year, especially following the retirement of veteran Michael Pierce this offseason.

Last year, the former third-round pick out of the University of Connecticut was well on his way to reaching the upper echelon of nose tackles in the league before an ankle injury hampered him in the second half of the season. Now that he is fully healthy and having a strong training camp, Ravens defensive line coach Dennis Johnson foresees him emerging as a dominant force on the Ravens defense that eclipses some of his All Pro teammates.

"I expect Travis to be the best player on the field whenever he's on the field in general, and I think that Travis expects that for himself, just to be more dominant and [to] be more consistent with being dominant," Johnson said Tuesday. "Last year, he had some injuries up and down, but I'm really looking, for this year, for him just to really go out there from the start to the finish and just be the powerful, run-stopping, pass-rushing nose tackle that he is."

The 2024 season was Jones' first as a full-time starter, and he battled through injury to appear in all 17 games and make 15 starts during which he recorded a career-high 42 total tackles and tied his career-high in tackles for loss with four. As an interior pass rusher, he recorded a sack, four quarterback hits and set career-highs with eight pressures, four hurries and three knockdowns.

Some of Jones' best pass-rush moves that he put on tape last year were the club and hump, which he used to absolutely ragdoll opposing offensive linemen at times. Both are prime examples of the incredible power he possesses as an individual, and the hump move in particular was one that pass rush coach Chuck Smith helped him develop before, during and after practice.

"It's a move that he has seen that he wanted to make his own, and he's still working at it," Johnson said. "You've seen it [show up] in games before, but it's not a move for everybody. You have to have some strength to you and some natural power to execute it. You're talking about moving a grown man against his will with power and leverage, so it could be challenging."

Johnson wasn't the only one singing Jones' praises and predicting that he'd make a big leap this year at the podium on Tuesday. Sixth-year veteran defensive tackle Broderick Washington has had a front row seat to his development during the first three years of his career, playing alongside him in the trenches, and he also believes Jones is capable of greatness when he is healthy.

"To be honest, he is going to put it all together this year," Washington said. "If he stays healthy, he's going to be the best nose tackle in the game. He's got all the traits and abilities to be that guy, and I'm excited for him. I can't wait to watch it."

Jones has a great role model and prime example of what elite interior defensive line play looks like on the team, as he lines up next to two-time Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike on almost every play. According to Johnson, they continuously push and compete with each other on and off the field, whether it's race to the sideline, asking questions in meetings, during drills at practice, in live games or even when just conducting walk-throughs.

"They're almost joined at the hip a little bit, and they spend a lot of time together on the field," Johnson said. "Especially, in the interior part of the defensive line, what people refer to as 'the trenches,' you need a brother-in-arms, and they spend enough time off the field together [and] on the field together, and they play together as one. So, attacking the field or getting off the field, to them, it's all about being competitive."

If Jones can be at or as close to his best for the majority of the 2025 season, the Ravens' pass rush and run defense will be among the best in the league once again and he'll have positioned himself for a huge payday next offseason, whether it's in Baltimore or beyond.

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This Baltimore Ravens' interior defensive lineman has the potential to outshine multi-time All Pros this year in eyes of his position coach.

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