Three things Ravens' accomplished this offseason to help return to defensive dominance

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey studied the team's 2000 Super Bowl-winning defense, noting its dominance and ability to win with minimal offensive help. This highlighted for him the recent defensive shortcomings, particularly the Ravens' failure to force a single turnover in their last five playoff games, including last season's divisional loss to Buffalo.

Humphrey, entering his ninth season as the longest-tenured defensive player, feels he has let the team's defensive standard slip since his arrival. He expressed a strong desire to restore the Ravens' identity as a defense-first team, emphasizing this goal to his teammates despite his appreciation for quarterback Lamar Jackson.

To address this and live up to their defensive legacy, the Ravens took significant offseason steps. In the draft, they used their first two picks on defense for the first time in eight years, selecting Georgia safety Malaki Starks in the first round and Marshall edge-rusher Mike Green in the second. Both were ranked among Mel Kiper Jr.'s top 10 defensive prospects.

Starks has impressed from the start, working with the starters immediately and demonstrating leadership by organizing walkthroughs at rookie minicamp. Coach John Harbaugh praised Starks' football intelligence, professionalism, and lack of mistakes, calling him "way advanced beyond his years."

Green, who led FBS with 17 sacks last season, is expected to be a key part of the pass-rush rotation. Pass rush coach Chuck Smith lauded Green's advanced technical skills, particularly his explosive "get-off" from his stance without false steps, stating he is "everything that we thought he would be."

The summary also mentions former head coach Chuck Pagano's involvement, noting that Starks received a 5 a.m. text from Pagano during the offseason.