Perhaps the greatest defensive apprenticeship in the NFL may have taken place on the Baltimore Ravens defense this season, where NFL All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith has spent the season playing next to rookie inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan.
Buchanan has proven to be an apt pupil. While Smith leads the Ravens with 114 tackles, Buchanan has been a surprise in second place with 93 tackles through 14 games.
Unfortunately for the Ravens, who will be fighting for their playoff lives over the final 3 games, Buchanan won’t be around to see his seasons of lessons come to a conclusion.
“Sources: The belief is that Ravens LB Teddye Buchanan, the team’s second-leading tackler, tore his ACL during Sunday’s win over the Bengals,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on X on Monday, December 15. “Buchanan will undergo additional testing today to confirm the injury.”
The Ravens snapped a 2-game losing streak with a 24-0 win over the Bengals in Week 15 to even their record at 7-7 overall.
“Buchanan injured his knee on punt coverage in the first quarter and was carted to the locker room,” ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote. “Buchanan used a cane to leave the locker room. A rookie fourth-round pick, Buchanan has been one of the bigger surprises on the Ravens this season. He replaced Trenton Simpson in the starting lineup at weakside linebacker.”
Surprise Contributor on Baltimore’s Defense
Buchanan, 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, was a fourth round pick (No. 128 overall) out of Cal, where he was an All-ACC pick in his one season with the Golden Bears after spending 4 seasons at UC-Davis.
In 2024 at Cal, Buchanan had 114 tackles, 12 TFL, 5.0 sacks, 4 pass deflections and 2 forced fumbles in 13 game. He was an All-Big Sky Conference pick at UC-Davis in 2023.
“Teddye Buchanan said that two years ago he was playing at UC-Davis and not sure what his future held,” Ravens reporter Bo Smolka wrote on X on Septembe 14. “Now he is essentially competing to be a starting inside linebacker in the NFL.”
He shocked the Ravens by beating out Simpson and started 13 games as a rookie before his injury, including being named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month in October.
“Buchanan’s draft stock could be tied directly to his size, athleticism and upside on special teams and in coverage,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “With below-average play recognition, he becomes more helper than hero as a run defender. He’s twitchy in short spaces and can float through space on fluid feet and smooth hips when asked to cover. Buchanan has physical tools to work with but might never get there as a run defender. Still, if he can cover and play special teams well, he might make a team.”
What Path Ravens Have to Playoffs
Baltimore has 3 tough games remaining in the regular season, but they get to play all of them at home, starting with the 11-3 New England Patriots in Week 16, Green Bay Packers in Week 17 and Week 18 against the Pittsburgh Steelers in what could be the de facto AFC North Championship Game.
The Ravens started the regular season 1-5 and are trying to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and seventh time in the last 8 years.
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