Saved by Zero

Roquan Smith Looks to Return to All-Pro Form

When Roquan Smith arrived on the scene in Baltimore in November of 2022, his impact was immediate. Not only did he add a welcomed skill set to the defense, his presence, leadership and diagnostic talents elevated the play of those around him, particularly sidekick Patrick Queen.

But at some point during the 2024 season, Roquan’s play began to slip. The explosiveness that characterized his play since his arrival appeared diminished. He looked slow and his conditioning was less than ideal. Many speculated that he could be nursing an injury or two that the team opted to conceal. In 2025, there was more of the same. Some even wondered if Father Time had begun to get the best of Smith. But shouldn’t a 29-year-old player still have a few prime seasons left in the tank?

In a salary cap driven league, whenever a player’s production falls short of his pay grade, he becomes vulnerable – he inches closer to cap casualty status.

This season represents a clean slate for Ravens’ defenders. There’s a new coaching staff, a new scheme and seemingly a new attitude. And if we can trust the eyeball test, Roquan appears to be in better shape than he was a year ago. He’ll need to return to his 2022-23 form to justify that W-2.

2025 Roquan Smith vs 2026 Roquan Smith pic.twitter.com/eAapaiCMMF

— JacksonMuse (@Jackson_Muse) June 10, 2026

Performance

Smith earned a 74.5 overall Pro Football Focus (“PFF”) grade in 2025, ranking 20th among 88 qualified linebackers. His coverage grade of 74.4 ranked 9th, and his run-defense grade of 77.2 ranked 19th. Those are passable numbers, but nowhere near elite. The Ravens are paying for filet mignon from The Capital Grille but in return they’re getting breakfast steak at Denny’s.

For context, Jack Campbell set a PFF record for linebackers in 2025 with a 93.0 run-defense grade — the highest single-season mark at the position in the PFF era. Meanwhile, Devin Bush finished as the only linebacker with 80.0+ grades in all three phases — run defense (83.2), coverage (81.1), and pass rushing (82.2).

Smith’s 2024 season saw him grade out at 65.2 overall and 59.8 in coverage — placing him 86th and 89th, respectively, among 189 qualified linebackers. The loss of Patrick Queen clearly affected him, particularly early in the season. The 2025 bounce-back is real but still falls short of his pay grade.

As a pass rusher, things get a bit dicier for Smith. His pass-rush grade of 42.9 ranked 87th out of 88 qualified linebackers, and he allowed a 102.3 passer rating when targeted in coverage while recording 12 missed tackles on the year.

The situation must be somewhat uncomfortable for GM Eric DeCosta. Per OverTheCap, Smith’s contract lists an AAV of $20M — the second-highest ILB deal on paper — but his actual cap hits of $32.7M in 2026 and 2027 dwarf every other inside linebacker in football. Fred Warner just signed a new 3-year/$63M deal at $21M AAV, but his yearly cap hits are structured more evenly. Meanwhile, the players who outperformed Smith in 2025 — Campbell, Bush, and Lloyd — carry AAVs of $3.7M, $10M, and $15M respectively.

At the end of the day, Roquan is being paid like the best off the ball linebacker in football yet he’s performing like a solid-but-not-elite starter. Perhaps head coach Jesse Minter and his staff can hit the reset button with Smith, unlock his skillset and return his brand of play to the All-Pro status we were accustomed to back in 2022 and 2023. If not, that 2027 cap number of $32.7M quickly becomes the elephant in the front office conference room.

An elephant that isn’t likely to survive.

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/06/12/lombardis-way/roquan-smith-2026/