With veterans having arrived in Owings Mills and the Ravens conducting their first full-squad practice of training camp on Wednesday, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. The Ravens are a Super Bowl favorite with ESPN recently ranking their roster as the NFL’s best. If that sounds like Groundhog Day, it’s that familiar blessing and curse for Baltimore with January being the only territory left to conquer. Of course, there’s no winning the Super Bowl in July.
2. Barring something unforeseen, Ar’Darius Washington (Achilles) and rookie offensive tackle Emery Jones Jr. (shoulder surgery) are the only players sidelined for the start of camp with the latter on track to begin practicing next month. Washington’s Achilles injury was a substantial loss, but it’s a clean bill of health otherwise.
3. Look no further than Cincinnati’s ugly saga with Trey Hendrickson to appreciate the perceived lack of drama in Owings Mills despite a number of contract situations — including Lamar Jackson’s $74.5 million cap number for 2026 — looming next offseason. The last thing a contender wants is business interfering with on-field preparations.
4. Jaire Alexander will make his practice debut with Baltimore on Wednesday with the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback scheduled to talk with reporters the following day. His extensive injury history is hardly a secret, so it’ll be interesting to see how his workload is managed, especially in the early going.
5. Eric DeCosta is no stranger to signing a notable veteran or two after the start of camp with an experienced safety to complement Kyle Hamilton and rookie Malaki Starks remaining possible if not inevitable. I suspect that tops the wish list for both John Harbaugh and Zach Orr right now.
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6. That need is even greater when considering the inside linebacker position beyond Roquan Smith. Don’t be surprised if the Ravens avoid even using a weak-side inside linebacker beyond first-and-10s and short-yardage situations. A reliable third safety will be critical to that approach succeeding.
7. I covered kicking competitions in three of my first four training camps starting in 2009, so be prepared for daily updates on how rookies Tyler Loop and John Hoyland fare on the back fields. That said, coaches will put more stock in how they kick in preseason games. Buckle up.
8. Last year, Ronnie Stanley entered the summer with his career in Baltimore very much in doubt. But with a contract extension and Justin Tucker gone, the 31-year-old Stanley is the longest-tenured Raven. “I never really imagined that being the case, but I think it’s very cool. It’s a big blessing.”
9. Admittedly frustrated over the number of double teams he saw last season, Nnamdi Madubuike plans to be roughly “five to eight pounds” heavier to better handle that attention from the opposition. “I definitely want to keep being productive and being the player that I know I can be.”
10. Jackson has numerous weapons with DeAndre Hopkins’ arrival, but there’s only one football. Mark Andrews said, “It’s being unselfish, trusting the process, and trusting No. 8. He makes incredible reads, incredible decisions, and it leads us to victories.” The Andrews-Isaiah Likely dynamic will be interesting in contract years for both.
11. I’m not entirely dismissing Marcus Williams’ recent comments citing other variables contributing to the pass defense’s woes last year, and the Ravens admitted as much by parting with multiple defensive assistants in the offseason. Still, the strong correlation between Williams’ benching and the late-season turnaround was undeniable. Williams remains unsigned.
12. The excitement that the open of training camp brings is soon followed by the “hurry up and wait” reality that the season opener remains more than six weeks away. But considering how incredibly disappointing the 2025 Orioles have been, bring on the daily camp observations.
