The ESSENTIAL Football Show 
Top 51 Cap Space (per Spotrac): 2026: $17.6 million | 2027: $-88.6 million | 2028: $81.6 million
Draft Picks: 2027: 1-5, 7 | 2028: 1-7
Football Decision Makers: GM Eric DeCosta | HC Jesse Minter | OC Declan Doyle | DC Anthony Weaver | ST Anthony Levine
State of the Team
A year removed from putting one of the better offenses I’ve watched, the Baltimore Ravens hit a downturn in the 2025 season, and responded by hitting the re-boot button quite emphatically. Despite the success that John Harbaugh had as head coach over the long term, and the offense that Todd Monken put together around Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, I think there’s a good chance the changes are effective.
To be fair, it seems likely the Ravens would have rebounded regardless, given the role that injuries and frustrating results played in their season; we can play “what-if” forever, but it’s entirely possible thinks break differently if they end up on the other side of their 40-41 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week One.
All that’s to say that while there are questions to be answered - namely, on the offensive line - there is still a lot of talent on both sides of the ball in this building. Good thing too, as their three-year cap outlook is daunting; that 2027 number will be impacted by whatever they do with Lamar Jackson’s scheduled cap hit of $84.3 million, but whatever gymnastics they do there, the Ravens are locked in with this core for the foreseeable future, so there better be enough talent to push for a Super Bowl. (As an aside, while the Ravens claimed they wanted to add both Maxx Crosby and Trey Hendrickson amidst that off-season debacle, it’s awfully hard to imagine how those numbers would have worked out.)
Offense
After transcendent 6th and 7th seasons in the NFL that saw Lamar Jackson reach new peaks as a player, winning the MVP in 2023 and finishing second in the voting in 2024, Jackson’s 8th season was defined by injury.
Early in his career, one might have assumed this would signal an inevitable decline for a player utilizing a highly unorthodox - and extremely entertaining - play style to dominate, but I’d argue Jackson has evolved into much more than that. His rushing is still a significant factor, but we’re a long ways from the Ravens adopting triple option concepts as the foundation of their offense, and Jackson could take another step forward in that regard in Declan Doyle’s new system.
Unfortunately, while there is some big-time talent around him, there are also significant questions. Derrick Henry remains an elite running back in my book, and until the big man stops printing explosive gains on what seems like a once-a-half basis, I’ll stick to that, even if the decline has to come someday. Henry will be working behind a line that could go either way relative to last year’s performance; first-round pick Olaivavega “Vega” Ioane is a highly-regarded prospect who could turn into the type of road-grading left guard Henry once ran behind in Tennessee (Rodger Saffold), which would bring an element this line has lacked to a certain degree in recent years. John Simpson will replace Daniel Faalele at right guard, and while the 6’7/6’8 guard had a “vogue” moment in 2024 when Faalele and Mekhi Becton unleashed some big-time blocks in front of Henry and Saquon Barkley in the duo’s standout seasons, more of the downsides and inconsistencies showed up for both players in 2025. Simpson isn’t elite, but he’s more consistent down-to-down, and still brings a physical presence; the tackle duo of Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten would qualify as a bit more finesse than overwhelming power in my book, but both players are effective, and have the range to stretch the edges in the run game. The center position is a huge question mark; I’d wager the Ravens ultimately find at least a “mediocre” option, but who that is remains to be seen. Danny Pinter would seem to have the edge, as he played a whopping 14% of Indy’s offensive snaps and started 10 games for them over 5 years, whereas Jovaughn Gwyn played 11 offensive snaps for the Falcons this year after logging 0 in his first two seasons, Corey Bullock played 13 offensive snaps for the Ravens in his rookie year, and Nick Dawkins is an undrafted free agent. That said, Seattle found Jalen Sundell seemingly out of nowhere last season, and while he didn’t look like a future All-Pro, Sundell manned the center position well enough for the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl.
The pass-catching group has its own questions; Zay Flowers has established himself as a consistent, dynamic threat four years into his career, and while his lack of size stops him from getting an “elite” grade, he is a clear “plus” player. 3rd-round pick Jacobi Lane and 4th-round pick Elijah Sarratt both have a chance to seize roles; Devontez Walker has made very limited contributions as a receiver in his first two seasons, and for as dynamic a downfield threat as Rashod Bateman was in 2024, a combination of injuries and ineffective play saw him post 19 catches for 224 yards and 2 TDs in 2025, which certainly isn’t what the Ravens were hoping for when he signed his contract extension. The tight ends are in transition; Mark Andrews returns in the lead role, and the Ravens added Durham Smythe in free agency and rookies Matthew Hibner and Josh Cuevas in the 4th and 5th rounds. It will be interesting to see how it shakes out, but with Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar both out the door, there are some opportunities to be had at tight end.
It’s an offense that clearly has its flaws, but the field-tilting talent is special enough that Declan Doyle should be able to get something going; ideally, this offense would be rooted in the run game, which should help out the offensive line early on, and allow them to sort out what they have at pass catcher behind Flowers and Andrews as the season rolls along.
Defense
There are enough pieces in place for this to be a strong unit under Jesse Minter regardless, but few players currently in injury limbo could swing a unit more than defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike.
Travis Jones, who had a breakout in the stat column with 5 quarterback takedowns last season, has become a favorite watch of mine due to his relentlessly physical style - he’s just a presence out there - and the veteran duo of John Jenkins and Calais Campbell gives Baltimore two really big pieces around him. That said, none of the three bring the sort of quickness and interior pass rush that Madubuike provides at his best, and he could push this group from “good” to one of the league’s best.
The edge rush should be improved with the addition of Trey Hendrickson, who has been a full-go this offseason after core injuries sidelined him last season. The players around him are more potential than production; Zion Young, this year’s 2nd-round pick, brings a good bit more size than last year’s 2nd-rounder, Mike Green, who failed to distinguish himself as a rookie despite playing 63% of the defensive snaps and suiting up for all 17 games.
The back end of the defense is where things get interesting; at off-ball linebacker, Roquan Smith may not consistently play to his peak, but his feel for the game and side-to-side agility as he reads things out makes him a blast to watch. Teddye Buchanan is coming off a torn ACL, which means Trenton Simpson will likely start next to Smith to begin the season; Simpson is not an impact player, but he is good enough that he doesn’t get consistently targeted, and the Ravens have the secondary to play plenty of dime if everyone is healthy.
That’s due in large part to the fact that Kyle Hamilton, the best player on this unit, is one of the NFL’s unicorns as a linebacker-sized safety with the range to line up in the slot or back deep. Malaki Starks was a steady presence as a rookie; he is not nearly as dynamic a player as Hamilton, but I felt Starks consistently provided structure in the back end and that he was a solid tackler when plays came his way. Starks will pair with Jaylinn Hawkins, who is coming off an adequate season in New England, in the back end while Hamilton lines up in the slot, and while some questions exist about Marlon Humphrey after he gave up more plays than you’d like on the outside last season, he can still have a notable impact kicking inside as a second slot player in dime. With Nate Wiggins, who is coming off a terrific second season and is on track to be a “blue” player given his elite speed and consistent positioning, on one side, the Ravens have the option to help whoever is at the other outside position, whether that is Humphrey or Chidobe Awuzie, who continued to play competitive ball when his number was called in 2025.
All in all, when looking at this group, I think it’s fair to say Minter did a lot with less during his time with the Chargers, and if Madubuike returns to form, then it’s not particularly close.
Final Takeaways
There’s a little bit of a stars and scrubs feel to this roster as I sort through it, but that seems all right in July. If healthy, the Ravens have enough field-tilting players to push for the Super Bowl, and the reality of the NFL is that the complementary pieces are often out there in plan sight if you turn over enough stones and create enough competition. That’s not always the case - there are certainly times when a roster hole craters a team - but I’d rather be searching for the adequate players to fill in around the superstars than the other way around.
Last season was a disappointment, but in a wide open AFC, I don’t see any reason to think the Ravens won’t be back in the thick of things in 2026.