Rookies have already reported with veterans soon to follow as the Ravens hold their first full-squad practice of training camp in less than a week.
With expectations sky high for a team light on January success despite advancing to the playoffs in six of the last seven years and being one of the NFL’s top regular-season teams over that period, below are five questions for the defense as preparations start getting serious for the 2025 season:
1. Will a secondary consisting of five former first-round picks live up to the hype?
Preseason excitement surrounding the defensive backfield is nothing new in Baltimore, but the mid-June signing of two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander took that to a different level after the Ravens also drafted Georgia safety Malaki Starks in the first round, signed veteran cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, and brought back former defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano as senior secondary coach. On paper, this group has the potential to be as elite as any secondary Baltimore has fielded in a long time when you consider it already included Pro Bowl selections Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey and 2024 first-round pick Nate Wiggins.
That said, there’s a reason Alexander was available for just $4 million as the oft-injured 28-year-old has played in more than seven games in a season only once in the last four years. Awuzie has endured similar health woes as he’s appeared in more than eight contests in a campaign just twice in five years. And though the Ravens were thrilled to land Starks with the 27th overall pick, even Hamilton — who many now regard as the NFL’s best safety — endured his share of growing pains early in his rookie season.
The versatility of Hamilton, Humphrey, and Starks should ease the aforementioned injury concerns and provide a high floor to go with the secondary’s immense potential, especially with Pagano overseeing the group. But general manager Eric DeCosta regularly echoes Ozzie Newsome’s old adage that you can never have enough corners, which is why it’s still important for someone like 2024 fourth-round pick T.J. Tampa to emerge as a legitimate depth option.
2. How will the Ravens fill the void from the spring injury to Ar’Darius Washington at safety?
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With the first-round selection of Starks, it looked like Baltimore was ready to pivot back to plenty of three-safety packages, which was a tendency abandoned midway through 2024 when high-priced free safety Marcus Williams was benched and No. 3 option Eddie Jackson was released. That paved the way for Washington to emerge to help turn the pass defense around, but his unfortunate Achilles tendon tear in mid-May altered the post-draft vision and removed Starks’ safety net.
Even if Starks is ready to be an every-snap defender immediately and the Ravens appear more likely to deploy three- and four-corner packages with Alexander’s arrival, the top depth safeties behind Hamilton and Starks are 2024 seventh-round pick Sanoussi Kane and 2024 undrafted free agent Beau Brade. Though Kane flashed improvement from his rookie season this spring, it would be a tough sell to count on him as a No. 3 safety, let alone a starter if something were to happen to Hamilton or Starks.
A veteran free agent like Justin Simmons or Julian Blackmon might be eyeing a bigger role elsewhere, but adding an experienced safety to the picture remains a clear possibility.
3. What will the edge rusher rotation look like as 2025 progresses?
Assessing the pass rush is complicated as the Ravens have ranked fifth or better in the NFL in sacks in three straight seasons. But various pressure rate metrics have typically painted a more middling picture as it’s no secret that Baltimore has relied on scheme and deception more than conventional four-man rushes to create chaos in the pocket.
Both Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy are coming off career highs in sacks, but they’re also entering contract years with Oweh, 26, likely to be very expensive to extend and Van Noy now 34 years old. Though Baltimore is high on Tavius Robinson entering his third season, most attention will be on second-round rookie Mike Green, whom many thought would be a first-round pick if not for off-field concerns.
Behind that projected top four are 2024 third-round selection Adisa Isaac, 2022 second-round pick David Ojabo, and 2023 rookie free agent and local product Malik Hamm, a group that will likely be competing for one or two spots at most. Of course, one shouldn’t completely dismiss the possibility of a reunion with Jadeveon Clowney or Za’Darius Smith at the right price, but you sense the organization prefers leaving more runway for youngsters to play and step up.
8The 2025 development of Green and Robinson feels most pivotal to this group for the long haul, especially when pondering what to do with Oweh after the season.
4. Is the weak-side inside linebacker spot still a problem?
Even three-time Pro Bowl selection Roquan Smith — who didn’t have the best season himself — couldn’t make up for all that plagued Baltimore at inside linebacker last season, which prompted the post-bye benching of Trenton Simpson, the offseason dismissal of inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone and hiring of Tyler Santucci as his replacement, and the fourth-round selection of Teddye Buchanan in April’s draft. However, Simpson’s replacements down the stretch — veterans Malik Harrison and Chris Board — departed via free agency, leaving the weak-side job open again.
Simpson, 24, remains the favorite to start next to Smith, but Buchanan and veteran newcomer Jake Hummel could find themselves in the mix if the 2023 third-round pick again struggles to find consistency. That said, a byproduct of Baltimore loading up in the secondary is to minimize the need to have two inside linebackers on the field in the more obvious passing situations.
Ideally, Simpson or Buchanan will step up as a viable every-down option over the course of 2025, but the defense will continue to rely heavily on the 28-year-old Smith, making his health and availability as important as just about anyone on the roster not named Lamar Jackson.
5. Who will emerge to serve as reliable defensive line depth?
Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones give the Ravens one of the better young defensive tackle duos in the NFL, and Broderick Washington is a solid rotation piece. However, the retirement of nose tackle Michael Pierce leaves a void that needs to be filled for Baltimore to maintain an excellent run defense.
The early June addition of 35-year-old nose tackle John Jenkins brought run-stopping experience to the competition and sixth-round rookie Aeneas Peebles could be an interesting pass-rush option, but you’d like to see one more viable depth option emerge with 2024 practice-squad member C.J. Ravenell being a name to watch this summer.
In this modern era of the nickel defense truly serving as the “base” alignment, teams generally aren’t using more than two interior defensive linemen on the field at a time. But the Ravens have gotten away with having relatively light numbers on the defensive line in recent years, and Pierce was still playing at a high level last season.
