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INDIANAPOLIS — Wesley Williams knows what it’s like to be coached by Harland Bower. He also knows what it’s like to be chased by Harland Bower.

As a young defensive end at Duke, Williams was still learning what it meant to play for Bower, who this month left his spot as the Blue Devils’ assistant coach, working primarily with their defensive ends, to join coach Jesse Minter’s first Ravens staff as outside linebackers coach.

Effort and grit were nonnegotiables, Williams said. Duke’s defensive ends needed to find their way to the ball, one way or another. In practice, that would sometimes mean getting a helping hand.

“He literally would chase us around the field — I’m not joking,” Williams, a potential Day 3 prospect, said of Bower with a smile at the NFL scouting combine. “He’d grab you up like a puppy and force you to the ball. … So I think he’s going to be great there.”

More often than not, the Ravens’ pass rush couldn’t get where it needed to last year. Their defense had just 22 sacks when sending four or fewer pass rushers, according to Sports Info Solutions; only six teams had fewer. Their pressure rate on non-blitzes was 29.2%, according to SIS, fourth lowest in the NFL.

The hope in Baltimore is that a revamped coaching staff — and perhaps the return of Pro Bowl defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike, whose hopes of overcoming an early-season neck injury remain unclear — can help turn up the heat. Minter’s Chargers defense didn’t have the most talented front or the highest pressure rate, but the unit finished third in the league in sacks on plays with four or fewer pass rushers (38). Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh had no sacks in five games with the Ravens, then 7.5 sacks in 12 games after a midseason trade to the Chargers.

The Ravens headed to Indianapolis this week with more pressing needs than their pass rush. Center Tyler Linderbaum will reach free agency in less than two weeks unless the Ravens sign him to a record-setting contract extension. Quarterback Lamar Jackson will count for $74.5 million against the salary cap unless the Ravens finalize a new deal or restructure his current contract.

But Ravens officials know what their team lost when their defensive front lost its upper hand. The NFL’s past two Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks, had dominant pass rush units that amplified the talent in their well-schooled secondaries.

“We certainly know that we have to augment the pass rush and improve there, and when we look at the best defenses, we see a ferocious pass rush, and that was lacking this year for different reasons,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said Tuesday. “It’s something that we feel strongly that we can attack this year in the offseason, whether it’s through free agency or the draft.”

Their options in free agency could be thin. Impact pass rushers rarely reach the market, and the few who do typically command a king’s ransom. Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, Eagles outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips, Seahawks defensive end Boye Mafe and Oweh are projected to earn deals worth $15 million to $21 million annually, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Ravens have just $13.4 million in “effective” cap space, according to Over the Cap, though they could create more with releases and restructures to re-sign cheaper options like pending free agent Dre’Mont Jones.

The most cost-effective options are in the draft. The Ravens rarely pick in the top half of the first round, where high-upside edge rushers and interior linemen fly off the board. DeCosta said Tuesday that the Ravens, who are expected to have 11 picks in this year’s draft, including No. 14 overall, will “have a chance to add a couple draft picks this year who can help us on third downs.”

But the class’ top edge rusher prospects — Arvell Reese, David Bailey and Rueben Bain Jr. — could be out of reach for DeCosta. The class’ top defensive tackle prospects — Lee Hunter, Kayden McDonald, Caleb Banks and Peter Woods — are complicated enough evaluations that they could fall below other prospects on the Ravens’ Day 1 target list.

That could leave DeCosta to rely more on the Ravens’ assistant coaches for help with Day 3 and potentially even Day 2 prospects, as he has in the past. New defensive line coach Lou Esposito prioritizes players with “physical and violent” traits, said outside linebacker Jaishawn Barham, a Saint Frances graduate and potential Day 2 prospect who played at Maryland and Michigan.

“I feel like, if you’re not violent or you’re not physical,” Barham said Thursday of the former Wolverines assistant coach, “he’s not going to really want you.”

Duke defensive end V.J. Anthony said Bower stressed to players the importance of responding the right way. You can’t control the events in your life, Bower would say, but your response helps dictate the outcome.

“He’s going to give you his all,” Anthony said. “He’s going to push you to the limit and push you even more, which made me and Wes and the whole position room a better room, just better people.”

Under Minter and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, the Ravens’ pass rush could be one piece away. Or it could be a couple of pieces away.

Madubuike’s talent is obvious. Travis Jones has emerged as one of the NFL’s most well-rounded nose tackles. Outside linebacker Mike Green struggled at times as a rookie but was considered a first-round talent last year. Outside linebacker Tavius Robinson has the kind of edge-setting ability that Minter values. Outside linebacker Adisa Isaac has a worrisome injury history but was a top-100 pick. Safety Kyle Hamilton, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, and inside linebackers Teddye Buchanan and Trenton Simpson all have blitzing potential.

After an offseason of change, the Ravens’ pass rush is headed in a new direction. They just have to hope it’s pointed toward the quarterback.

“There’s a lot of factors I would say that go into rushing the passer well,” Minter said Tuesday. “Sometimes it’s playing with the lead; sometimes it’s blitzing more. So I think there’s a lot of variety of ways to affect the pass rush. I feel like we have some guys that can do that, some young, ascending players in that regard, that can help us there. And then I think it’s always a position that you’re looking for more, and so I know Eric and the guys will do a great job attacking free agency and the draft in building a team that in September that we feel has the ability to rush the passer.”