The 2026 Ravens roster for Week 1 is far from decided.
Many continue to believe the starting center isn’t yet on the roster. Some would argue that another veteran wide receiver and edge rusher are closer to being needs than luxuries for Baltimore. Of course, there’s the uncertainty surrounding the status of two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, who missed most of last season with a neck injury and underwent surgery in April.
The Ravens also have roughly $17 million in salary cap space, meaning there’s more than enough flexibility to make a couple notable additions between now and the Sept. 13 opener in Indianapolis.
This exercise will carry more meaning as we get into the preseason, but this look at the roster considers track record, contract status, draft standing, and positional need more than making too much of snapshot observations from a handful of non-contact spring practices. I currently see 44 healthy players comfortably on the 53-man roster, leaving nine spots to fill in addition to the 16-man practice squad. We’ll get a better idea of where players stand beginning with the rep distribution in training camp and continuing with playing time in preseason games. Not all bubble players are on equal footing, of course, with certain position groups lacking depth and others having enough talent that the numbers game could squeeze out someone who’d otherwise be deserving of a roster spot.
Though general manager Eric DeCosta, head coach Jesse Minter, and the rest of the staff and front office are aware of the numbers at every position, arbitrarily picking a certain number of wide receivers or outside linebackers isn’t the most accurate way of filling out a 53-man roster. The Ravens will value reserves who excel on special teams, so they’ll look closely at other traits in addition to what players bring to their offensive or defensive position when filling out the back of the roster.
The numbers in parentheses indicate how many players are currently on the 90-man roster — which actually stands at 91 with C.J. Okoye carrying an international player exemption — at each position. As we move into training camp and the preseason schedule, I’ll provide updated looks that include 53-man roster projections of who’s in and who’s on the outside looking in.
QUARTERBACKS (5)
SAFE: Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley
BUBBLE: none
LONG SHOT: Skylar Thompson, Diego Pavia, Joe Fagnano
Skinny: Short of an injury concern, there’s little reason to devote a third 53-man roster spot to this position when you have one of the NFL’s very best quarterbacks and a trusted veteran backup. That said, Thompson showed his experience edge during spring workouts while the undrafted Pavia and Fagnano struggled to even get 11-on-11 reps, prompting one to wonder how much longer Baltimore will bother carrying five quarterbacks.
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RUNNING BACKS (6)
SAFE: Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Adam Randall
BUBBLE: Rasheen Ali
LONG SHOT: Dontae McMillan, Elijah Tau-Tolliver
Skinny: Hill is 28 and carries a $3.8 million cap number, but moving on from him and leaving so much inexperience behind the 32-year-old Henry would be a questionable decision at best. Ali’s special-teams ability will likely keep him on the right side of the bubble, but Randall would need to have a poor summer to not make the team after owner Steve Bisciotti drafted him in the fifth round, which often serves as the line of demarcation for rookie draft picks sticking on the 53-man roster.
TIGHT ENDS & FULLBACKS (6)
SAFE: Mark Andrews, Durham Smythe, Matt Hibner, Josh Cuevas
BUBBLE: none
LONG SHOT: Lucas Scott, Ty Pezza
Skinny: Not having any roster decisions to make isn’t the same as being confident there will be enough production from this group in the wake of the free-agent departures of Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar. The Ravens are counting heavily on a rebound from Andrews after his statistical decline over the last couple years, and at least one of Hibner and Cuevas needs to make meaningful contributions as a rookie, which isn’t a sure bet despite the Ravens’ track record of success with mid-round tight ends.
WIDE RECEIVERS (11)
SAFE: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Devontez Walker, Ja’Kobi Lane, Elijah Sarratt
BUBBLE: LaJohntay Wester
LONG SHOT: Dayton Wade, Cornelius Johnson, Xavier Guillory, Cortez Braham Jr., Octavian Smith Jr.
Skinny: Though Flowers has become one of the AFC’s elite wide receivers, there are questions or doubts about the rest of this group, which is why some continue to clamor for DeCosta to add a veteran wideout. The rookies Lane and Sarratt received more attention, but it was Walker who took advantage of the absence of Bateman — whose rebound remains critical for this group — during spring workouts. After an underwhelming rookie year, Wester needs to show more as a return specialist and receiver.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (15)
SAFE: Ronnie Stanley, John Simpson, Danny Pinter, Vega Ioane, Roger Rosengarten, Emery Jones Jr., Carson Vinson
BUBBLE: Andrew Vorhees, Jovaughn Gwyn, Evan Beerntsen, Corey Bullock
LONG SHOT: Diego Pounds, Jared Penning, Gerad Lichtenhan, Nick Dawkins
Skinny: Four starters are locks, but there is no bigger question on the entire roster than the replacement for three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum. The 30-year-old Pinter and his 10 career NFL starts make him the favorite, but that’s not saying much considering the inexperience of the alternatives. Multiple reserve jobs are also up for grabs with Vorhees being the only candidate with meaningful experience, which helps his case despite a pricey $3.67 million salary. Considering the lack of reserve left tackle options, Vinson looks safe unless someone like the undrafted Pounds surprises this summer.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (11)
SAFE: Travis Jones, Calais Campbell, John Jenkins
BUBBLE: Broderick Washington, C.J. Okoye, Aeneas Peebles, Rayshaun Benny
LONG SHOT: Dion Wilson Jr., Aaron Graves, David Olajiga
INJURED: Nnamdi Madubuike
Skinny: This group looks so much better with a healthy and cleared Madubuike returning to the field, but it’s messy at best until there’s clarity about his football future and when he’d be ready to suit up after having April surgery. Washington carries a $5.86 million cap number coming off season-ending Achilles surgery last year, and the likes of Peebles and Okoye didn’t show enough last year to be considered locks for 2026. Benny will also need to earn his spot as a seventh-round rookie.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS (7)
SAFE: Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, Teddye Buchanan, Jay Higgins
BUBBLE: Carl Jones Jr.
LONG SHOT: Dominic DeLuca, Reid Williford
Skinny: Minter has said Buchanan is ahead of schedule in his return from a torn ACL suffered last December, which helps explain the perceived lack of urgency to add more depth to this position group. Some might not be inclined to label Higgins as “safe” after a nondescript rookie year, but the 2025 undrafted free agent was active on special teams and has shown potential as a defensive contributor, which is notable with Simpson entering a contract year and Buchanan coming off a major injury.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS (7)
SAFE: Trey Hendrickson, Mike Green, Tavius Robinson, Zion Young
BUBBLE: Adisa Isaac
LONG SHOT: Kaimon Rucker, Ethan Burke
Skinny: Even with Hendrickson being the most lucrative outside signing in team history, one could argue for a veteran addition to this group rather than ceding too many snaps to unproven talents. That’s especially true when considering the oft-injured Isaac, who has missed extensive development time and hasn’t yet been cleared from his 2025 elbow injury. Given Baltimore’s recent track record with young edge rushers, there should be no hesitancy in adding someone like Jadeveon Clowney if possible.
8CORNERBACKS (12)
SAFE: Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, Chidobe Awuzie, T.J. Tampa, Chandler Rivers
BUBBLE: Keyon Martin, Bilhal Kone, Robert Longerbeam
LONG SHOT: Amani Oruwariye, Marquise Robinson, Matthew McDoom, Lardarius Webb Jr.
Skinny: Despite questions about Humphrey’s future this offseason, the top three appear set for Minter’s defense, and Tampa is regarded as the top outside reserve behind them. Rivers’ fifth-round rookie status gives him the edge over Martin as a reserve nickel option. The biggest wild cards are Kone and Longerbeam as 2025 sixth-round picks who missed their entire rookie season with knee injuries that slowed their development at the very least. There’s young inventory here, but is there enough depth?
SAFETIES (7)
SAFE: Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks, Jaylinn Hawkins, Keondre Jackson
BUBBLE: K’Von Wallace
LONG SHOT: Jahquez Robinson, Silas Walters
Skinny: The signing of Hawkins was a priority with Minter preferring lots of three-safety looks that will allow Hamilton to play closer to the line of scrimmage, but that means Baltimore still needs more depth behind the top three. Practically speaking, the experienced Wallace is the favorite to be the No. 4 safety for now, but Jackson made such a strong impression on special teams as an undrafted rookie that you have to wonder if he’ll force his way into the defensive conversation for a role in sub packages.
SPECIALISTS (4)
SAFE: Tyler Loop, Ryan Eckley, Nick Moore
BUBBLE: none
LONG SHOT: Luke Elzinga
Skinny: The Ravens have yet to bring in another kicker to compete with Loop, and open spring workouts offered no indication that Elzinga — who’s never punted in the NFL — will provide serious competition for the sixth-round rookie Eckley, who showed off a very strong leg. Unless those dynamics change, we’ll assume Loop and Eckley are safely on the 53-man roster.
