The Baltimore Ravens’ 2025 season came to a disappointing finish, with the team missing the playoffs and finishing below .500 (8-9) for only the second time since 2015. They began the year as Super Bowl favorites and ended it getting sent home in early January.
In the wake of this, longtime head coach John Harbaugh was fired. The Ravens are set to bring in an almost entirely new coaching staff now, and all eyes have been on the team’s head coaching search over the past few weeks. Regardless of who the Ravens hire and what coaches fill out the staff, they’re also faced with a number of key questions and decisions at position groups throughout the roster.
Let’s look ahead and break down some of the Ravens’ biggest positional needs to address this offseason and discuss strategy.
Defensive Lineman
The season-ending neck injury to star defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike was easily the Ravens’ most impactful loss of the year. Without Madubuike up front, the Ravens struggled to generate consistent interior pressure. Travis Jones did his very best to shoulder the load but faced regular double teams, and the other defensive linemen were not able to win one-on-one matchups. It didn’t help that Broderick Washington missed almost the entire season as well.
The Ravens were not prepared for an extended Madubuike absence. Unfortunately, signs are suggesting he won’t be available for the 2026 season either. There’s been much uncertainty and cloudiness surrounding his status but it’s possible Madubuike’s career is in jeopardy. Regardless, the Ravens badly need to replenish their defensive line group with pass-rushing talent and impactful players.
Washington is a free agent, leaving Jones, veteran John Jenkins, and 2025 sixth-round pick Aeneas Peebles as the only surefire returning players from last season. Jones is fresh off a career-best season and still possesses untapped star upside. Jenkins is a reliable run-stuffing veteran but is nearing 35 years old. Peebles, meanwhile, is a wild card who the coaching staff didn’t trust enough as a run defender to play him consistently as a rookie.
Some combination of a high-level veteran acquired in free agency or via trade, as well as an early-round draft pick and/or multiple rookies, is likely needed at this position group. The Ravens need more star power up front and upgraded depth behind Jones and others.
Offensive Guard
On the other side of the trenches, both offensive guard spots were the weak points of the Ravens’ offensive line in 2025 and caused recurring issues. Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele did not develop the way the Ravens were betting on and instead performed inconsistently throughout the year. Not all of the team’s struggles up front can be attributed to the guards, but they were not reliable enough at all — particularly in pass protection.
The Ravens have long patchworked their guard positions through cost-friendly veterans and mid-to-late round draft pick fliers. They’ve opted to invest greater resources at center and offensive tackle. This may be the offseason where they need to change this strategy, especially with Tyler Linderbaum’s status in question (more on that later). Vorhees is under contract still while Faalele is a free agent. There should be a wide-open competition at each starting guard spot heading into 2026.
In last year’s draft, the Ravens used a third-round pick on Emery Jones Jr. He spent the entire offseason period and first half of the regular season recovering from a shoulder injury. When finally healthy, Jones received limited playing time but flashed athletic ability and upside when on the field. With some proper development this spring and summer, Jones could develop into a starter-ready offensive guard.
The Ravens would be well-served to draft another interior offensive lineman in the first few rounds this coming April but also acquiring an experience veteran. Having a sturdy, reliable guard like a Kevin Zeitler or previously Marshal Yanda would go a long way in shoring up the offensive line play as a whole.
Edge Rusher
In addition to adding more pass-rushing juice on the interior defensive line, the Ravens will once again be in the market for edge rusher help this offseason. It was a tumutlous 2025 season for this position group and their production dropped off significantly in 2025 compared to the prior season.
Odafe Oweh, who was expected to make a further leap to stardom, was surprisingly traded in the middle of the season after a slow start. Adisa Isaac was sidelined the entire year and David Ojabo failed to develop into a contributor. The only regulars from start to finish were Kyle Van Noy, Mike Green, and Tavius Robinson, but the latter also missed a few games with a foot injury.
The Ravens traded for veteran Dre’Mont Jones at the deadline, who made a positive impact over the final stretch of the season. Jones in a free agent but is a candidate to be re-signed at a reasonable price tag. Van Noy showed signs of aging and would be best utilized in a lower-snap rotational role in 2026. Mike Green has room to grow but high upside, and Tavius Robinson is a solid all-around piece.
If the Ravens retain both Jones and Van Noy, the group as a whole is not bare. However, the Ravens don’t have a game-changer type of pass-rusher who can wreak havoc and consistently win one-on-one matchups. That’s something they’ve been missing for many years now. Acquiring a high-level veteran via signing or trade could make a big impact. Their recent early-round draft picks on edge rushers have not yielded great results, which is part of the reason why this position is a big need to address again this year.
Cornerback
Expectations were high for the Ravens’ cornerback room entering the 2025 season. After signing veterans Jaire Alexander and Chidobe Awuzie, to join Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins, the team had arguably cornerback group in the league on paper. Unfortunately, the season did not play out greatly and expectations weren’t met.
Alexander barely played as he dealt with a knee injury and was ultimately released. Humphrey had one of the worst seasons of his career after making an All-Pro team in 2024. Wiggins had some nice moments in Year 2, particularly early in the season, but gave up too many big plays and didn’t make a huge sophomore jump.
Awuzie, meanwhile, had a nice all-around season and played worthy of being re-signed. Humphrey’s decline in performance and pricy contract complicates his future. He’s long been one of the Ravens’ best defenders, but it’s difficult to warrant paying him such a high salary based on his struggles in 2025. Humphrey’s skill set may be better utilized in a safety role than as a coverage cornerback now. If he’d be willing to make a position transition and rework his contract to free up cap space, that might be best for all parties.
The Ravens have invested more resources at cornerback than front-seven positions on defense recently, which needs to be balanced out. Still, they could use more reinforcements at this spot again this offseason. As is, they’ll be relying on Wiggins to take a big step forward, Humphrey to bounce in his age-30 season after a poor 2025 performance, and a slew of young, unproven players rounding out the depth chart.
Tight End
It was a bit surprising when the Ravens gave Mark Andrews a three-year contract extension for over $30 million during the 2025 season. While he’s the franchise’s all-time leading receiver, Andrews’ production has been on the downswing the past two years and he’s on the wrong side of 30 years old now. Regardless, that was seemingly them making an in-advance choice on which pending free agent tight end to retain.
Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar, as well as fullback hybrid Pat Ricard, are also unrestricted free agents. With Andrews locked up, it’s very unlikely that this remaining core will remain intact. Between Likely and Kolar, the latter will probably demand less on the open market, which makes him more likely to be re-signed. There’s a chance that the Ravens let both players walk, though, and are left with holes on the depth chart.
The Ravens have done a good job at finding and developing tight end talent over the years. They can use a mid-round draft pick and lower-tier free agent signing to fill out the depth chart as needed. The degree to which this will be a huge need is also dependent on how much their offensive philosophy changes for 2026.
If the new offensive system prioritizes less heavy personnel and multiple tight end sets, than they can get away with investing less resources on second and third-string players here. Given Andrews’ downward trend and recent history of injuries, though, restocking the cupboard with young pass-catching talent behind him would be wise.
Wide Receiver
The Ravens seemingly had turned a corner at wide receiver last season and were heading into 2025 with, what many considered to be, their most talented wideout corps ever. That was hard to argue against with Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman coming off career-best seasons, and Deandre Hopkins entering the mix in a No. 3 role.
This past season did not go swimmingly for the position group and the future is now unfortunately murky once again. Flowers took another step forward and earned a second straight Pro Bowl nod, but Bateman took a significant step backward. For one reason or another, Bateman was never able to establish a consistent offensive role and get on the same page with the quarterback. His production cratered as a result.
Hopkins was efficient when called upon but his role was limited. Same can be said for Devontez Walker, who caught multiple touchdown passes and made big plays when on the field. Walker has high upside and should be given more opportunity in 2026. Bateman will be in need of a big bounce-back campaign. It’s unclear if Hopkins would come back and be re-signed to another one-year deal.
Regardless of these factors, the Ravens need another reliable wide receiver talent in the fold to alleviate pressure off Flowers and make this group more dynamic. They were much too Flowers-or-bust in 2025 and the target share should be evened out. Another factor at play is Flowers’ long-term future as he enters Year 4 and will be costly to retain long-term moving forward.
Center
As alluded to earlier, Linderbaum’s future with the Ravens is unclear. They declined to pick up his fifth-year option last year and never agreed to a contract extension with him to-date. Therefore, he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent as well and will have a healthy demand from other teams. It’s hard to imagine the Ravens not trying very hard to retain him, but they could ultimately be priced out.
In the event that Linderbaum is plucked elsewhere, that immediately creates a huge hole at the center position, which would become one of the Ravens’ biggest needs to address. This is especially true considering both offensive guard spots are already weak points and subject to new incoming starters in 2026.
Linderbaum’s backup is Corey Bullock, who would profile as the only possible in-house replacement currently on the roster. Bullock made the 53-man roster last offseason after a strong performance in the spring and summer, a year after being signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent rookie. Bullock is still very unproven, though, and would be hard pressed to replace a Pro Bowl and All-Pro center.
The Ravens would likely need to draft a center in the early rounds, or an interior lineman with center/guard versatility, and acquire a starter-level veteran player.
Other Needs
- No. 3 Safety: Alohi Gilman and Ar’Darius Washington are both unrestricted free agents. The Ravens have no other established safety behind Kyle Hamilton and Malaki Starks. They’ve coveted using three-safety alignments in recent seasons to allow Hamilton more flexibility to play around the line of scrimmage, which will likely continue regardless of who the new defensive coordinator is.
- No. 3 Offensive Tackle: Carson Vinson is a high-upside player behind Ronnie Stanley, but is still very raw heading into Year 2. Given Stanley’s age and injury history, having a more reliable veteran in the mix in the backup tackle picture is needed. Joseph Noteboom is a free agent and the Ravens could upgrade here.
- Kicker: The Ravens will likely stick by Tyler Loop as their kicker despite the season-ending missed field goal in Week 18. Even if this is true, bringing in some veteran competition could be a good idea, if at the very least to provide helpful mentorship and experience for Loop to bounce back.
- Inside Linebacker: It’s hard to imagine the Ravens parting ways with Roquan Smith, even though he carries a very high cap hit and his performance declined in 2025. Nevertheless, Teddye Buchanan’s late-season torn ACL means he might not be ready to play come Week 1 next season.
