Ravens: Likes And Questions As The Season Nears

On Saturday the Baltimore Ravens will have their Preseason opener when they host the Philadelphia Eagles. From there it will be a dash to September 13th and the start of the Regular season in Indianapolis.

On the verge of another season, some things are new.  John Harbaugh had served as the Ravens Head Coach since 2008.  He is now gone, and replaced by first-time Head Coach Jesse Minter.

That transition of leadership – accompanied by Minter’s incoming staff – has some things feeling fresh as a new year begins.

Some things haven’t changed.  The Ravens are entering the season as one of the prohibitive favorites to win the Lombardi Trophy next February.

There are expectations for this team to perform, and pressure for the organization to get over the proverbial hump and do significant post-season damage with Lamar Jackson under Center.

Here we look at the roster, and give some thoughts on what we like and currently question.

 

Like – Starting with the most obvious, we like #8.  Somehow we’ve reached Year 9 of Jackson’s career, and liking or believing in Jackson is still a discussion point for some.  You can wish that Jackson and the Ravens had accomplished more in the post-season during his career to-date. You can rightfully point out that 2025 was the third time in five seasons that Jackson was limited to 13 games or less. But it has to be acknowledged that the 2x MVP is inner-circle elite when talking about the games best QB’s. When available, Jackson elevates those around him, and gives the Ravens an opportunity to win any game he plays.

Question – Is this a year where Jackson plays 16 or 17 games, or is he limited to 12 or 13?  Jackson has had high praise for new Ravens OC Declan Doyle so far in camp.  Under this new system, and with hopefully better health than he experienced in ’25; do we see Jackson’s numbers rebound closer to his astounding 2024 production?  If the lower-body aliments are behind him, will Jackson run more in 2026?

Like –  Let’s get another obvious one out of the way – Derrick Henry is still a monster.  I know RB’s have a short shelf-life, and at 32 years old; I know some are expecting this is the year he falls off.  I’ve seen people point to his Yard Per Carry average dropping from 5.9 in ’24, to 5.2 as an indication of a precipitous drop coming for Henry in ’26, but that seems silly to me. That 5.2 ypc was still above his 4.9 ypc career average, and it tied James Cook for the most ypc of any RB in the league with 250+ carries for the year. Jackson wasn’t as good in ’25 as he was in ’24, and the blocking in-front of Henry wasn’t as good either. I’d be highly surprised if Henry wasn’t again excellent. I know some are concerned that Henry has 7 fumbles ( 1/3 of his career total ) over the past two seasons, but I can’t get there.  Feels more fluky to me vs. something to worry about.

Question – Justice Hill was limited to 10 games last year. That reduction in availability led to his catches dropping from 42 in ’24, to 21 last year.  Are Hill and Rasheen Ali only on the field on 3rd down? Are they productive enough in their time where the Ravens could potentially give Henry less than 300 carries? Should holding Henry to under 300 carries even be a goal for the Ravens? Or is the team best served vs. using Henry’s physicality over extended carries? Better to continue to feed Henry and have him eat at the will of opposing defenses?  Does 5th rounder Adam Randall push Ali?

Question – Are the Ravens going to miss Patrick Ricard more than some think? The 3x All-Pro, 6x Pro Bowler followed Harbaugh to the Giants. I understand a salary cap exists in the NFL and you can’t keep everyone. I understand FB’s are generally not in-vogue around the NFL and have been devalued. I think the Ravens have long-benefited by taking a contrarian view compared to most of the NFL, and continuing to feature a traditional blocking FB. Think it’s helped not only the running game, but the QB’s as well. And of course further accentuated the physicality the Ravens like to play with. Lucas Scott is in camp trying to earn a spot. FB is his 5th position in 5 years. I’m rooting for Scott to make the roster, and hopefully be good enough to contribute.

Like – I liked the selection of Vega Ioane. The 14th overall selection of the 2026 Draft checks all the boxes in-terms of bringing immediate strength, power, and young legs to the Ravens O-Line. I’m hopeful that Roger Rosengarten is ready to take a bit of leap in his 3rd year. Ethan Pocic was a pretty good late addition at Center, at-least in-terms of upside. He was a College All-American, and a 2nd round pick of Seattle in 2017. He had earned a contract extension with Cleveland in 2023. If he stays available, he should help.  I also like that in Danny Pinter they have a decent option behind Pocic. John Simpson was brought back to the Ravens, and will take over at LG.  Simpson stays on the field, is strong, and plays with an edge. Those are all positives. If he can be league average at Guard, that’s probably a win for the Ravens.  Year 11 is arriving for Ronnie Stanley, and you can generally still feel good about him at LT.  Emery Jones and Andrew Vorhees with Pinter is some solid line depth.  This group might not be an upper-echelon O-Line, but I generally like what Ravens GM Eric DeCosta has been able to accomplish here. I expect Ioane to be good immediately. If Rosengarten is stronger, and better in the run-game this year; that would go a long way to this being a productive unit.

Question – I liked the addition of Pocic. But he did turn 31 earlier this week, and is coming off of a Achilles suffered in Week 14 last year. He’s also never played in all 17 games of a season, though he has been pretty durable the last few years in Cleveland before the injury last year. While I generally feel pretty good about him, there has to be some question of if he will stay available. It also needs to be said that even in a best case scenario from Pocic, he doesn’t figure to be as good as the departed Tyler Linderbaum. Simpson brings some positives to the table at LG, but there also issues. He typically has graded as slightly below average at Guard, and has previously accumulated a lot of penalties. Can he curb the amount of flags he typically sees?   Stanley’s 2024 Pro Bowl season was really good. The biggest difference between Stanley’s ’24 and his ’25 season, is that Stanley’s production in pass-protection dropped. Can Doyle get the ball out of Jackson’s hands a bit quicker more often? That would figure to help Stanley and his fellow lineman in-general. Of course Jackson being able to extend plays, and create opportunities for the offense is part of his greatness so it’s a push-and-pull situation.

Like –  In the Draft the Ravens added WR Ja’Kobi Lane in the 3rd round, and WR Elijah Sarratt in the 4th round. They also added TE Matthew Hibner also in the 4th round, and fellow TE Josh Cuevas in the 5th. Lane is having a big Training Camp, and that reduces some of the anxiety which would otherwise exist. I liked Sarratt at Indiana. We’ve seen the big play potential of Decontez Walker in his first two years in the league. Durham Smythe should get a lot of time as a more traditional blocking TE opposite of Mark Andrews.  Obviously Zay Flowers is a quality weapon, and I thought he was deserving of the contract extension he just signed. Glad he will continue to be in the fold. Andrews is coming off a rough year (for him), but I’m still glad to have him. Don’t expect him to get the 113 targets he had in ’22, but won’t surprise me if his 8.8 yard per catch average in ’25 goes back up near his 12.3 yard per catch career average in ’26. The ankle injuries Rashod Bateman had last year resulted in a completely lost season for him. There is still ability there.

Question – There is still ability there with Bateman, but there are major questions too. The ankle injuries Bateman had last year were real, but there can’t be another season where he gives the Ravens nothing. That lost year also came after he signed a contract extension last Summer. In ’24, Bateman played in all 17 games, and had 72 targets. He averaged 16.8 years per catch on his 45 grabs, and had 9 TD’s. Can he match that production? I’d don’t need him to match the ’24 ypc average. I’d be happy if he stays available weekly, and can consistently help move the chains. Become a threat on 3rd down. Make some contested grabs. I like the Walker, Lane, Sarratt trio. I think there is potential there for them to help. I’d like to slow the breaks on the camp hype from Lane a bit.  It’s good that he’s opening eyes, and that it looks like he can give you something immediately. Going into the Draft, the ’25 Honorable Mention Big Ten WR saw a lot of scouting reports which questioned his ability to play through contact. My question overall with the WR’s is that outside of Flowers, who can you rely on? Who is going to show-up consistently? Given what exists around them, I’m glad to have Andrews back. Had it been a choice of one or the other, I would have liked to have been able to retain Isaiah Likely over him though. Won’t surprise me if Andrews has 50 catches and 600 yards; but I wish I wasn’t going into the year with lingering questions about why his production dropped so much last year. There were lots of weeks he was basically invisible last year. Does that happen again in ’26, or can he again be a presence? I was disappointed that the Ravens weren’t able to keep Charlie Kolar.  Smythe is coming off back-to-back seasons where he had a total of 13 receptions. He did have a four year stretch (’20-’23) where he averaged 27.5 receptions per year. Maybe he gets a bit more involved with the Ravens than he has the last two seasons with Miami and the Bears. As long as he can block as advertised, I’ll be happy there. Everyone likes Flowers.  I think everyone would like him that much better if he was your 2nd WR.

Like – One of my favorite likes so far – Welcome back Nnamdi Madubuike!  It was feared his career was over, and instead the All-Pro is back available. That’s huge. Travis Jones earned the contract extension he signed last December. Calais Campbell is back with the Ravens, and entering Year 19 in the NFL. The future Hall of Famer endured horrible personal tragedy this Summer with his family, and we feel horrible for him with that. But keeping this with the Ravens, I was excited about his addition. Maybe that excitement sounds a bit much considering Campbell turns 40 September 6th, but the 6’8 300 lb has long been known not just as a great talent, but also a fantastic individual that adds to any roster. Another adult in the room. Another coach as a player. That’s a quality add, that can help situationally. Keep him healthy and available for games in January. After the Maxx Crosby saga, the Ravens pivoted to Trey Hendrickson. All of the talk in March was that Hendrickson doesn’t set the Edge like Crosby. Okay, that counts, that’s fair.  He can rush the QB. He had back-to-back 17.5 sack seasons in ’23 and ’24.  Tavius Robinson has flashed the last two years as a pass rusher. Zion Young was the Ravens 2nd round pick out of Missouri. John Jenkins and Broderick Washington give the DL additional beef and depth. Mike Green had 3.5 sacks as a rookie. In Year 2, it feels like he could really emerge with the attention Hendrickson figures to command. I’ve seen a lot of complaints about Roquan Smith from Ravens fans the last two years. NFL Executives and Coaches recently ranked him as the 2nd best Off-Ball LB entering ’26.

Question – Hendrickson missed 10 games during ’25, and had a core muscle surgery in December. Obviously the Ravens need him consistently available. Madubuike being back at all is a win. The question right now is what level is he at? He was awesome in ’23. ’24 was a bit of a step back. In ’25 he was limited to 2 games. Can he stay available? How good is he right now? How many snaps a game is realistic?  It’s Year 4 for Trenton Simpson. There is an opportunity for him to step-up, will he take it? Teddye Buchanan had a very nice Rookie season last year, and then suffered an ACL tear in December. The Ravens seem to be very enthusiastic about Buchanan getting back sooner than later, but we will still need to see it.

Like – The Ravens starting Secondary is Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks, Nate Wiggins, Chidobe Awuzie, and Marlon Humphrey.  Hamilton is the best there is. Starks and Wiggins both have pedigree and upside.That’s a strong group, which will only be better if there is a more consistent pass rush in-front of them as expected. Jaylinn Hawkins, and TJ Tampa are good depth. Keyon Martin, and Chandler Rivers will fight for time at the Slot Corner.

Question – Humphrey struggled often during ’25, targeted often by opposing QB’s and he was picked on. Part of that was nagging injuries, and part of that was him just being that much older. This is year 10 for Humphrey. Generally, I feel like he’s been under appreciated. He’s a 2x All-Pro (the last being ’24), and a 4x Pro Bowler. He doesn’t have to lead this group at this point of his career, but he can really elevate this group overall if he rebounds from last year. Year 2 for Starks, I want to see him fully emerge this year.  Similarly it’s Year 3 for Wiggins. In ’25, his snap count went way up, and he had moments where he looked good. He also had times that like Humphrey he was picked on. Came out after the season that he spent most of the 2nd half of ’25 dealing with a nagging groin-injury. By all accounts, he’s having a quality Training Camp. He’s supposedly added some needed strength. He doesn’t have to be Deion Sanders or Darrelle Revis locking down half the field; but you need him taking the challenge of matching-up against the best opposing WR each week.

Question – Prior to ’25, game-day kicking footballs were kept under lock and key by game officials and handed to special teams units right before kickoff. Those balls were stiff. Before the ’25 season, a rule change allowed for teams to get 60 balls before the season to break in. This created a ’25 season where kickers had the average distance of field goal makes rise considerably. This will continue in ’26.  Basically there is a before and after in evaluating kicking from ’25 on.  Tyler Loop joined the Ravens last year as a Rookie, having to replace the greatest ever Kicker in the pre 2025 environment. That was hard enough. During his rookie campaign, he generally looked uncomfortable. He was 30 of 34 on FG attempts, and made 8 of 9 attempts from 40-49 yards, but was just 1 of 3 from 50+.  The miss from 40-49 was the 44 yard attempt vs. Pittsburgh in Week 18. Beyond the misses, after years of watching Tucker hit attempts down the middle, it was a bit eye-brow raising to see Loop look less accurate. He also missed 2 extra-points. Part of me wants to give Loop the benefit of the doubt. Believe he was in a tough position replacing someone that was historically great. Figure he will be better going into Year 2.  The other part of me thinks he’s one bad miss early in the year from completely losing the fanbase.  That’s not a great situation. Also, when the entire league is now attempting and hitting from greater distances; more needs to be asked of him this season.  We will see how he responds. At Punter, Jordan Stout had a Pro Bowl season and left to join Harbaugh in New York. The Ravens replaced him with their 6th round selection Ryan Eckley.  How good Loop and Eckley are will directly influence multiple games.

Like – In 2024 the Defense finished 6th in Defensive DVOA, and in ’25 they finished 16th. Even coming off of that ’24 ranking, there weren’t a lot of local backers for former Ravens DC Zach Orr. As the team production dropped in ’25, Orr absorbed most of the criticism. Fair or not, I like that the Ravens moved on. Not just because I think the new staff will be better, but because it allows the fanbase to turn the page as well. Minter is going to be the primary defensive play-caller. So, not only are you getting his strengths as a Coach – the buck falls on him.  Harbaugh had / has his strengths, but it was tiring over the years to hear how many times he absolved himself from the decision making process of his Coordinators. Minter has a great reputation as a defensive coach. The Ravens saw that first hand when he was here during his first stint as an Assistant. What he did at Michigan, and with the Chargers as their DC speaks for itself.  Bringing on Anthony Weaver (former Raven player and Coach) as the DC, with a focus on the Front 7 seems like a win. As does bringing on Mike Mickens for the Secondary.  Everything you read says the Ravens Defense is going to be ‘fast, violent, aggressive.’  Their going to be hunting turnovers. Their going to be more advanced schematically. And they have the players to be versatile.  On Offense, Doyle was the Coordinator last year for Chicago and had success. Love seeing the reports about how players are raving about his attention to detail.

Question – I’m excited about the Coaching changes.  But the flip-side does have to be mentioned. You went from long-term stability to a first time NFL Head Coach. Being great at X’s and O’s (which Minter is regarded as) doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be great at leading men.  A Coordinator’s job is more about scheme.  A Head Coach’s job is more about keeping everyone rowing in the same direction. When it’s Training Camp, and everyone is excited about a new season, it’s relatively easy to stand in-front of the Press.  When you’ve had a tough loss, that job will become harder.  When/if the team faces real adversity, how do you respond? My sense is that 43 year old Minter will handle things well. I expect he will be able to connect with the locker-room. But there will be questions that are unanswerable until you see them unfold. I’m not going to be rooting for the Ravens to lose 4 of 5 games, or for Minter to make a poor decision with the clock. But if something like that happens, and the public becomes a bit antsy; is Minter able to keep the team focused?