Baltimore Ravens: Za’Darius Smith is primed for a breakout season

Despite stiff competition at edge rusher, there remains a glimpse of light for Za’Darius Smith to finally emerge as a difference maker in 2018.

It’s the same old song and dance. A Ravens player has a decent first three years in the league, then goes on to have a big-time fourth season and hits the open market as one of the most sought players. We’ve seen it time and time again with guys like Paul Kruger, Arthur Jones, and Pernell McPhee. Perhaps Za’Darius Smith is no different.

After all, we’ve seen the upside before from Smith. As a rookie, Za’Darius Smith notched 5.5 sacks in 15 games (zero starts) as well as 30 total tackles, all in a part-time role back in 2015. Many hyped Smith as a…