The ESSENTIAL Football Show 2025 Cap Space: $7.8 million
2026 Cap Space: $45.6 million
2027 Cap Space: $117.3 million
2026 Draft Picks: Own Picks, Rounds 1-5, plus NYJ 5th Rd, 5th and 7th Rd comps
Someone had to lose in the Divisional Round showdown between the Ravens and Bills, but while Baltimore doesn’t have much postseason success to show for it, I don’t think it should be lost that this team was really, really good in 2024.
There’s every reason to think that will repeat in 2025. The Ravens are already facing some adversity - safety Ar’Darius Washington, who really came into his own as a playmaker on the back end of the defense as last season wore on - will miss the season with a torn Achilles, putting more pressure on first-round pick Malaki Starks to hit the ground running.
Baltimore will have to sort through that injury, but at the same time, there’s every reason to think that this offense will continue to hum next year; it took some time to figure out exactly how they wanted to fit Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry together, but once they did, it’s hard to point to an offense that put defenses in more difficult conflicts than the crew in black and purple.
Quarterback
Starter: Lamar Jackson
Backups: Cooper Rush, Devin Leary
Running Back
Starters: Derrick Henry
Backups: Keaton Mitchell, Justice Hill, Rasheen Ali
Wide Receiver
Starters: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, DeAndre Hopkins
Backups: Tylan Wallace, Devontez Walker, LaJohntay Wester (6th Rd)
Tight End
Starters: Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely
Backups: Charlie Kolar, Patrick Ricard (FB)
Offensive Line
Starters: Ronnie Stanley, Andrew Vorhees, Tyler Linderbaum, Daniel Faalele, Roger Rosengarten
Backups: Carson Vinson (5th Rd), Garrett Dellinger (7th Rd), Nick Samac, Ben Cleveland, Emery Jones Jr. (3rd Rd)
Offense Overview
The Derrick Henry addition rightfully drew headlines, but 2024 was a terrific season for the Ravens on the player development front.
It’s easy to forget how many questions there were about the offensive line headed into last season, but Baltimore hit on two wins on the right side of the line, with the 6’8, 380 Daniel Faalele joining Mekhi Becton in the mold of absolutely massive guards, and rookie Roger Rosengarten, who was picked with the 62nd pick in the 2nd round, settling in as a steady right tackle. They aren’t flawless players, but Faalele’s ability to displace defenders in the run game makes up for some of his deficiencies as a pass protector, and Rosengarten certainly has the potential to add some strength in the offseason; I see parallels between him and Tampa Bay right tackle Luke Goedeke, who followed that sort of development curve from Year One to Year Two.
While not a new name, left tackle Ronnie Stanley’s return to a “plus” standard after some iffy post-injury years was a huge boost, as was his decision to return on an extremely team-friendly cap number. Center Tyler Linderbaum remains in place as a quality player with plus mobility, leaving one opening at left guard, which could be filled by Andrew Vorhees, who gained some experience last season, Joe Noteboom, who has extensive experience at tackle and guard from his time with the Ravens, or Emery Jones Jr., Baltimore’s third-round pick, who could kick inside from tackle.
The Ravens also saw Rashod Bateman develop into a perfect fit for this offense; Bateman complements the smaller Zay Flowers well, doing huge damage over the top when defenses are forced to come up and force the issue against Baltimore’s overwhelming run game. And despite trade rumors, tight end Mark Andrews is still on the Ravens roster; with Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar also available, and Patrick Ricard back in the mix at fullback, the Ravens can come at you with an astonishing number of personnel groups.
Best of all, the guy pulling the trigger is better than ever; in some of Baltimore’s late-season film, I found myself marveling at Lamar’s ability to beat pressure by throwing with some elastic arm angles from the pocket. For a guy who had never seen a problem he didn’t want to beat with his legs when he got into the league, it’s just incredible to see the level Lamar has taken his game to in the pocket… the quarterbacks at the very top of the NFL are setting a ridiculous standard these days.
Defensive Tackle
Starters: Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, Broderick Washington
Backups: Aeneas Peebles (6th Rd), Nash Hutmacher, C.J. Ravenell
Edge
Starters: Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy
Backups: Mike Green (2nd Rd), Tavius Robinson, David Ojabo
Linebackers
Starters: Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson
Backups: Jake Hummel, Teddye Buchanan
Safety
Starters: Ar’Darius Washington (torn Achilles), Malaki Starks (1st Rd)
Backups: Sanoussi Kane, Beau Brade
Slot
Starter: Kyle Hamilton
Backups: Robert Longerbeam (6th Rd)
Outside CB
Starters: Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins
Backups: Chiedobe Awuzie, T.J. Tampa, Jalyn Armour-Davis, Bilhal Kone (6th Rd)
Defense Overview
As mentioned, the Ravens lost an important piece with Ar’Darius Washington going down in the offseason. Washington, an undrafted free agent in 2021, teamed up with Kyle Hamilton to fix the huge hole in the back end as it became apparent the veteran tandem of Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson was out of tread, and while Washington originally struck me as a body to throw in there, I really enjoyed watching him down the stretch; he seems to have a knack for finishing with the big play when he’s around the ball.
In any case, we’ll have to hope for a healthy return in 2026, but in the meantime, Kyle Hamilton and company will move forward without him. Regardless of defensive coordinator - and the Ravens will have continuity there with Zach Orr entering his second season - this franchise has an established track record of being able to find solutions to problems during the season, using a combination of scheme and player replacements until they figure out what is going to work for the current group.
Marlon Humphrey’s ability to function as a moveable piece is critical in all of that; there’s a good chance the Ravens planned to move him back outside from the slot, but with Washington’s injury, you’d think everything is on the table. Nate Wiggins showed promise as a rookie - he can definitely move, though I wish he were a little more natural syncing up to routes, as I don’t exactly think of him as “sticky” despite a generally positive impression - and he should continue to hold up one corner spot, which would allow Humphrey to play inside if free-agent addition Chidobe Awuzie can stay healthy or if a developmental player takes a step forward.
The front will look to follow a similar formula to last season. The stars are defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, who wasn’t able to match his absurd 13 sacks from 2023, but who still stood out as a relentless, slippery rusher wherever he lined up, and linebacker Roquan Smith, who likewise didn’t have quite the superstar season he did in 2023. The defense has another rising player in defensive tackle Travis Jones, and they added Mike Green, a first-round talent who fell to the second due to off-field issues, to their edge rush group in the second round. Green will join Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh in a room that has gotten it done through a group effort, rather than a superstar contribution, in recent years.
Overall Outlook
The Ravens should be right back in contention in 2025. The biggest thing they could do for their chances is to just get out of the gate faster; the loss to the Chiefs was what it was, but dropping a game to the Raiders the next week put Baltimore in a position where they were chasing Pittsburgh for the AFC North Title rather than contending with Kansas City and Buffalo for the #1 seed.
That seeding is going to be more important than ever. There’s reason to think the AFC could open a crack - the Chiefs are depending on some volatile bets to fix the offensive line - but if it does, there’s a long list of teams knocking on the door, and getting a guaranteed pass through Round One plus Home Field could be a huge deal, particularly if the 7th seed is better than what we’ve come to expect since the NFL expanded the playoffs.