Derek Wolfe envisions a Ravens defense that will be tough to run or throw against. He’s looking forward to joining a unit that has an elite secondary with Pro Bowl corners Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, joined by Tavon Young and Jimmy Smith. Wolfe believes he could have a double-digit sack season, but after winning Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos, his main goal is to win a championship with the Ravens.
“I think we’ve got a great secondary,” Wolfe said. “You get up by 21 points, you got a great secondary, the quarterback has to hold it, we’re going to be able to eat on these guys. It’s gonna be feasting time.
“Every defensive line I ever played on, my goal was to be the No. 1 run defense. If they know they can’t run the ball, they’re going to have to throw it. That’s when I start foaming at the mouth, because then we can really get after it.”
Wolfe was disappointed last month when it was reported that the Ravens had agreed to a deal with Los Angeles Rams defensive end Michael Brockers. Wolfe figured his window to the Ravens had closed, and he began looking for other options. It was reported that the Houston Texans were also interested in his services.
“I was like, ‘Alright Tampa (Bay), let’s go down there with Tom Brady.’ Wait, they got to play Drew Brees twice a year. I don’t know,” Wolfe said with a laugh.
When the Ravens-Brockers deal didn’t materialize, Wolfe was elated to fill the void. He had a career-high seven sacks in just 12 games last season, and at age 30, Wolfe believes his best football is still ahead.
The 6-foot-5, 285-pound Wolfe has been in the NFL eight years — all with the Broncos — and played in 108 games, each of which has been starts. He’s got 299 tackles plus 33 sacks, and both of those stats are numbers that surely interested the Ravens.
The Baltimore Ravens did not wait long after the Michael Brockers deal fell apart late last week to sign veteran defensive end Derek Wolfe to a one-year deal, the team confirmed Monday.
Wolfe gives the Ravens what Brockers would have — a big body on the defensive line. Brockers had been strong at stopping the run, but Wolfe turned in a career-high seven sacks this season with Denver.
Baltimore desperately wanted to improve its pass rush, which wound up being a bit of a weakness at times in 2019 and forced the Ravens to blitz a lot. The team’s defensive front three now will have Wolfe, Brandon Williams and Calais Campbell. Outside linebacker Matthew Judon should give the team even more punch in the pass rush but getting Wolfe was the right move after losing Brockers.
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