The Ravens’ 2026 opener is still four months away, but the heaviest offseason lifting from a roster-building standpoint is now in the books with the draft behind us.
That’s not to say there won’t be a couple more notable additions made before Baltimore kicks off the Jesse Minter era as general manager Eric DeCosta will certainly have opportunities to augment the roster between now and September. But it’s worth taking inventory of each position group after the draft and the addition of rookie free agents.
As we move deeper into the spring and summer, I’ll offer updates complete with projections and thoughts on which players are safely on the team, on the bubble, and among the long shots to crack the 53-man roster by summer’s end. We’ll continue with roster projections during the preseason.
Below is a look at where the roster stands as of May 6 with the number in parentheses indicating how many players are in that position group:
QUARTERBACKS (5) — Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley, Skylar Thompson, Diego Pavia, Joe Fagnano
Skinny: The current interest in the No. 3 job that may be no more than a spot on the practice squad is the product of this being a slow time on the NFL calendar, but it’s unusual for the Ravens to carry this many quarterbacks when both the starter and backup are so established. Finding enough practice reps for four quarterbacks is challenging, let alone five, so we’ll see how long DeCosta keeps this many.
RUNNING BACKS (6) — Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Rasheen Ali, Adam Randall, Dontae McMillan, Elijah Tau-Tolliver
Skinny: With Henry entering his age-32 season, Hill going into a contract year after an injury-plagued 2025, and Keaton Mitchell signing with the Chargers, there is definitely an opportunity for Ali and the rookie Randall to carve out a complementary role in this offense. Of course, a major key for any backup is showing skill in pass protection in addition to pass-catching ability out of the backfield.
TIGHT ENDS & FULLBACKS (6) — Mark Andrews, Durham Smythe, Matt Hibner, Josh Cuevas, Ty Pezza, Lucas Scott
Skinny: Taking multiple tight ends in the same draft is nothing new for Baltimore, but Hibner emerging as a viable receiving option to replace Isaiah Likely and pair with a 31-year-old Andrews could be pivotal to the success of this passing attack under first-year coordinator Declan Doyle. Smythe and Cuevas have big blocking shoes to fill replacing ex-Ravens Charlie Kolar and Patrick Ricard.
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WIDE RECEIVERS (11) — Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Devontez Walker, Ja’Kobi Lane, Elijah Sarratt, LaJohntay Wester, Dayton Wade, Cornelius Johnson, Xavier Guillory, Cortez Braham Jr., Octavian Smith Jr.
Skinny: The mid-round additions of Lane and Sarratt offer this group more skill diversity, size, and upside, so it’ll be interesting to see how quickly the rookies can push their way onto the field. However, a bounce-back campaign from Bateman still looks like the best path to not needing to rely too heavily on Flowers to move the ball through the air.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (15) — Ronnie Stanley, John Simpson, Danny Pinter, Vega Ioane, Roger Rosengarten, Emery Jones Jr., Carson Vinson, Andrew Vorhees, Corey Bullock, Jovaughn Gwyn, Evan Beerntsen, Jared Penning, Gerad Lichtenhan, Nick Dawkins, Diego Pounds
Skinny: The guard position looks markedly better after the first-round addition of Ioane, but DeCosta assuring the Ravens “have a plan” at center only carries so much weight when remembering various decisions along the offensive line in recent years. An underrated spot of interest is swing tackle as we’ll see if Vinson solidifies his grip on that role or someone like the undrafted Pounds pushes for a job.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (11) — Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, Calais Campbell, John Jenkins, Broderick Washington, C.J. Okoye, Aeneas Peebles, Rayshaun Benny, David Olajiga, Aaron Graves, Dion Wilson Jr.
Skinny: The Ravens haven’t proceeded as though they’re expecting Madubuike not to play this fall, but we know so little about the condition of the 28-year-old’s neck and the reporting on his recent surgery left much wiggle room for what it means. That said, signing a still-productive veteran like Campbell to contribute as an inside pass rusher and run defender felt like an absolute must.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS (7) — Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, Teddye Buchanan, Jay Higgins, Carl Jones, Dominic DeLuca, Reid Williford
Skinny: Despite much discourse about Smith’s salary cap number, Buchanan still recovering from a December ACL tear, and Simpson entering a contract year, Baltimore didn’t draft an off-ball linebacker, instead signing DeLuca and Williford as undrafted rookies. Higgins is a second-year sleeper to watch as he tries to build on his special-teams opportunities as a rookie and push for defensive snaps.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS (7) — Trey Hendrickson, Tavius Robinson, Mike Green, Zion Young, Adisa Isaac, Kaimon Rucker, Ethan Burke
Skinny: The lucrative signing of Hendrickson and second-round selection of Young bring more upside to this group than it enjoyed a year ago. However, there are enough rotation snaps to make a strong case for adding another veteran like Jadeveon Clowney, which would mitigate the risk in counting too heavily on Green making a jump in his second year and Young taking on a big workload as a rookie.
CORNERBACKS (12) — Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, Chidobe Awuzie, T.J. Tampa, Keyon Martin, Chandler Rivers, Bilhal Kone, Robert Longerbeam, Marquise Robinson, Amani Oruwariye, Matthew McDoom, Lardarius Webb Jr.
Skinny: Despite Humphrey and Awuzie not being under contract beyond 2026 and the outside depth looking shaky at best, the Ravens didn’t draft a corner until the fifth round, and Rivers is regarded as more of a nickel option. A 2024 fourth-round pick, Tampa is the name to watch as someone whose emergence would really ease the overall depth questions here.
SAFETIES (6) — Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks, Jaylinn Hawkins, Keondre Jackson, Jahquez Robinson, Silas Walters
Skinny: The Ravens have to feel very good about their top three after the value free-agent signing of Hawkins, but Minter and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver are expected to deploy a ton of three-safety looks, which means you’d like another viable depth option to emerge. The top internal candidate to do that would be Jackson, who really turned heads as a rookie special-teams standout last year.
SPECIALISTS (4) — Nick Moore, Tyler Loop, Ryan Eckley, Luke Elzinga
Skinny: Eckley is the clear favorite to be the punter after being drafted in the sixth round, so we’ll see if Elzinga sticks around to compete with him. I’m more interested to see whether the Ravens sign another kicker to have some legitimate competition for Loop, which seems perfectly reasonable coming off the Week 18 miss in Pittsburgh and underwhelming results kicking from beyond 50 yards as a rookie.
