The Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns will forever be intertwined. Besides being divisional rivals, these teams share an origin, thus giving Browns fans plenty of reasons to celebrate their downfall each year.
While the Ravens hold bragging rights with a 39-15 head-to-head record, including a three-game winning streak over the Browns, that may not hold for much longer. Right now, they look like two teams heading in different directions.
At least, that's how Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report feels. In his latest column, he gave Jesse Minter's team a "D" offseason grade, citing the lack of big moves and John Harbaugh's departure as some reasons for concern.
"It's difficult to look at the Baltimore Ravens and say they're a better team today than they were last season," Sobleski wrote. "Outside of Baltimore's dubious handling of the Maxx Crosby trade, which ultimately led to the signing of Trey Hendrickson, the Ravens did little to seriously upgrade their roster."
The gap between the Ravens and Browns may be smaller than people think
The Ravens now have an unproven head coach trying to fix a defense that ranked 24th in total yards allowed per game (365.6) and allowed the third-most passing yards per game (247.9). That's music to the Browns' ears, knowing that they'll have two new playmaking wideouts on the field and a much-improved offense with Monken at the helm.
Speaking of Monken, he knows Lamar Jackson, Zay Flowers, and Derrick Henry like the back of his hand. He brought out the best in them, and as such, he should also know how to neutralize them better than anybody else.
The Browns approached their offseason with a clear blueprint and vision. They invested heavily in their broken offense, revamping the trenches with a brand-new offensive line and adding talent for whoever wins the quarterback battle.
The Ravens, on the other hand, watched most of their staffers leave for New York or Cleveland, lost arguably the best center in football, and didn't do much to help Jackson with additional talent. If that wasn't worrisome enough, they just kicked the can on Lamar Jackson's contract extension, and he’ll now carry a massive projected cap hit in 2027 unless the Ravens restructure or extend him.
All in all, it feels like this season will be an inflection point for the Ravens organization that might be closer to blowing things up and rebuilding than people realize. The Browns are undoubtedly trending up, and with the AFC North up for grabs, the power dynamic in this rivalry might finally shift in their favor.
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