Ravens defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, quire casually, in the spring mentioned that edge Mike Green is primed for a double-digit season.
Weaver revealed a cutup he created for Green, a second-round pick in 2025, of the many instances in which he barely missed a sack. A fingertip here. A half an inch there. A hold by an opposing blocker that didn’t get called. Weaver is not shy about proclamations in general – he’s an outspoken guy and tries to fuel his players and fortify them with energy – but this one seemed particularly heartfelt.
Green is off to a stellar start to training camp – though some shaky offensive line play while a brand new offense is being installed may have plenty to do with that – and it’s hardly unusual for athletic and talented youngsters to make the leap in Year Two. Weaver, if anything, is double-down on his expectations for Green, and internally the Ravens clearly believe he is good for more than an average of a half sack per game.
“Now, just being more comfortable with the environment,” Weaver said recently after practice, “with what our expectation is, and just being able to go out there and play — he is going to eat. He is going to eat because he cares, and he plays too hard.”
Green has a skillset that rookie head coach Jesse Minter, a scheming mastermind, should be able to put in positions to succeed. Last year, no one on this roster could get home at all, and struggling defensive coordinator Zach Orr starting bringing numbers on the blitz too often and that didn’t work, either, leaving the secondary out to dry as the team blew late leads and struggled with man coveverage.
Getting individual pass rush acumen out of Green, and getting some free runs at the quarterback through deception, would go a long way, and simply limited his outsized workload from a year ago would help; Green did way too much on early downs and simply played too much in positions that didn’t play to his strengths (nearly 300 snaps on first down alone).
Green isn’t shying away from the bar Weaver has set for him. He found the highlight tape of near sacks motivational, and you can tell he is feeding off his coach’s outward confidence in him.
“I would say it definitely had me fired up in the meeting, of course,” Green said of watching the video. “Just to see how many times I got so close and was just inches away from making a play and changing the game around. Shout out to Weave for that, because I definitely needed it at that time. Big expectations from last year, and big expectations rolling into this year, as well. So, it’s definitely something I needed, and I appreciate Weave for that.”
What has Weaver so bullish about Green goes beyond the gaudy sack numbers be produced in college and his quick first step. It’s a motor as well, and it’s clear these coaches see Green do what it takes behind the scenes and off the practice field to portend him taking a leap.
“Approach to work — that is what this is about,” Weaver said. “This is not about showing up one day and not showing up the next day. It is about consistency. And right now, that is where his mindset is.”
Outside linebackers coach Harland Bower can see Green having to think and guess less and understand and process more quickly: “The game is slowing down. When the game slows down schematically for you, now your God-given ability can show and shine. And that is what you are seeing, I believe, on the field. You will see that this year.”
Opposing coordinators have to approach the Ravens much differently with $30M-a-year pass rusher Trey Hendrickson here now, and if Nnamdi Madubuike, a top five defensive tackle on the planet, is able to stay on the field after April neck surgery, Green is going to be well positioned to fulfill this promise. He is too twitched up for some of the lesser offensive linemen in the league to handle out of certain personnel packages.
Ten sacks doesn’t seem too extreme if this defense meets its overall potential.
“I’m a lot more comfortable out there,” Green said.
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