When the Munich Ravens were announced as a new franchise for the 2023 season, many players and fans, including me, were excited to finally have a team in Bavaria, one of the biggest talent pools in Germany. And the Ravens did and are still doing a great job assembling a roster for their first season in the European League of Football.

But as of now, there is one position that is lacking: The defensive line.

More to come - but with quality?

Having only announced seven players by now, I know that there are more to come, but while the wide receiver and offensive line groups are looking dominant with the same number of signed players, the defensive line is worrying me. With Johannes Zirngibl, the Ravens signed a great player. The defensive lineman balled out for the Straubing Spiders last season, earning GFL All-Star honors. Tizian Vogl played well, collecting seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss. Both were great signings. But the rest of the unit is not quite on their level.

Run stopping - but less pass rush

Bilal Mawuena is a great talent, but he will need time to develop and prove himself on the highest level in Europe. Dominic Siegel played for the Vienna Vikings last season before his injury. His play was solid but not as good as people expected, making me doubt that he can be an elite pass rusher in the European League of Football. With Robin Rogoss, the Ravens signed an experienced and talented defensive tackle, who even particapted in the 2020 CFL combine, but was not productive over the course of the last two seasons. And while Johannes Bräu and Patrick Roth are big body defensive tackles that should do well against the run, they aren’t big pass rush threats.

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Three months left until the Preseason

There is a lot of time of time left and moves to be made to make the defensive line unit great. With Sean Shelton recruiting, I am sure that there will be at least one big time addition to this line and this Hot Take might be irrelevant a few weeks down the line, but as of now, the Ravens have plenty of work to do on this unit. Adding at least two standouts to the mix would go a long way for this group. Maybe the team should even consider a defensive lineman as their fourth and final American import. A difference maker from the US would certainly elevate the level of the defensive line and help them against the strong offensive lines they will be facing in 2023.

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