With the Ravens winning their preseason opener in a dominant 24-7 final over Philadelphia on Saturday evening, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Ja’Kobi Lane carried it over from training camp, which is all you can ask from the third-round rookie who continues making highlight plays. The idea of a 6-foot-4 presence at the X-receiver spot is an exciting one, but he’s the first to point out that he needs to continue this.
2. The organization can continue showing as much confidence as it wants, but that won’t matter if Tyler Loop doesn’t make kicks. Missing his first field goal — even in a preseason game — seven months after the heartbreak in Pittsburgh will test his confidence and everyone else’s patience even more now.
3. The first preseason snap of Vega Ioane’s career included a successful down block of the nose tackle, a second-level block of a linebacker, and a hit on a defensive back as the whistle blew. Talk about looking for work. His 15 snaps weren’t flawless, but the first-round guard was extremely impressive.
4. That Danny Pinter played only the first two series and Ethan Pocic didn’t enter until deep into the second half was a telling statement about the center competition. That’s what we’ve seen in practices too. Perhaps that changes as Pocic gets healthier, but the Week 1 clock is ticking.
5. Keyon Martin collected a sack, a tackle for a loss, and two other tackles in just 16 snaps to headline an outstanding all-around effort from the reserve-laden defense. A serious candidate to play in the dime package, the undersized — and tough — Martin has been a favorite to watch all summer.
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6. Matt Hibner showed the explosiveness observers have been waiting to see in what’s been a slow start to camp for the tight ends. His development as a blocker could be key to expanding this offense as 2026 continues, but 50 receiving yards in the opening quarter was a great start.
7. Considering how many players sat, Mike Green playing was arguably a mild surprise, but Jesse Minter said, “I really just wanted to get him a bunch of snaps … working through it, working through it, playing normal downs, and playing passing downs.” His development remains important to this pass rush’s ceiling.
8. Zion Young showed his good motor, but I was hoping to see a little more pass-rush impact as he played into the second half. In these preseason games full of backups, you want to see your early draft picks stand out as Ioane and Lane did. Nothing warranting concern, however.
9. You wouldn’t have known Joe Fagnano rarely even took any 11-on-11 reps before Skylar Thompson’s recent injury. Aside from the ill-advised throw across his body intercepted late in the first half, he was impressive and drove the ball down the seam multiple times. He didn’t look like an undrafted rookie.
10. Aside from the fumble that reminded of ball-security issues we’ve seen from Zay Flowers, Elijah Sarratt had a strong rookie debut in the shadow of what Lane did. The effects of a spring hamstring injury seemed to linger into the summer, but he’s looking better of late.
11. A concussion suffered by Jay Higgins leaves the inside linebacker room looking thin at the moment. One would assume the Ravens have to consider adding another depth player to the mix ahead of the Minnesota game, especially assuming Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, and Teddye Buchanan sit again.
12. Considering 25 notable players sat, making too much of the result would be silly. However, backups and rookies looking like such a well-coached team was quite the compliment to Minter and the staff in their debut. Baltimore committed just three penalties while allowing six first downs and zero third-down conversions.
