The roster churn for the Baltimore Ravens began this week and will likely continue for the foreseeable future.
Veteran Skylar Thompson was signed on Monday, giving the Ravens five quarterbacks on their roster. That may not remain the case for very long. Defensive lineman Calais Campbell officially signed his one-year deal, which was agreed to last week, on Wednesday. His addition leaves the Ravens’ 90-man roster at capacity.
Any addition now necessitates a departure, and Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta surely isn’t done trying to solidify the roster. DeCosta entered the week with about $28 million of salary-cap space to work with, but the Campbell deal, believed to be for roughly $5.5 million, cuts into that. The Ravens will want to have a healthy amount of cap flexibility heading into the season.
The first priority for DeCosta and the Ravens is to add a starting center, but the free-agent options are minimal. A trade seems the more likely route for the team to find its successor to Tyler Linderbaum.
Then, there are much less pronounced needs, areas where Baltimore could roll the dice and hope young players step up to fill the void.
How aggressive DeCosta is in trying to beef up those spots comes down partly to how the team evaluates its young players at those positions and to what decision-makers perceive as the biggest needs. It would be great to have a proven veteran contingency plan for every position, but that’s not always realistic with the salary cap. So DeCosta will have tough choices to make, because there are plenty of players still available who could help the Ravens.
But what positions, beyond center, are most in need of another quality veteran, and what’s the likelihood that the Ravens make a move to address that spot? Let’s explore.
Running back
Why? There’s room to add a more accomplished and experienced candidate to the No. 3 running back competition that features Rasheen Ali and rookie fifth-round pick Adam Randall. Derrick Henry is 32 years old. His primary backup, Justice Hill, sustained a season-ending neck injury last year.
Why not? The Ravens saw enough flashes from Ali on offense and special teams last year to suggest that he’d be more than adequate as a No. 3 running back. Randall is raw, but he’s talented enough to project immediate contributions in a part-time role. Decent veteran running backs are always available.
Best available: Najee Harris, Antonio Gibson, Nick Chubb, Austin Ekeler, Joe Mixon
It’s hard to see why the Ravens would have any sense of urgency here. They have six backs on the roster, and that’s more than enough to get through training camp. The No. 3 running back is more of an insurance policy/special teams spot, so that would eliminate a good number of available options. If the Ravens have an injury at the position or Ali and Randall don’t stand out this summer, they could revisit the situation.
Wide receiver
Why? The Ravens have a lot of questions after you move past Zay Flowers on the depth chart. Rashod Bateman is coming off an injury-plagued and disappointing season. Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt are rookies. Devontez Walker has seven receptions in two seasons, and LaJohntay Wester had no catches as a rookie. There are plenty of veterans available, too.
Why not? The Ravens don’t profile as a high-volume passing team, and adding a high-profile veteran who expects a certain number of touches could impact chemistry. At some point, you need to see what you have with your young receivers — and that becomes hard to do if they’re not seeing game action. Trending younger and quicker is often a good thing.
Devontez Walker scored touchdowns on three of his six receptions last season. (Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)
Best available: Jauan Jennings, Stefon Diggs, Deebo Samuel, DeAndre Hopkins, Keenan Allen
The Ravens brought in four new pass catchers in Lane, Sarratt and tight ends Matt Hibner and Josh Cuevas. They clearly expect the rookies to be involved in the passing game. In interviews since the draft, DeCosta has made it sound like he’s satisfied with the mix at wide receiver and tight end and has no plans to add there. The Ravens will likely evaluate their young pass catchers over the next five weeks, and if they feel they need another option before training camp, they can easily pivot.
Swing tackle
Why? Starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley has stayed healthy the past two years, but he’s 32 years old and has a well-documented injury history. If he or starting right tackle Roger Rosengarten goes down, the Ravens don’t have a proven or experienced tackle to step in. Nothing can sink an offense faster than poor tackle play.
Why not? The Ravens drafted Carson Vinson in the fifth round last year, believing he was a solid developmental tackle who would ultimately step into a bigger role. If they believe he’s ready, there’s probably no need to add a veteran. Emery Jones Jr., a third-round pick last year, is also a natural tackle who was moved inside by necessity. After the Ravens upgraded their guard spots this offseason, Jones is an option to return to tackle.
Best available: Taylor Decker, Cam Robinson, Jonah Williams, Jack Conklin, George Fant
The Ravens have a lot of faith in new offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford to evaluate and develop talent. If he’s comfortable with his options behind Stanley and Rosengarten, which include Vinson, Jones, Gerad Lichtenhan and rookie free agent Diego Pounds, the Ravens will be as well. However, the swing tackle spot is important, and the Ravens have typically prioritized a veteran in that role, as they did last year by signing Joseph Noteboom. It still makes a lot of sense to add a veteran here.
Outside linebacker
Why? Fixing the team’s pass rush was one of DeCosta’s offseason priorities. While he may have done that on the edge with the signing of Trey Hendrickson and the selection of second-round pick Zion Young, there are still questions. Hendrickson is 31 and played just seven games last year. Young, 2025 second-round pick Mike Green and 2024 third-round pick Adisa Isaac are still young and mostly unproven. There are a ton of accomplished veterans available.
Why not? Bringing in a veteran would likely mean lesser workloads for Green, Young and possibly Tavius Robinson. The Ravens have used a lot of early-to-mid-round draft capital on edge rushers in recent years. At some point, you have to let them play and develop. The addition of another outside linebacker would also make it very difficult for Isaac to make the 53-man roster.
Best available: Joey Bosa, Jadeveon Clowney, Cameron Jordan, Kyle Van Noy, Von Miller, Haason Reddick
This is probably DeCosta’s toughest call. In one sense, you can never have enough pass rushers, as the Ravens were reminded of again last year. And there are plenty of guys available who can come in and get six to eight sacks and be impactful players. However, what does that mean for Green and Young’s development? And how much do the Ravens want to rely on two 30-plus-year-old players on the edge? Still, it’s hard to resist a guy like Clowney, who played really well in his first stint with the Ravens and showed plenty of juice last year in Dallas.
Inside linebacker
Why? The Ravens have plenty of bodies here, but are they comfortable with any of them as weekly starters if Teddye Buchanan isn’t ready to return from the significant knee injury he sustained in December? Trenton Simpson is the obvious starting candidate to play alongside Roquan Smith. However, he’s struggled in the past to hold down the starting job.
Why not? Reports on Buchanan’s recovery have been good. Simpson played a good number of snaps down the stretch last year and performed well, making 29 tackles over his last four games. Due to coach Jesse Minter’s desire to load the field with defensive backs, the Ravens probably won’t have two inside linebackers on the field every down.
Best available: Bobby Wagner, Bobby Okereke, Josey Jewell, Matt Milano, Germaine Pratt
It seems highly unlikely that the Ravens would add another player here who is used to being an every-down guy. The best fit would probably be a veteran with some starting and special teams experience. However, if the Ravens are feeling good about Buchanan’s progress and the strides Simpson made last year, they don’t really need to do anything. They still have Jay Higgins and Carl Jones Jr., both of whom were on the 53-man for parts of last season, and two undrafted rookies behind them.
Safety
Why? Minter and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver figure to have three safeties on the field a lot. The top three are set with Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks and Jaylinn Hawkins, but the Ravens have no obvious No. 4 safety. That’s essentially a top backup role. Second-year undrafted free agent Keondre Jackson is one of the team’s best special teams players, but he didn’t play a defensive snap last year.
Why not? Flexibility is important, and the Ravens will want to have their best defensive backs on the field as often as possible. That could very well mean using one of their cornerbacks, like Marlon Humphrey or T.J. Tampa, in certain safety looks, which would minimize the need for bringing in another vet at the position.
Best available: Xavier Woods, Donovan Wilson, Taylor Rapp, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ashtyn Davis
Unless there’s a plan in place for one of the natural corners to work into the safety rotation, this feels like a spot where the Ravens should add someone. They’ll want the flexibility to move Hamilton around. The Ravens annually seem to sign a veteran depth safety late in the offseason, and there are plenty of options who would probably come cheaply. Melifonwu and Davis played under Weaver last year in Miami, and Davis was a safety partner of Hawkins in college.
