Quarterback

Going into 2025, the Ravens had high expectations, after finishing the 2024 season ranked 1st in schedule adjusted efficiency. However, they finished the season 8-9 and out of the playoffs entirely, as everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Their defense was ravaged by injuries, totaling the 3rd most adjusted games lost to injury in the league. Their offense did not have the same total amount of injuries, but they had the most important one, as quarterback Lamar Jackson wasn’t healthy for most of the season, even if he only actually missed 4 games. 

Despite all that, the Ravens still would have made the playoffs if they hadn’t missed a makeable field goal at the end of their week 18 winner-take-all clash for the division against the Steelers. In total, the Ravens went 1-4 in one-score games and if just one or two of those had flipped, they still would have made the post-season, despite all of their injuries. In terms of schedule adjusted efficiency, the Ravens finished the season ranked 11th, including a 11th ranked offense and a 15th ranked defense.

Jackson’s injuries primarily affected his rushing ability, as he averaged just 5.1 carries per game and 3.98 yards per carry in nine games after suffering his first injury, down from 9.8 carries per game and 6.06 yards per carry in 107 total starts in his career. His passing numbers were still in line with his career averages, completing 63.6% of his passes (64.8% for his career), for 8.44 YPA (7.83 for his career), and 21 touchdowns to 7 interceptions (187 to 56 for his career), but his rushing ability is what makes him special and that was severely hampered last season as he tried to play through multiple lower body injuries.

This now makes it four seasons out of seven full seasons as a starter in which he has suffered some sort of significant injury. His rushing ability is what makes him special, but it also puts him in harm’s way more often than most quarterbacks and, as he gets older, injuries will only become more frequent and will likely lead to him not playing at an elite level for as long as most elite quarterbacks. However, in his three healthy seasons, he has either been the MVP or the MVP runner up and he’s still only going into his age 29 season, so his upside is as high as any quarterback in the league if he can avoid significant injuries.

The Ravens weirdly opted to bring in Cooper Rush as their backup quarterback last off-season, even though he is stylistically the opposite as Jackson, rather than bringing back long-time backup Tyler Huntley, who was closer to Jackson stylistically and more familiar with the scheme, but the Ravens opted to change course mid-season after Rush struggled in Jackson’s absence. Huntley only ended up throwing 67 passes all season, but he played as well as he ever had, completing 77.6% of his passes for an average of 6.36 YPA, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions, while also adding 6.29 YPC on 24 carries. 

Huntley was kept this off-season to give them a trusted insurance policy in case Jackson misses more time. In six seasons in the league, Huntley has started 16 games and completed 66.2% of his passes for an average of 5.93 YPA, 13 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while rushing for 4.82 YPC and 5 touchdowns on 165 carries. He’s obviously a downgrade from Jackson and the Ravens would be in a lot of trouble if Jackson missed significant time again, but Huntley is at least a better option than Rush. The Ravens would likely be back to being Super Bowl contenders if Jackson is at his best, but that is a big if.

Grade: A

Offensive Line

One big problem for the Ravens’ offense is the center position, where Tyler Linderbaum, who was one of the best centers in the league last season, left as a free agent and, in his absence, they have arguably the worst center situation in the league. Free agent addition Danny Pinter is the only player on their roster with any real experience at center. A veteran utility linemen, Pinter has only made ten starts in six seasons in the league, seven of which came at center, and he has been a liability wherever he has played. Now going into his age 30 season, I would expect him to be a massive liability if he becomes a full-time starter for the first time in his career.

Other options include Corey Bullock, a 2024 undrafted free agent who has played 13 career snaps and 2023 7th round pick Jovaughn Gwyn, who has only played 11 career snaps, as well as potentially Andrew Vorhees, who has never played center and who was benched at guard after being a liability across 20 career starts, and Emery Jones, a hybrid guard/tackle who played 48 snaps as a 3rd round rookie last season and who has also never played center. Center figures to be a big position of weakness for the Ravens’ offense this season.

Guard was a position of weakness for the Ravens last season, with Vorhees and free agent departure Daniel Faalele both being liabilities as the starters. The right guard position was definitely upgraded, with the Ravens using their first round pick on Vega Ioane, who was the best pure guard prospect in the draft and could easily be an above average starter immediately. The left guard position is a little bit more of a concern, with the Ravens set to start free agent addition John Simpson, who they signed to a 3-year, 30 million dollar deal this off-season.

This is a reunion for Ravens and Simpson, who started 17 games at left guard in Baltimore in 2023, but he struggled that season, as he has throughout most of his career (72 starts in six seasons in the league). The exception was 2024, when he was a solid starter in 17 starts with the Jets, so it is possible the Ravens could get at least decent play out of him, but most likely he will be a liability, albeit not necessarily a downgrade from Vorhees. It’s also possible the Ravens bench Simpson for Emery Jones, who fits best at guard and has the talent to potentially start long-term, but Simpson’s contract, which includes 17.5 million guaranteed, suggests he will at least get the first chance to start.

The tackle position is a position of relative strength for the Ravens. Ronnie Stanley has been a high level left tackle in his career and was a well above average starter as recently as 2024, but he has had a lot of injuries in his career, missing time in all ten seasons in the league, with 45 games missed total, and he is now heading into his age 32 season. Between his age and injury history, he has definitely seen better days and could easily continue declining and continue being injury prone in 2026.

With Stanley aging and being injury prone and uncertainty on the interior of the offensive line, it is  very possible right tackle Roger Rosengarten will be the Ravens’ best offensive lineman this season. A 2nd round pick in 2024, Rosengarten was a solid starter as a rookie and then was better in year two, especially excelling in pass protection, ranking 2nd among offensive tackles in pass block win rate and allowing just 3 sacks all season. He’s a bright spot on an offensive line that could easily be underwhelming overall, with likely weaknesses at center and guard.

Grade: B-

Receiving Corps

The Ravens’ receiving corps was also a bit of a weakness last season. Zay Flowers put up big numbers as the #1 receiver, totaling a 86/1210/5 slash line with 2.53 yards per route run on 118 targets, a career best year for the 2023 1st round pick who also had 77/858/5 slash line with 1.64 yards per route run on 106 targets in 2023 and a 74/1059/4 slash line with 2.25 yards per route run on 116 targets in 2024. However, no other Ravens pass catcher had more than 422 receiving yards last season. Part of that is because the Ravens ranked dead last in the league in pass attempts last season with 422, while also missing their starting quarterback for four games, but the receivers themselves were part of the problem too.

The Ravens also had some pass catchers depart in free agent this off-season, losing wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who played sparingly and who only had a 22/330/2 slash line, but who averaged 1.63 yards per route run, Isaiah Likely, who was once a solid #2 tight end, but struggled last season after missing time with a foot injury early in the year, totaling a 27/307/1 slash line and 1.29 yards per route run, and Charlie Kolar, a great blocking tight end who flashed potential as a receiver with 1.39 yards per route run, but who ultimately only had a 10/142/2 slash line. The Ravens didn’t add any notable veterans to replace them, instead using 3rd and 4th round picks on wide receivers Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt and 4th and 5th round picks on tight ends Matt Hibner and Josh Cuevas. All will have the opportunity to earn significant year one roles.

Zay Flowers should remain the clear #1 receiver, still only going into his age 26 season, but either of the rookies could end the season as the #2 receiver, with their competition being Rashod Bateman, who has only averaged 1.32 yards per route run in his career, and Devontez Walker, a 2024 4th round pick who has flashed potential thus far in his career (1.94 yards per route run), but only across 220 total snaps. Hibner and Cuevas, meanwhile, will compete for the #2 tight end role with mediocre veteran free agent addition Durham Smythe, who has averaged 0.91 yards per route run in eight seasons in the league and isn’t much better as a blocker.

Mark Andrews will remain the #1 tight end, but he is a bit of a concern too and, going into his age 31 season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Cuevas and Hibner were in part brought in to potentially replace him long-term. Andrews used to be a great receiving tight end, averaging a 71/904/8 slash line per 17 games and 2.11 yards per route run prior to last season, but he fell to a 48/422/5 slash line on 70 targets in 17 games last season, with just 1.23 yards per route run. Now going into his age 31 season, it is likely that Andrews has seen his best days, even if it’s possible he is a little better in 2026 than he was in 2025. This receiving corps has a lot of rookies who could play significant roles, but it is possible they are better overall than they were a year ago if a couple of the rookies are ahead of schedule.

Grade: B-

Running Backs

Running back Derrick Henry still had a great season in 2025, though he wasn’t quite as good as he was in 2024, going from 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns on 325 carries (5.91 YPC) to 1,595 yards and 16 touchdowns on 307 carries (5.20 YPC). In total in his career, he has 13,018 yards and 122 touchdowns on 2,662 carries (4.89 YPC), while averaging 3.64 yards per carry after contact, a 19.0% missed tackle rate, and a 50.9% carry success rate. Henry is going into his age 32 season, which is well past when most even elite running backs start to decline, but Henry has managed to buck the normal trend for his position. He could decline in 2026, which would hurt this offense, but he would have to decline significantly to be less than an above average runner.

Henry’s weakness has always been the passing game, as he has averaged just 1.15 yards per route run and a 21/200/1 slash line per 17 games in his career, but Henry needs to come off the field at some point anyway and taking him out in obvious passing situations has never been a big deal for his teams. Justice Hill has been the primary passing down back over the past three seasons, averaging 1.28 yards per route run and a 38/314/2 slash line per 17 games in that role, and he should remain in that role in 2026. In fact, the Ravens should get more out of him, after injuries limited him to 10 games last season. 

Hill is not much of a runner, with 3.2 carries per game in his career, including just 18 total carries last season, but that would only be an issue if Derrick Henry got hurt and missed multiple games, something that has only happened to him once in his career. The Ravens did plan for the future at the running back position a little bit this off-season, using a 5th round pick on Adam Randall, who would need an injury ahead of him on the depth chart to see any sort of role as a rookie, but who could be in the mix for a role long-term. Derrick Henry’s age is a concern, as is the Ravens’ lack of proven running back depth behind him, but Henry’s upside is still high enough to significantly elevate this position group by himself.

Grade: A-

Edge Defenders

While the Ravens’ offense still has concerns even if Lamar Jackson can stay healthy, with Tyler Linderbaum gone and both Derrick Henry and Mark Andrews on the wrong side of 30, the Ravens’ defense is the biggest reason why they should have a big jump in win total this season. I already mentioned that they should be healthier, after having the third most adjusted games lost to injury last season on that side of the ball. On top of that, they replaced long-time head coach John Harbaugh with a new defensive minded head coach in Jesse Minter, who has gotten the most out of his players whenever he has called plays, something he will continue to do as head coach, and the Ravens also added Trey Hendrickson, the best available free agent edge defender, who upgrades a position that was a significant weakness last season. 

Only one Ravens edge defender had even a 10% pressure rate or better last season and that was Dre’Mont Jones, who only played 9 games for the team, being acquired in a mid-season trade. Jones is gone, but Hendrickson replaces him and he has been one of the best pass rushers in the league over the past few seasons, totaling 74.5 sacks, 79 hits, and a 15.7% pressure rate in 87 games since 2020. He leaves something to be desired as a run defender, he only played in 7 games due to injury last season, and he is now going into his age 32 season and could start to decline, but he doesn’t have a significant injury history outside of last season (four games missed in the previous five seasons) and, even if he declines as a pass rusher, he should still be a significant upgrade for this team in that department. 

The Ravens also used a second round pick on edge defender Zion Young and they have last year’s second round pick Mike Green, who could take a step forward in year two, after struggling both against the run and as a pass rusher (3 sacks, 10 hits, and a 8.5% pressure rate) as a rookie. Tavius Robinson should also see snaps, although hopefully not too many, as he has struggled across 424 snaps per season since being selected in the 4th round in 2023, particularly struggling as a pass rusher, with just a career 6.5% pressure rate. The addition of Trey Hendrickson and Zion Young plus potential improvement from Mike Green should minimize the amount Robinson has to play in an overall improved position group from a year ago.

Grade: B

Interior Defenders

The biggest injury the Ravens had on defense last season was interior defender Nnamdi Madubuike, who missed all but two games with a serious neck injury. Madubuike is only an average run defender, but he was one of the best interior pass rushers in the league prior to the injury, totaling 21.5 sacks, 29 hits, and a 11.4% pressure rate in 36 games since the start of the 2023 season, and he is still only in his age 29 season, so getting him back should really help this defense, even if he might not be 100% in his first year back.

In addition to getting Madubuike back from injury, the Ravens also get back Calais Campbell, a free agent addition who played for the team from 2020-2022. Campbell is the oldest defender in the league, going into his age 40 season, but he still played pretty well last season in a rotational role, playing at a slightly above average level both against the run and as a pass rusher across 524 total snaps, totaling 6.5 sacks, 9 hits, and a 9.7% pressure rate as a pass rusher. 

Campbell obviously isn’t what he was in his prime, when he was one of the best players in the league at his position, but the fact that he is still contributing in a meaningful way at his age is incredible. It’s always possible that he declines significantly this year, given his age, but he has kept himself in great shape and has rarely gotten hurt, missing just 15 total games in his career, with none missed since 2022. He was at the very least a worthwhile re-addition for the Ravens and likely will contribute in a meaningful role as a rotational player this season.

Madubuike and Campbell add to a position group that was led last season by Travis Jones, who stepped up in Madubuike’s absence to play at a career best level across a career high 743 snaps. At his best against the run, Jones also totaled 5 sacks, 4 hits, and a 9.8% pressure rate last season. He also played at an above average level overall across snap counts of 452 and 599 in 2023 and 2024 respectively and he has totaled 7.5 sacks, 11 hits, and a 8.6% pressure rate in 50 games over the past three seasons, in addition to playing at a high level against the run. Still in his prime in his age 27 season, he should continue being an above average pass rusher and run defender, though probably across a smaller snap count, with Madubuike back and Campbell being added.

The Ravens also get Broderick Washington back from an injury that limited him to 102 snaps in 3 games last season, but he has been a consistently below average rotational player in his career and, in a better position group than a year ago, he shouldn’t play more than deep reserve snaps, barring injuries ahead of him on the depth chart. The Ravens also still have John Jenkins, who ranked 2nd among Ravens interior defenders with 523 snaps played last season. Even going into his age 37 season, he is still a decent run defender at 6-3 327 and will probably continue having a limited role in that capacity, but he has never been a good pass rusher (5.2% pressure rate for his career, 3.9% pressure rate last season) and should not see as many snaps as he did last season, especially given his age. In a deeper and more talented position group than a year ago, he won’t have to.

Grade: A-

Linebackers

One of the Ravens’ best defensive players last season was Roquan Smith, who again played at an above average level, both in coverage and against the run, which he has done for several seasons in a row. He was also relatively healthy, only missing two games, which continues a trend for him, with only eight games missed in eight seasons in the league. He should still be in his prime in his age 29 season in 2026, so he should continue playing at a similar level.

The rest of this linebacking corps was a weakness last season though and should remain one this season. Teddye Buchanan, a rookie 4th round pick, started the first 14 of the first 15 games of the season, playing 652 snaps total, and he played about how you’d expect a 4th round rookie linebacker would in a significant role, faring slightly below average. He then tore his ACL and missed the rest of the season, leaving Trenton Simpson as the starter. Simpson had previously been the starter in 2024 before Buchanan beat him out as a rookie and, as you’d expect out of a player who was replaced by a 4th round rookie, Simpson struggled in both 2024 and 2025, across snap counts of 654 and 406 respectively. 

Simpson was a 3rd round rookie in 2023 and is still only going into his age 25 season, so he could have some untapped upside, but he is probably best as a reserve. Buchanan, meanwhile, would be a candidate to take a step forward in year two under normal circumstances, but recovering from a significant injury complicates his projection. He will probably return to the starting role whenever he is able to return, but that might not be in week 1 and he could continue struggling upon his return. Roquan Smith elevates this position group somewhat, but the rest of the bunch is a concern. 

Grade: B

Secondary

The Ravens’ best defensive player last season was safety Kyle Hamilton and that figures to continue being the case in 2026, even with an improved supporting cast. Hamilton has played at an All-Pro level in each of the past three seasons and is still only going into his age 25 season, so his best days could still be in front of him. The 2022 1st round pick has the potential to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2026, or sometime in the near future. Hamilton will continue to start opposite Malaki Starks, the Ravens’ 2025 1st round pick who was solid in 17 starts as a rookie. He could easily take another step forward in 2026 and become an above average starter. 

Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey remain as the starting outside cornerbacks in sub packages. Wiggins, the Ravens’ 1st round pick in 2024, has been solid in two seasons in the league, across snap counts of 679 and 1,029 respectively. He was a little better as a rookie in a smaller role than he was in 2025, but he could easily bounce back in 2026 or have his best season yet, still only in his age 23 season, with a high upside. Humphrey, meanwhile, is also a former first round pick, back in 2017. He’s mostly been an above average starter in his career (113 starts in 131 games in nine seasons in the league), but he was closer to an average starter in 2025 and now is heading into his age 30 season, so his best days could be behind him. 

The 5th defensive back job in sub packages is up for grabs, with the Ravens losing safety Alohi Gilman this off-season, after he was decent in that role last season. The Ravens signed free agent Jaylinn Hawkins and he started 15 games for the Patriots last season, meaning they could continue primarily using three safeties together in sub packages, but Hawkins was marginal at best last season, which is on par with how he’s played in his career (47 starts in 90 games in 6 seasons in the league), so he is at least somewhat of a downgrade from Gilman. 

The other option is veteran cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who played 558 snaps last season and was decent. He has been an average to above average cornerback in his career (86 starts in 108 games in nine seasons in the league), but he is going into his age 31 season, so he isn’t what he used to be. He also has a pretty significant injury history, missing 34 games in the past six seasons combined. At the very least, he figures to have somewhat of a role in this defense regardless of whether or not he is the primary 5th defensive back and, in a limited role, he is not a bad option. 

The Ravens also added Chandler Rivers in the 5th round of the draft to give them a potential long-term option, though he is unlikely to have a role as a rookie unless multiple injuries happen ahead of him on the depth chart. The downgrade from Alohi GIlman to Jaylinn Hawkins hurts this secondary a little bit, but this unit was the strength of the Ravens’ defense last season and should be almost as good this year as it was a year ago.

Grade: A-

Kickers

Tyler Loop famously missed the week 18 kick that would have sent the Ravens to the post-season last season, but the 2025 6th round pick was all-around not that bad as a rookie, finishing with 1.25 points below average. Possessing a high upside, Loop could take a step forward in his second season in the league and become at least a league average kicker, though that is not a guarantee.

Grade: B

Conclusion

The Ravens may or may not get a healthier season from Lamar Jackson in 2026 than they did in 2025 and they also lost talented center Tyler Linderbaum, while Derrick Henry and Mark Andrews are on the wrong side of 30, so their offense is questionable, but their defense should be a lot better with Nnamdi Madubuike healthy and Trey Hendrickson being added, as well as talented defense mind Jesse Minter taking over as head coach. After ranking 11th in schedule adjusted efficiency overall last season, I would expect them to at least be a top-10 team this season, even if everything doesn’t go according to plan, which should translate to a lot of wins, against a relatively weak schedule. If Lamar Jackson can play at or close to his peak form, the Ravens should be in the mix to be the top team in the AFC.

Prediction: 13-4, 1st in AFC North

Quarterback

The Ravens had the most efficient offense in the league last season, leading the league in both yards per play (6.85) and first down rate (36.22%). They were led by quarterback Lamar Jackson, who had one of the best seasons ever by a quarterback. Jackson completed 66.7% of his passes for an average of 8.80 YPA, 41 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions, good for a 119.6 QB rating, the 4th best single season QB rating of all time. That alone would have been highly impressive, but the dual threat Jackson also added 915 yards and 4 touchdowns on 139 carries (6.58 YPC), good for the 7th most rushing yards ever by a quarterback in a season. The Ravens lost in the second round of the post-season, but they still had 7.30 yards per play and a 40.35% first down rate in that game, losing because they lost the turnover margin by 3, a metric which tends to be very volatile on a week-to-week basis. 

As is usually the case when you have the best offense in the league and an all-time great season by a quarterback, there isn’t anywhere to go but down, but Jackson has had some other very elite seasons in his career, winning the MVP in 2019 and 2023 with QB ratings of 113.3 and 102.7 and rushing totals of 1,206 and 821 respectively. In his other three seasons as a starter (2020, 2021, and 2022), Jackson wasn’t as good, combining for a 92.5 QB rating and averaging 845 rushing yards per season, while missing 12 games and seeing all three seasons end with injuries, but, overall, Jackson has established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

Jackson hasn’t missed a game with injury since 2022, but he still does have a concerning injury history and takes more hits than the average quarterback because of his playing style, so the Ravens prioritized upgrading the backup quarterback spot this off-season, signing ex-Cowboy Cooper Rush. Rush is a career backup who has only made 14 starts in 8 seasons in the league, but his 83.8 QB rating isn’t bad for a backup. He would obviously be a huge downgrade from Jackson if he had to step in and play, but the same can be said of any quarterback backing up an elite quarterback like Jackson, so that isn’t necessarily a knock on Rush as a backup.

Grade: A

Offensive Line

Jackson also had a great supporting cast around him last season, arguably the best he’s ever had and, while there are some reasons to be concerned that his supporting cast won’t be quite as good again in 2025, the Ravens do return 10 of 11 starters from a year ago. The one who didn’t is left guard Patrick Mekari and, while he was barely decent with a 60.4 PFF grade across 998 snaps, his likely replacement Andrew Vorhees looks like a clear downgrade, as the 2023 7th round pick made the first three starts of his career last season and had just a 57.2 PFF grade.

Other left guard options include 3rd round rookie Emery Jones, a collegiate tackle, who could move inside, Ben Cleveland, a disappointing 2021 3rd round pick who has played just 670 nondescript snaps in four seasons in the league (seven starts), and Joe Noteboom, who has finished above 60 on PFF in four of seven seasons in the league, but who is a career backup with 35 starts in seven seasons in the league, just 11 of which came at guard, and who is now going into his age 30 season. Whoever ends up with the starting job would likely be a liability. 

The rest of this offensive line should stay the same in 2025, but there is some concern about left tackle Ronnie Stanley. A 2016 first round pick, Stanley was an elite player early in his career and he received a 71.4 PFF grade in 17 starts last season, but that was his best single season PFF grade since 2020 and from 2020-2023 injuries cost him 36 games. It’s possible Stanley has put his injuries behind him and will continue being an above average starter, but that’s far from a guarantee, especially since Stanley is now entering his age 31 season.

Center Tyler Linderbaum was the Ravens’ best offensive lineman last season, with a 78.1 PFF grade, which is in line with how the 2022 1st round pick has played throughout his career, finishing with PFF grades of 74.7 and 78.3 in his first two seasons in the league, while making 49 of a possible 51 starts in three seasons in the league. Still only going into his age 25 season, Linderbaum’s best years could still be ahead of him and, even if they aren’t, he should still remain a well above average center in 2025 and beyond.

On the right side, the Ravens have a pair of players who were first-time starters last season. Right tackle Roger Rosenstein was a 2nd round rookie and had a decent 66.9 PFF grade. He should remain a capable starter with the upside for more, now going into his second season in the league. Right guard Daniel Faalele, meanwhile, is a 2022 4th round pick who had a 60.5 PFF grade last season, after playing just 355 mediocre snaps in his first two seasons prior. Faalele should remain an underwhelming starting option again in 2025. Overall, this offensive line has some talent, but also some concerns, especially with Patrick Mekari gone and Ronnie Stanley getting up there in age with a history of injury and inconsistency.

Grade: B

Receiving Corps

Nelson Agholor, the Ravens #3 receiver last season, was not technically a starter on this offense, given how much the Ravens use two tight end sets, and he only played 420 snaps, but he wasn’t retained this off-season either. He was mediocre last season though, with a 14/231/2 slash line and 1.11 yards per route run, and the Ravens likely upgraded on him by signing DeAndre Hopkins instead. Hopkins was once a perennial 1000+ yard receiver, surpassing that number in seven of ten seasons from 2014-2023, with an average slash line of 88/1155/8 and 2.13 yards per route run over that stretch, but he fell to a 56/610/5 slash line in 2024 and now is going into his age 33 season.

Part of his struggles last season have to do with him being traded mid-season and struggling to pick up the playbook in his new home in Kansas City and, even still, he did have a decent 1.71 yards per route run average on the season, mostly limited by a lack of playing time. Having a full off-season with his new team in Baltimore should help him but, given his age, it’s highly unlikely he will bounce back to his prime form and it’s possible he could decline further.

Fortunately, the Ravens won’t need a big role out of Hopkins unless one of their other pass catchers gets hurt. Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman were their top-2 wide receivers in 2024, finishing with a 74/1059/4 slash line on 116 targets with 2.25 yards per route run and a 45/756/9 slash line on 72 targets with 1.69 yards per route run respectively. Flowers, a 2023 first round pick, also had a 77/858/5 slash line on 108 targets with 1.64 yards per route run as a rookie and looks likely to remain an above average wide receiver for years to come.

Bateman is also a former first round pick, selected in 2021, and, while he hasn’t quite lived up to his draft slot, he was a useful #2 receiver in 2024. Last season was a career best season for him though and he’s only averaged 1.46 yards per route run in his career, while missing 15 games across his first three seasons in the league prior to last season, so he could regress and/or miss more time with injury in 2025, but it’s also possible he’s permanently turned a corner as a player and, even if he does miss more time with injury, the Ravens have a better insurance policy now with Hopkins being added. 

The Ravens top-2 tight ends also played significant roles last season, as Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely finished with snap counts of 683 and 626 respectively. In the passing game, they had a 55/673/11 slash line on 69 targets and 1.88 yards per route run and a 42/477/6 slash line on 58 targets and 1.55 yards per route run respectively. Andrews is an accomplished veteran with an average 62/790/7 slash line on 90 targets with 2.12 yards per route run in seven seasons in the league, but he’s heading into his age 30 season and could start to decline soon. 

Meanwhile Likely, a 2022 4th round pick, is starting to come into his own, posting career highs in catches, yards, targets, touchdowns, and yards per route run last season, after a 36/373/3 slash line on 60 targets with 1.39 yards per route run as a rookie and a 30/411/5 slash line on 40 targets with 1.45 yards per route run in his second season in the league in 2023. With Likely still only going into his age 25 season, we could see this tight end split shift even more in his direction in 2025, though both figure to remain heavily involved in the offense, after the Ravens ranked 5th in the league with 30.2% of their targets going to tight ends last season.

Outside of their top-3 wide receivers and top-2 tight ends, the Ravens lack experienced depth. However, Charlie Kolar, the #3 tight end, has flashed potential in very limited action (517 snaps) through three seasons in the league since being selected in the 4th round in 2022, averaging 2.05 yards per route run, while impressing as a blocker. On top of that, while #4 wide receiver Tylan Wallace has only averaged 1.10 yards per route run in four seasons since being selected in the 4th round in 2021, he did have a 1.77 yards per route run average last season. This is a talented receiving corps overall.

Grade: A-

Running Backs

A big part of why the Ravens’ offense was so successful last season is that Lamar Jackson had by far the best running back he had ever played with, as Derrick Henry excelled in the Ravens’ offense in his first season in Baltimore, turning back the clock to rush for 325 yards and 1,921 touchdowns on 16 carries (5.91 YPC). Henry is a future Hall of Famer who rushed for 3,567 yards and 33 touchdowns on 681 carries (5.24 YPC) in a 2-year span from 2019-2020, but he fell to just a 4.29 YPC over the next three seasons, totaling 3,642 yards and 35 touchdowns on 848 carries, in part due to a declining offense around him in Tennessee, but also seemingly in part due to his age. 

Henry obviously silenced the age concerns last season, but he’s now going into his age 31 season and it’s still fair to note that running backs do tend to drop off in their late 20s and early 30s. In fact, on average, a 28-year-old running back is about 4 times as likely to surpass 1000 yards in a season as a 31-year-old running back like Henry, a huge drop off over just three seasons. Even beyond Henry’s age, the history of running backs after elite seasons like he had last season does not work in his favor. In NFL history, 32 running backs have rushed for at least 1,700 yards in a season prior to 2024. Of those 32 running backs, 29 finished with fewer rushing yards the following season and, on average, running backs who rush for 1,700 yards in a season see their rushing total decline by 35.49% and their yards per carry decline by 14.17%. Henry might not drop off completely in 2025, but odds are against him repeating last season’s dominant performance, which would definitely hurt this offense.

Henry ranked second in the league in carries last season with 325, but the Ravens may try to limit his carries somewhat this season, in an attempt to keep him fresh, especially down the stretch. Obviously Lamar Jackson takes off and runs with the ball frequently, but the rest of the Ravens’ running backs left something to be desired last season. Justice Hill ranked second on the team among running backs with 47 carries last season and, while he took them for 4.85 yards per carry, that was largely the result of primarily playing in long yardage passing situations against defenses expecting a passing play, as Hill had a mediocre 44.7% carry success rate. His numbers last season were largely in line with his career numbers of 4.65 YPC and a 46.4% carry success rate on 250 carries in six seasons in the league, since being selected in the 4th round in 2019.

Hill probably isn’t a candidate for a significantly expanded role as a runner in 2025, but the Ravens should get a healthier season out of Keaton Mitchell, who flashed a lot of promise as a rookie in 2023, with a 8.43 YPC average across 47 carries, before barely playing in 2024 due to injury, limited to 2.00 YPC on 15 carries in five games. Mitchell is a 2023 undrafted free agent who is only 5-8 190, but, if he is back to full health, he could be a useful change of pace back behind Henry.

Hill will likely remain the primary passing down back, after averaging 1.64 yards per route run and posting a 42/383/3 slash line on 51 targets last season, though it’s worth noting that he averaged just 0.72 yards per route run in his first five seasons in the league, so last season’s performance might be a fluke. Derrick Henry has only caught 174 passes in 136 career games though, so he won’t play a big passing down role and, while Mitchell has averaged 2.02 yards per route run in his career, the Ravens probably want to avoid giving him too many touches, leaving Hill to remain the primary passing down back. Derrick Henry probably won’t have as good of a season as he did last season, but he should still remain a talented lead back and the Ravens have a promising passing down back in Justice Hill and a promising change of pace change in Keaton Mitchell as well.

Grade: A

Edge Defenders

The Ravens’ defense wasn’t as good as their offense in 2024, finishing the regular season ranked 6th in yards per play allowed and 10th in first down rate allowed, but they got significantly better down the stretch, ranking #1 in both of those metrics from week 11-18. The primary reason for that was changes they made in their secondary, which I will get into later. Going into 2025, this defense looks very similar to a year ago, particularly on the defensive line and in the linebacking corps.

At the edge defender position, the Ravens return their top-4 in terms of snaps played from a year ago. Kyle Van Noy led the way with a 75.4 PFF grade, particularly playing well as a pass rusher, with 12.5 sacks, 9 hits, and a 12.6% pressure rate. For Van Noy, it was his third season in the past four years above 70 on PFF and his fourth in the past six years, but he’s going into his age 34 season in 2025, so he could easily decline.

With Van Noy getting older, it’s likely that Odafe Oweh will be the Ravens’ top edge defender in 2025. A first round pick in 2021, Oweh got off to a start slow start to his career, with PFF grades of 67.9 and 56.8 across snap counts of 615 and 633 in his first two seasons in the league, but he has come into his own over the past two seasons, with PFF grades of 80.7 and 71.2 on snap counts of 436 and 636, particularly playing well as a pass rusher, with 15 sacks, 22 hits, and a 12.9% pressure rate in 30 games in 2023 and 2024 combined. Still in the prime of his career in his age 27 season, Oweh figures to continue playing at an above average level in 2025.

To potentially offset any decline from Van Noy, the Ravens used a second round pick on Mike Green, who projects as a future starter opposite Oweh. The Ravens also have Tavius Robinson, Adisa Isaac, and David Ojabi. Robinson is a 2023 4th round pick who struggled with a 55.3 PFF grade across 335 snaps as a rookie, before taking a small step forward in year two with a 62.3 PFF grade across 485 snaps. Isaac is a 2024 3rd round pick who only played 32 snaps as a rookie, but who could take a step forward in year two. Ojabo is a 2022 2nd round pick who has largely been a bust to this point in his career, with just 379 snaps played in three seasons in the league, but who still has theoretical upside in his age 25 season in 2025. Kyle Van Noy getting older will hurt this position group, but the Ravens also have a bunch of young options who could take a step forward in 2025.

Grade: B+

Interior Defenders

At the interior defender position, the Ravens bring back their top-3 in terms of snaps played from a year ago. Nnamdi Madbuike led this position group with 812 snaps last season and figures to do so again in 2025. He’s averaged 741 snaps played per season over the past three seasons and has been one of the best interior pass rushers in the league over that time, with 25 sacks, 33 hits, and a 10.3% pressure rate in 51 games. He’s not nearly as good as a run defender, but his pass rush ability makes him a very valuable player and he’s still in his prime, in his age 28 season.

Travis Jones is the Ravens most well rounded interior defender, as the 2022 3rd round pick has finished above 70 on PFF in each of the past two seasons on snap counts of 452 and 599, while finishing above 60 both as a pass rusher and run defender in both seasons. As a pass rusher, he has 2.5 sacks, 7 hits, and a 7.7% pressure rate in 34 games over the past two seasons and he’s been even better against the run. Still only in his age 26 season, he should continue playing at a similar level across a similar snap count in 2025.

Broderick Washington also played a significant role at the interior defender position last season, with 448 snaps played, but he struggled with a 53.5 PFF grade. This is nothing new for him, as the 2020 5th round pick has finished below 60 on PFF in four of five seasons in the league. Also a poor run defender, Washington has just a 5.9% pressure rate in his career. Already in his age 29 season, Washington is who he is at this stage of his career and will likely continue struggling in 2025, but he will have to continue playing a significant role because the Ravens lack a better option. 

The Ravens did lose nose tackle Michael Pierce to retirement this off-season and, though he played just 231 snaps across 11 games, he could still be missed because he excelled with a 80.6 PFF grade. To replace him, the Ravens signed John Jenkins, but he is highly unlikely to be as good as Pierce. Jenkins was a solid run defender in his prime, but he has finished below 60 on PFF in two of the past three seasons, including a 53.1 PFF grade across 606 snaps in 2024, and now he’s heading into his age 36 season. The Ravens did use a 6th round pick on Aeneas Peebles, who has some upside as a developmental project, but he is unlikely to contribute in a significant positive way as a rookie. The Ravens have a pair of talented interior defenders in Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones, but the rest of this group leaves something to be desired.

Grade: B

Linebackers

Starters Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson remain at linebacker. Smith had a down year in 2024 with a 65.2 PFF grade across 992 snaps, after grades of 70.6 and 80.1 on snap counts of 1,039 and 1,066 respectively in 2022 and 2023, but he did get better down the stretch in 2024, with a 75.6 PFF grade from week 11 on, coinciding with the Ravens’ significant defensive improvement down the stretch. Still only in his age 28 season, the former 2018 8th overall pick has a lot of bounce back potential in 2025. 

Simpson, meanwhile, struggled with a 58.7 PFF grade across 654 snaps, leading to him getting benched down the stretch for Malik Harrison, who wasn’t any better, with a 50.4 PFF grade across 371 snaps. Harrison is no longer with the team, which opens the door for Simpson to get back into the starting lineup. The 2023 3rd round pick is only going into his age 24 season and could easily take a step forward in his third season in the league in 2025, but that’s not a guarantee. With Harrison gone, the only competition the Ravens have for him is Teddye Buchanan, a 4th round rookie who will likely begin his career as a reserve and who could easily struggle if forced into a significant role in year one. Roquan Smith has bounce back potential and elevates this position group, but, aside from him, this group is underwhelming.

Grade: B

Secondary

Roquan Smith’s improvement down the stretch is a big part of the reason why the Ravens’ defense improved down the stretch, but the biggest reason is the changes they made in the secondary. To begin the season, Marcus Williams and Ar’Darius Washington played safety together in sub packages, with Kyle Hamilton moving to the slot and Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens being the outside cornerbacks. 

Starting in week 11, Marcus Williams, who had a terrible 42.9 PFF grade, was benched and played just two snaps the rest of the way. In his absence, Washington and Hamilton became every down safeties, Marlon Humphrey moved to the slot in sub packages, and first round rookie Nate Wiggins took on a bigger role as an outside cornerback opposite Brandon Stephens. Washington excelled last season with a 80.3 PFF grade across 726 snaps, but he is a complete one-year wonder, as the 2021 undrafted free agent played just 145 snaps in his first three seasons, and he is also questionable for the 2025 season after an off-season achilles tear. Fortunately, the Ravens used a first round pick on Malaki Starks, who figures to take Washington’s place in the starting lineup. 

Starks might not be as good as Washington was last season, but he comes into the league with a lot of upside. Hamilton, meanwhile, is one of the best safeties in the league, as the 2022 1st round pick has received PFF grades of 82.3, 84.7, and 90.1 in his first three seasons in the league and could still have better days ahead, only going into his age 24 season. The biggest issue at safety with Washington out is depth, as the only other safeties on the roster are 2024 7th round pick Sanoussi Kane, who played 22 snaps as a rookie, 2024 undrafted free agent Beau Brade, who played 11 snaps as a rookie, and a pair of undrafted rookies Desmond igbinosun and Keondre Jackson, all of whom figure to struggle if forced into a significant role by an injury to one of the starters.

At cornerback, Brandon Stephens left as a free agent, but he had a 55.8 PFF grade across 1,047 snaps last season, so that could be addition by subtraction, especially since the Ravens replaced him with Chidobe Awuzie. Awuzie has finished above 60 on PFF in seven of eight seasons in the league, including three seasons above 70, but he does come with some risk, due to his age and injury proneness. He’s going into his age 30 season, hasn’t had a PFF grade above 70 since 2021, and has missed at least eight games in three of the past five seasons, while missing 31 games total over that stretch. 

Awuzie has some upside and it won’t be hard for him to be an upgrade over Brandon Stephens, but he also comes with a lot of downside. The Ravens also lack depth at cornerback, which is a big problem, given Awuzie’s injury history. Their depth options include 2024 4th round pick TJ Tampa, who struggled across 18 snaps as a rookie, 2022 4th round pick Jalyn Armour-Davis, who has played just 172 mediocre snaps in three seasons in the league, and a pair of 6th round pick rookies, Bilhal Kone and Robert Longerbeam, all of whom would likely struggle if forced into a significant role by an injury ahead of them on the depth chart.

Fortunately, Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins remain and are a talented duo. Humphrey was a first round pick in 2017 and has finished above 60 on PFF in all eight seasons in the league, including six seasons above 70 and a career best 81.0 PFF grade across 903 snaps in 2024. He might not be quite as good again in 2025 as he was in a career best year in 2024, but he should remain a high-level cornerback, still only in his late prime in his age 29 season. Wiggins, meanwhile, had a 70.7 PFF grade across 679 snaps as a rookie and could easily take another step forward in year two, still only in his age 22 season. The Ravens’ lack of depth in the secondary is a concern, but their top-3 cornerbacks and top-2 safeties are a very talented group.

Grade: A-

Kicker

Kicker was the Ravens’ Achilles heel last season, as Justin Tucker cost the Ravens 5.24 points compared to an average kicker, a big deal for a team that didn’t lose by more than one score all season. That was surprising, as Tucker is one of the best kickers of all-time, but he was getting up there in age and, between that and some off-the-field accusations that surfaced this off-season, the Ravens made the decision to move on from him and replaced him with 6th round pick Tyler Loop, who was arguably the best kicker in the draft class. It remains to be seen how good Loop can be at the NFL level, but it wouldn’t be hard for him to be a significant upgrade over what Tucker was in 2024.

Grade: B-

Conclusion

The Ravens finished the 2024 season ranked 1st in yards per play differential and first down rate differential, which are more predictive year-to-year than a team’s win/loss record. They were especially good down the stretch and, if not for a fluky turnover margin in a loss to the Bills in which the Ravens won the first down rate battle by 2.67 and the yards per play differential by 7.56%, the Ravens could have gone on a deep playoff run last season. There are some reasons why they might not be quite as good again in 2025, including the fact that they are unlikely to have the fewest adjusted games lost to injury in the league again, but, overall, this looks like one of the best teams in the league.

Prediction: 16-1, 1st in AFC North