Baltimorican
Pro Bowler
If Jones is good, he'll find a way into the lineup by next year. There are plenty of paths to it, including RR moving to LT if Stanley went down.
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2026 Offseason Thread
- Thread starter Simba
- Start date
If Jones is good, he'll find a way into the lineup by next year. There are plenty of paths to it, including RR moving to LT if Stanley went down.
I disagree and feel RR improved on his rookie season. Now lets see how he does with an actual OL coach.
I personally had Emery as a better fit at G for the long run, but I think he fits well at T and I don't know that they have much choice but to use him there as of now.
If he were to stick at G, OT4 would be Pounds (who probably should have been drafted on talent but had health concerns) or Lichtenhan. We're incredibly light there. I fully expect Jones to get more T reps than G reps, although I also anticipate he'll cross-train at both. They need to start developing some young guys there.
If he were to stick at G, OT4 would be Pounds (who probably should have been drafted on talent but had health concerns) or Lichtenhan. We're incredibly light there. I fully expect Jones to get more T reps than G reps, although I also anticipate he'll cross-train at both. They need to start developing some young guys there.
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
He had a slight regression, definitely wouldn’t say improved.
But yeah Ledford could make a big impact. The problem with RR is he just has to overcompensate for his lack of anchor and size with positioning and athleticism and skill, if he isn’t perfect in those regards it gets ugly fast.
As a rookie it seemed like his tactics were taking defenders by surprise and in year 2 they had film on him and countered his tactics often.
Hope that Vega on his inside shoulder makes a difference too because Roger and faalele were a disastrous tandem
On Broderick Washington, he is absolutely at risk. Got his contract and fell off.
With that being said, they don't need the money right now so there's no harm in seeing if he can get back to what he was. That's a big reason they kept him around - the cap savings is there whether you cut him 4 months ago or a month from now.
But the biggest reason he's still here is Anthony Weaver. They have a really good rapport. Not saying that guarantees him anything but he played his best ball under Weaver.
With that being said, they don't need the money right now so there's no harm in seeing if he can get back to what he was. That's a big reason they kept him around - the cap savings is there whether you cut him 4 months ago or a month from now.
But the biggest reason he's still here is Anthony Weaver. They have a really good rapport. Not saying that guarantees him anything but he played his best ball under Weaver.
I think the chances of a QB3 are slim to none.
To me the big questions are do you want to keep 11 DBs and/or 10 OL and where do you subtract to do that? Edge and WR seem like the potential answers there IF someone like Wester or Isaac doesn't step up.
As you alluded to, most of the competition is for the last spot or two at a position rather than the overall numbers.
I am also operating under the possibility that Madubuike isn't rostered to start the year. No inside info on that but it feels like a distinct possibility until we see him out there.
he started off down, but definitely had improvement over the previous year from mid season on.
I also think RR was fine last year overall. Not great, not terrible. Just fine. I'm not quite as high on him as I was after his rookie season but I also don't know how much stock to put in the fact that everything was just broken last year. With the overall team regression, I think it's worth it to give the benefit of the doubt that the new staff can course correct a bit. The number of players that regressed last year far outweighs the number of players that got better.
RR is going to have to prove that he's not good enough before they pull that lever
Good rookie year
Classic sophomore slump
Year 3 to solidify into a good player or have the ravens looking at his replacement
i imagine we're going to see a lot of Jones at RT in camp and in the preseason especially given the amount of interior depth options we have to take reps
if madubuike starts on PUP or I/R then that allows you to keep all 7 DL and also an extra LB/EDGE/DB
Baltimorican
Pro Bowler
Of course the pads could come on next week and Broderick just beats everybody out. Just saying I'm surprised the consensus going into TC is that he's somewhat safe. I think he's got like 60-70% chance of being cut and it's even higher if Beeks is ready to go.
If you made me decide today, he’s off. So I don’t think there’s a consensus that he’s safe. Just that he’s not a for sure goner like everyone expected when the offseason started.
rmcjacket23
Ravens Ring of Honor
Not sure where you're seeing consensus on him being cut.
I'll say the consensus six months ago was that he was getting cut in March, and he didn't. Which basically means he's competing in camp for a roster spot.
I also personally don't think Washington's roster spot is tied to Madubuike's either. I think its tied to him directly competing with others and the price tag he has compared to others. Obviously salary cap is important, but there's also cash flow. He's owed $4M. If he's going to be a deep reserve lineman or somebody who's a gameday inactive, he won't be paid $4M. They'll just cut him. So I think he either sticks with a decent role, or he's gone.
Tank
Hall of Famer
Why Vega Ioane, Travis Jones and Malaki Starks can be the Ravens’ breakout stars in 2026
Jonas Shaffer
7/22/2026 1:30 p.m. EDT
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The Ravens’ disappointing 2025 season had many culprits. Brutal injuries. Questionable coaching. A difficult early-season schedule.
Underscoring it all was a sobering development: Far more contributors regressed than took a meaningful step forward.
With the Ravens’ first full-team practice of training camp a week away, coach Jesse Minter’s player development will be scrutinized as he looks to lead the team back to the playoffs. But who’s primed for a breakout season?
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Here are three top contenders for 2026 — and four others who shouldn’t be overlooked.
OL Vega Ioane
The last rookie guard to make the Pro Bowl was the Indianapolis Colts’ Quenton Nelson, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. Ioane is not the generational prospect that Nelson was, especially as a run blocker, but the No. 14 overall pick could match or surpass Nelson’s Year 1 production in pass protection (two sacks and 24 pressures allowed in 811 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus).
Jul 18, 2026Ioane was a brick wall at Penn State, allowing no sacks and just one quarterback hit over his last two seasons. Ravens coaches have raved as though he’s building another one in Owings Mills. “The best thing about him is just how hard he works and how serious he takes his craft,” Minter said in May. “And so, every day he does something, he comes back, it’s a little bit better the next day.”
Of course, the learning curve for rookies can be severe. And Ioane will be tested early: The Indianapolis Colts’ DeForest Buckner (Week 1), the Dallas Cowboys’ Quinnen Williams (Week 3) and the Tennessee Titans’ Jeffery Simmons (Week 4) are three of the NFL’s 11 highest-paid interior defensive linemen. Take care of business in September and October, and who knows where Ioane’s hype could be by December.
DL Travis Jones
Jones has already played like one of the NFL’s best nose tackles. He just happened to do it for a defense last year that fell apart around him.
In 16 games, he had 35 quarterback pressures from an interior position, according to Sports Info Solutions. Only the Los Angeles Rams’ Kobie Turner had more, with 36. Jones also had 23 run stops, tackles that generated negative value for the offense. Only inside linebacker Roquan Smith had as many stops in Baltimore, according to Pro Football Focus, and no teammate posted them at a higher rate than Jones’ 9.6%.
Jones’ surest path to prominence is a steady stream of sacks. He had five last year, a career high and more than he had in his three previous seasons combined. If the Ravens can find another interior rusher to free up more one-on-ones for Jones — defensive linemen Nnamdi Madubuike and Calais Campbell are good candidates — he could deliver a season that echoes Haloti Ngata in his prime.
S Malaki Starks
Starks’ rookie year was perhaps a victim of expectations. At Georgia, he was an instant-impact freshman starter, picking off then-Oregon quarterback Bo Nix in the 2022 season opener and playing more than any other Bulldogs defender. Starks’ draft buzz — he was the first safety taken last year, ahead of the Seattle Seahawks’ Nick Emmanwori — only added to the pressure.
And then, like a lot of rookie safeties, including all-everything teammate Kyle Hamilton, Starks struggled early. Over the first nine weeks of the season, he ranked 46th among the 68 safeties with at least 300 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. There were shortcomings as a run defender, as a center fielder and as a red-zone defender.
But as the Ravens’ second-half schedule eased up, Starks leveled up. From Week 10 to Week 18, Starks ranked 15th among PFF’s 69 safeties with at least 300 defensive snaps. Missed tackles remained an issue, but he was targeted less frequently in coverage and allowed just one completion of at least 15 air yards, according to Sports Info Solutions — a 41-yarder from Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who had all day to find wide receiver DK Metcalf improvising over the middle of the field.
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Starks could take a big leap in Year 2 and still remain in Hamilton’s shadow. Safeties without impressive ball production or disruptive play near the line of scrimmage don’t tend to get noticed. But a year of experience, and a summer of tutelage from Minter and secondary coach Mike Mickens, should only help.
Honorable mentions
WR Devontez Walker: Walker has been a walking big play over two NFL seasons (22.4 yards per catch), a quality that should endear him to offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. And his usage should only go up if he’s the third receiver in a system that leans more into three-receiver sets. But can Walker command more targets? He has just 11 over his two-year career.RT Roger Rosengarten: Rosengarten had a surprising second season, showing more consistency as a run blocker than as a pass blocker. But his form improved down the stretch, allowing no sacks over the Ravens’ final seven games, according to PFF. Rosengarten’s movement skills should be a good fit in a more zone-heavy running scheme, and with more reliable pass protection, he can be one of the NFL’s better right tackles.
Jul 17, 2026
OLB Mike Green: Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said in June that Green had a catalogue of near-miss sacks last season. But the 2025 second-round pick needs more pressures to set the foundation for a high-impact season. Over the first half of his rookie year, Green’s win rate on “true pass sets” — what PFF defines as plays with at least four pass rushers, no play-action, no screens and a time to throw of at least two seconds — was in the bottom quartile of the league’s most active edge rushers (10.9%). Over the second half, it jumped to closer to league average (15.3%).
CB Nate Wiggins: Wiggins’ ball skills and track-down speed are obvious. But even with the struggling Marlon Humphrey sharing cornerback snaps last season, quarterbacks had no fear in testing the 2024 first-round pick. Only Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss was targeted more often last season, according to PFF, and Moss had star Patrick Surtain II blanketing the other side of the field. Wiggins should benefit from an improved pass rush and can take a step forward under Mickens, who churned out high-quality cornerbacks at Notre Dame.