ExtremeRavens

INDIANAPOLIS — Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta did not provide clarity Tuesday on defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike’s status, instead signaling the team remains in a holding pattern as the veteran defensive tackle recovers from a season-ending neck injury. “There’s a lot of unknown when you build a team,” DeCosta said at the NFL scouting combine. “I learned from [former general manager] Ozzie [Newsome], sometimes the best thing to do is wait for more information, and that’s what we continue to do.” Madubuike, a two-time Pro Bowl selection and one of the league’s highest-paid defensive tackles, suffered his neck injury in a Week 2 win over the Cleveland Browns. Baltimore’s pass rush suffered greatly and never fully rebounded from Madubuike’s absence, finishing with just 30 sacks, third-fewest in the NFL, while ranking 28th in pass rush win rate at 30%. “It was tough to see Nnamdi go down last year,” DeCosta said. “[His injury] left us a little vulnerable.” Madubuike’s future has remained a subject of speculation, especially after he posted “Good news” last month on X. Throughout the 2025 season and into the offseason, team officials have declined to elaborate on his recovery timeline and future playing status. The Ravens signed Madubuike to a four-year, $98 million contract with $75.5 million guaranteed in March 2024, cementing his role as a foundational piece across the middle of the defensive line. During his two Pro Bowl seasons in 2023 and 2024, Madubuike compiled 19 1/2 sacks and 50 quarterback hits. Over 78 career games, he has 203 tackles, 30 sacks and 69 quarterback hits. DeCosta indicated the lingering uncertainty surrounding Madubuike, 28, will not alter Baltimore’s offseason approach. The Ravens, under new coach Jesse Minter, are in attendance at this week’s scouting combine to evaluate top draft-eligible players. Baltimore currently possesses 11 picks, including the No. 14 selection, in April’s NFL draft. “[Madubuike’s situation] doesn’t affect me very much,” DeCosta said. “If we have a chance to draft a great defensive tackle, we will. It’s one of the most important positions in football. We’ve always been a team that has valued the importance of the trenches. We should have a good opportunity to add players [in the draft].” Madubuike carries a cap hit of $30.975 million in 2026 with a guaranteed base salary of $22 million. Said DeCosta: “Salary cap-wise, [Madubuike] doesn’t have any major impact on us at this time.” First-year coach Jesse Minter acknowledged Madubuike remains in “great spirits,” and also noted that he met with the defensive player at the team’s facility in Owings Mills last week. “I’ll keep those conversations private,” Minter said. “I think that will be up to him when the time is right.” Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. Josh appears as a host on The Sun’s “Early Birds” podcast. Related Articles Will the Ravens bring back Humphrey or Likely? DeCosta explains. With ‘market-setting’ extension offer from Ravens, Tyler Linderbaum faces big decision Ravens GM Eric DeCosta ‘confident’ he can get deal done with Lamar Jackson Ravens live updates: Coverage from 2026 NFL scouting combine 5 biggest questions facing Ravens as NFL scouting combine kicks off View the full article

INDIANAPOLIS — Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said Tuesday that he is “confident” that the team will be able to work out a contract extension with two-time NFL Most Valuable Player and quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson, 29, has two years remaining on his current deal but is due to carry a prohibitive $74.5 million salary cap hit each of the next two seasons when the new league year opens March 11. An extension or adding void years to his current contract would lessen that hit significantly for Baltimore, which is also trying to re-sign center and impending free agent Tyler Linderbaum to a long-term, “market-setting” contract that it has offered to the three-time Pro Bowl selection. DeCosta also said that he has spoken with the often elusive Jackson on multiple occasions in recent weeks, though he declined to provide specifics of their talks. “Lamar and I have an agreement,” he said from the NFL scouting combine. “We handle business kind of in-house, internally. That worked well for us the last time, and we will continue to have that policy moving forward.” The last time the Ravens and Jackson, who does not have an agent, were in negotiations, talks dragged on for two years and included a trade request from the star before the two sides reached agreement on a five-year, $260 million contract hours ahead of the start of the 2023 NFL draft. That deal, at the time, made Jackson the highest-paid player in the sport. It is expected that he will get top money again this time around. A new deal would also free up around $30 million in cap space and keep Jackson in Baltimore for at least another few years. Though the clock is ticking on the start of the new league year, DeCosta also said that he does not expect the looming deadline to impede the organization’s ability to make other moves. “We never have as much cap room as we like to have,” he said. “But we feel like we can start at the beginning of the new league year to conduct business.” At the top of the list, of course, is signing Jackson to an extension, something that owner Steve Bisciotti said last month is a priority. “We want another window, and Lamar knows that,” Bisciotti said. “I think that he’s amenable to doing something that mirrors the last deal he did, although the annual number will be a little higher. But I’m hoping that it’s plug a new number in the same contract he signed last year and move on.” If the two sides can’t come to an agreement, the team can restructure Jackson’s current contract. Though that is not the preferred route, converting much of his $51.2 million salary into a signing bonus would free up necessary space, though that would increase his cap hit for 2027. Currently, Baltimore has about $13 million in effective cap space. Jackson is also coming off the worst season of his career and missed four games because of injuries. Related Articles Will the Ravens bring back Humphrey or Likely? DeCosta explains. With ‘market-setting’ extension offer from Ravens, Tyler Linderbaum faces big decision Ravens still in limbo with Nnamdi Madubuike, GM Eric DeCosta says Ravens live updates: Coverage from 2026 NFL scouting combine 5 biggest questions facing Ravens as NFL scouting combine kicks off The disappointing 8-9 season led to coach John Harbaugh being fired after 18 seasons and Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator and former Baltimore assistant Jesse Minter being hired. Jackson also spent more than an hour on a video call with new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, and DeCosta said that he has spoken with the quarterback about “a lot of different things” of late. “He’s been very engaged,” DeCosta said. “He was a big value to us in the coaching search.” Minter added that he and Jackson have been in contact since being hired, though he did not elaborate. “I think Lamar and I’s relationship, I’ll probably try to keep pretty private, but it is always ongoing and always trying to be in communication,” he said. “Like I said at the very beginning, it takes time to build the trust and the communication and the openness that you really want to create with all the players. So, I am always working towards that, but I love to see him put in the work.” Asked if he also prefers that Jackson be at voluntary organized team activities later this offseason after Doyle said recently that championship expectations essentially means championship attendance for the voluntary practices, DeCosta said that he isn’t concerned. “I think he knows what it takes to get ready for the grind of the NFL season,” he said. “He’s proven he can do it at a very, very high level.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The NFL offseason is heating up. Top decision-makers are in Indianapolis this week for the annual NFL scouting combine to evaluate the best prospects available in April’s draft. While the week serves as a first-hand look at the league’s future stars, it’s also an opportunity for fans to hear from coaches and executives. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and new coach Jesse Minter are in Indianapolis and will meet with the media on Tuesday. Follow along here for The Baltimore Sun’s live coverage and analysis. View the full article

INDIANAPOLIS — The start of NFL free agency is a couple of weeks away, but much of the league’s maneuvering begins in earnest at this week’s scouting combine. Players slated to reach the open market are not allowed to formally hear from teams until March 9, with the new league year commencing March 11. Still, it is among the league’s worst-kept secrets that the next several days in hotel lobbies, meeting rooms and late-night dinners will shape future moves. For the Ravens, the offseason has already been active, beginning with the hiring of head coach Jesse Minter and the assembly of a new staff. Now, a different sort of frenetic tempo arrives. Baltimore has 19 unrestricted free agents, many of whom were starters or otherwise integral contributors last season. The Ravens currently have roughly $13 million in effective salary-cap space, per Over The Cap, and that won’t suffice if they hope to retain key pieces — most notably Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum — while also adding from outside the building. Looming over all of it is the contract status of two-time NFL Most Valuable Player quarterback Lamar Jackson, whose deal will almost certainly need to be restructured or extended to mitigate a prohibitive $74.5 million cap charge. That subject figures to be foremost when general manager Eric DeCosta meets with reporters Tuesday morning, followed by Minter at noon — though it will hardly be the only matter discussed. Here is a look at the major questions facing Baltimore this week. Lamar Jackson watch The good news for the Ravens is that Jackson, who notably represents himself, remains under contract for two more seasons. The complication is that the team almost certainly needs to extend him, or at minimum restructure the agreement. Owner Steve Bisciotti indicated last month that an extension would be preferable. Yet given the protracted negotiations that preceded the contract Jackson signed in 2023, a restructuring may prove the more immediate path. Adding void years would free a meaningful portion of cap space; a full extension could create even more flexibility. Although the combine offers teams a closer look at the next wave of players entering the league, the week is just as much about dialogue as teams try to chart their path forward — at least as much as they’re allowed to do within the boundaries of league rules. What about Tyler Linderbaum? Set to turn 26 in April and already a three-time Pro Bowl selection in four seasons, Linderbaum is Baltimore’s most pressing internal priority. DeCosta has expressed a desire to reach a long-term agreement with the former first-round pick, and Linderbaum has likewise said he would like to remain in Baltimore. Still, the calculus is not entirely straightforward — not when a player of his caliber would command top-of-the-market compensation of about $20 million annually, should he reach free agency. That said, the Ravens have navigated a similar situation before. Related Articles READER POLL: Which position should the Ravens prioritize in the NFL draft? Mike Preston: Pressure ramps up for Ravens GM Eric DeCosta | COMMENTARY 2026 NFL scouting combine preview: What Ravens fans need to know Ravens’ Isaiah Likely weighs future ahead of free agency: ‘This is business’ Mike Preston: New coordinator, new demands for Ravens’ Lamar Jackson | COMMENTARY A year ago, the team found itself in nearly the same position with left tackle Ronnie Stanley. The sides ultimately reached an agreement just before free agency began. Something comparable could unfold with Linderbaum, though his return may be slightly less certain after he acknowledged that he must weigh what is best for his family as well as his career. What to do about Marlon Humphrey? There’s no sugar-coating how much Humphrey, who will turn 30 in July, struggled last season. According to Next Gen Stats, he allowed more receiving yards (831) than any cornerback in the league. Teammate Nate Wiggins ranked second after yielding 810 yards, though he was only in his second season and possesses considerably more developmental upside. Humphrey presents a more complicated decision. He is a four-time Pro Bowler, practices and competes with intensity and provides institutional knowledge to a relatively young secondary that is also thin on established starters. Yet he is also scheduled to count more than $26 million against the cap next season. Designating him a post-June 1 release would clear a little over $19 million in space while leaving roughly $7 million in dead money. Like Jackson, Humphrey does not employ an agent. He also maintains a close relationship with DeCosta. Those circumstances could perhaps allow the two sides to arrive at a more palatable financial arrangement, but no matter what happens the Ravens will look to add to their cornerback room through the draft. The Ravens' Zay Flowers scores a touchdown against the Patriots this past season. Outside of Flowers, Baltimore has questions at the wide receiver position. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) What will they do at wide receiver? Three years ago, Baltimore used a first-round pick on Zay Flowers. Since then, he has emerged as the first receiver drafted by the franchise to earn multiple Pro Bowl selections while producing consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Beyond him, however, the depth chart is comparatively thin. Rashod Bateman remains under contract through 2029 but has previously sought a trade and is coming off a down season. DeAndre Hopkins and Tylan Wallace are both scheduled to reach free agency, while third-year receiver Devontez Walker continues to develop. Unsurprisingly, several mock drafts project the Ravens selecting another wide receiver in the first round. That would mark the third time since 2021. There is also the possibility of adding a pass catcher through free agency, though the class is underwhelming, or via trade. One name occasionally mentioned in trade speculation is disgruntled Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown. Biggest needs in the draft After finishing 8-9 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2021, it became evident that Baltimore’s leadership believed several position groups had underachieved, if not regressed. Foremost among them were the offensive line — particularly at guard — and the pass rush. Jackson was sacked 36 times in just 12 games, the highest rate of his eight-year career. Defensively, Baltimore recorded only 30 sacks, the second-lowest total in the league. DeCosta is bullish that second-year guard Emery Jones Jr. can help stabilize the interior, and a first-round selection such as Penn State’s Vega Ioane would further fortify that area. As for a bona fide edge rusher, creating additional cap space could open the door to pursuing Cincinnati Bengals star Trey Hendrickson. Or, perhaps DeCosta will explore trading for Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby. Any of those moves would signal a more assertive approach to reshaping the roster, a tack DeCosta has already suggested he might take. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The NFL draft is still two months away, but the prospects are getting a close look this week at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. The Ravens, who have the 14th pick, have plenty of needs and will be keeping tabs on all the position groups showing off this week. Which position should the Ravens prioritize in the NFL draft? We want to hear from you. After you vote, leave a comment and we might use your take in The Baltimore Sun. The Baltimore Sun reader poll is an unscientific survey in which website users volunteer their opinions on the subject of the poll. To read the results of previous reader polls, click here. View the full article

The year has already been hectic for the Ravens, and it just got busier for general manager Eric DeCosta. After weeks of interviewing 20 candidates, the team named Jesse Minter as its fourth head coach, shifting all attention to DeCosta, who has 11 picks in the annual NFL draft in late April, including No. 14 overall. While team owner Steve Bisciotti declared DeCosta’s job safe several weeks ago, the onus of the franchise has to shift to DeCosta, who replaced Ozzie Newsome as the general manager in January 2019. It should. DeCosta built the team that fell to Pittsburgh, 26-24, on Jan. 4 and came up one game short of participating in the playoffs. Regardless of what anyone else says, this was the best team in Ravens history on paper. They had a two-time Most Valuable Player at quarterback in Lamar Jackson, one of the best modern-day running backs in Derrick Henry and a secondary composed of five former first-round draft picks in safeties Malaki Starks and Kyle Hamilton and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins and Jaire Alexander. Oops, scratch Alexander. He was added as a favor to Jackson at the beginning of the season. So now, we focus on DeCosta. He seemed to hit a home run in the hiring of Minter, even though some of his assistants are questionable having coached in college last season. You want to see how they react in tense situations. But where is the announced contract extension for Jackson? Discussions were expected to start at the beginning of the 2025 training camp. If that doesn’t happen before March 11 at 4 p.m., then will the Ravens have money to entice free agents like Los Angeles Chargers pass-rushing specialist Khalil Mack or former Ravens outside linebacker Odafe Oweh? And how about the draft? Will the Ravens pursue a wide receiver or possibly trade for Philadelphia wide receiver A.J. Brown? Now we know why there is so much heat on DeCosta. Negotiating with Jackson is never easy, especially because he doesn’t have an agent. Plus, he likes drama and suspense. The last time DeCosta went through a similar process was in April 2023 when the Ravens signed Jackson to a five-year contract worth $260 million. Unfortunately, Jackson is expected to have a salary cap hit of $74.5 million in 2026 and 2027. Last week, Kansas City star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs announced that they had restructured his deal for the fourth time since 2020 and will pay him $54.45 million as a signing bonus, which will free up $43 million in salary cap space. Newsome used to work similar deals with star linebacker Ray Lewis during the best of his playing days in Baltimore. So, what’s the holdup with Jackson? Are negotiations that tough? Maybe we will find out more Tuesday morning when DeCosta is expected to meet with the media in Indianapolis at the scouting combine. That brings us to free agency. There are 19 Ravens unrestricted free agents, but five this team should re-sign in safety Alohi Gilman, center Tyler Linderbaum, fullback Patrick Ricard, backup quarterback Tyler Huntley and punter Jordan Stout. Even among that group, Ricard isn’t a must and Linderbaum could be joining Harbaugh in New York. Huntley is expendable, too, but has a skil lset similar to Jackson’s as far as running the ball. But once the Ravens re-signed tight end Mark Andrews to a three-year, $39.3 million contract in December, it signaled that backup Isaiah Likely will probably sign elsewhere. Pending the defense the Ravens run with Minter and new coordinator Anthony Weaver, safety Ar’Darius Washington, linebackers Jake Hummel, Dre’Mont Jones, Kyle Van Noy and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie might be expendable, too. There is more intrigue in the draft. Related Articles READER POLL: Which position should the Ravens prioritize in the NFL draft? 2026 NFL scouting combine preview: What Ravens fans need to know Ravens’ Isaiah Likely weighs future ahead of free agency: ‘This is business’ Mike Preston: New coordinator, new demands for Ravens’ Lamar Jackson | COMMENTARY Baltimore sports radio host Jason La Canfora no longer with 105.7 The Fan There have been projections about the Ravens taking a receiver in the draft, such as Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson or Southern California’s Makai Lemon, to complement slot receiver Zay Flowers, but the Ravens need to remember their own draft history. They’ve had as much success with receivers as the Las Vegas Raiders have had with new head coaches. Since 1996, the Ravens have drafted 36 receivers. Of that group, only four — Jermaine Lewis, Brandon Stokley, Torrey Smith and Flowers — have made strong contributions. Let’s also remember that the Ravens have added veteran free agents like Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins in recent years. Well, how did that turn out? They need to add an edge rusher like Texas Tech’s David Bailey, Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr., Ohio State’s Arvell Reese or an interior lineman like Clemson’s Peter Woods or Georgia’s Christen Miller. Or, go find some big offensive linemen like Vega Ioane of Penn State or Texas A&M’s Chase Bisontis. Offensive tackles like Utah’s Spencer Fano or Miami’s Francis Mauigoa would help, too. Where is the beef? Interior line play should be the focus of every NFL team, particularly the Ravens. The game has changed and commissioner Roger Goodell has put more emphasis on offense, but games are still won in the trenches. The Ravens were forced into building through the draft when the team first moved here from Cleveland for the start of the 1996 season, and the Modell family had very little money to spend in free agency. Newsome’s first pick in 1996 was offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden at No. 4, and his second selection in the first round was Lewis at No. 26. Then it was Peter Boulware in the first round in 1997 and fellow outside linebacker Jamie Sharper in the second. You get the picture. Now, it’s DeCosta’s time to step up because Harbaugh is gone. Everyone is watching. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey, shown in 2025, is one of the pass rushers available in the NFL draft who could make Baltimore's inconsistent defense better in 2026. (Rick Scuteri — AP Photo, file) View the full article

The Ravens and the rest of the NFL this week descend on Indianapolis, where 319 draft-eligible prospects have been invited to partake in the league’s annual scouting combine. This year’s breakdown includes 166 offensive players, 146 on defense and seven specialists. After finishing 8-9 to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2021 and with a new coaching staff, Baltimore has plenty of needs to address following its disastrous and ineffectual season. As a franchise that fundamentally believes in building the bulk of its roster through the draft, it’s also an important week. The physical and mental evaluations — from 40-yard dashes to interviews — of the future NFL players will offer general manager Eric DeCosta, first-year coach Jesse Minter and the rest of the organization’s braintrust their most intimate picture of players to date. In short, it’s the epicenter of the NFL universe, from what you see on television at Lucas Oil Stadium to the gatherings away from cameras in the hotel lobbies and restaurants where executives, agents, coaching staffs and reporters congregate. For the Ravens, DeCosta will meet with reporters at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, while Minter will do so at noon the same day. There will be plenty of questions for both, from where things stand on contract extension talks with quarterback and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson and three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum to what positions they will target with their expected 11 draft picks, including the 14th overall selection, and more. Here’s everything you need to know about the week ahead: Schedule of events and TV info (NFL Network) Thursday: Defensive linemen, linebackers, kickers (3 p.m.) Friday: Defensive backs, tight ends (3 p.m.) Saturday: Quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs (1 p.m.) Sunday: Offensive linemen (1 p.m.) Maryland players to watch There are only two Terps who will be at this year’s scouting combine: offensive tackle Alan Herron and safety Jalen Huskey. Both are likely at best back-end Day 3 draft selections, if they get chosen at all. Still, it’s an opportunity to impress the league’s 32 teams. Being an undrafted free agent is often better than being a seventh-round pick because the player can find the best fit, and both players play positions that Baltimore needs more depth at. Herron, a 6-foot-4, 321-pound native of Jamaica, was honorable mention All-Big Ten last season after starting all 12 games at right tackle (and starting 24 the past two seasons) and as part of a unit that allowed just nine sacks. Huskey (6-1, 199 pounds) is from Frederick and was second-team All-Big Ten in 2025 after a team-best four interceptions across 12 games (11 starts). He also had 72 tackles, which was second on the team. Related Articles Ravens’ Isaiah Likely weighs future ahead of free agency: ‘This is business’ Mike Preston: New coordinator, new demands for Ravens’ Lamar Jackson | COMMENTARY Baltimore sports radio host Jason La Canfora no longer with 105.7 The Fan Ravens GM Eric DeCosta on Tyler Linderbaum contract status, Minter’s hiring How Ravens’ Jesse Minter assembled his staff: ‘Each side of the ball as a puzzle’ The other college player from the state invited was Navy running back/wide receiver Eli Heidenreich. Like the other two, he’s a late-round pick at best. At 5-11, 197 pounds, he could also be an intriguing flier. Viewed as agile and with good hands and burst, he likely projects as a slot receiver at the NFL level after 51 catches for 941 yards and six touchdowns this past season. His 18.5 yards per catch also speaks to his yards-after-catch ability. Possible Ravens targets to watch Vega Ioane, guard, Penn State Picking an offensive lineman 14th overall isn’t the sexiest move, but second-year guard Emery Jones Jr. and Ioane, a 6-4, 335-pound people mover in the running game, could solve the issues the Ravens had with guards Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele last season. Ioane also has the quickness to be a dependable pass blocker. Jordyn Tyson, wide receiver, Arizona State With Rashod Bateman taking a step back in production last season — and having previously sought a trade — along with veteran DeAndre Hopkins unlikely to be back, the Ravens need to find a front-line wide receiver to complement Zay Flowers. The 6-2, 200-pound Tyson tutored under Sun Devils wide receiver coach and former Steelers star Hines Ward and has the requisite tools with enough speed, improved route running and notable contested catch ability. He also has a significant injury history, however. Keldric Faulk, edge, Auburn At 6-6, 285 pounds, Faulk has a long, athletic frame and the kind of versatility the Ravens often covet, with an ability to play outside and in. He needs some polish but with a draft comparison of Carlos Dunlap, who logged at least eight sacks in five of his eight NFL seasons, he could add some much-needed juice to the pass rush alongside last year’s second-round pick, Mike Green. Southern California wide receiver Makai Lemon catches a touchdown pass against Illinois. Lemon is viewed as a top wide receiver prospect in this year's NFL draft. (Craig Pessman/AP) Makai Lemon, wide receiver, Southern California Lemon isn’t big at 5-11, 195 pounds, but he has often been compared to another former Southern California standout: Amon-Ra St. Brown. Like the Detroit Lions star, Lemon has displayed top-end short-area quickness and an ability to make contested catches in the slot. Akheem Mesidor, edge, Miami At 25, Mesidor brings enough experience to step in and contribute immediately as a rookie. He was also part of a powerful 1-2 with Miami’s Reuben Bain on a dominant defense. He’s also described as “instinctive” with a high motor and as having a “fluid” rush style and a “deep” toolbox of moves. Given the uncertainty around Nnamdi Madubuike and a defensive interior that needs depth and some youthful burst, he’d fit right in. Colton Hood, cornerback, Tennessee DeCosta is fond of saying he can never have enough cornerbacks, and given the uncertainty about the future of Marlon Humphrey and Chidobe Awuzie, who is slated to become a free agent, adding an outside defender opposite Nate Wiggins is a major need. Hood has size (6 feet, 195 pounds), speed, is physical and is sticky in coverage. Cashius Howell, edge, Texas A&M The 6-2, 248-pound Howell is quick off the edge and has good bend. He was also productive in college with 11 1/2 sacks last season and 9 1/2 in 2023 for Bowling Green. He still needs development as an edge-setter, but his pass rush skills could pay quick dividends. Davison Igbinoson, cornerback, Ohio State At 6-2, 192 pounds, Igbinoson is another cornerback who fits the physical mold Baltimore likes. He was flagged 16 times in coverage the past two seasons, but that speaks to his physicality and can be cleaned up. He’s also a willing tackler in the run game, and his brother Desmond was an undrafted free agent with the Ravens last year. Gabe Jacas, edge, Illinois Jacas, at 6-3 and 260 pounds, is put together and is versatile, having played with his hand in the dirt and as a stand-up edge. His edge-setting needs work — as do his pass-rush moves — but his wrestling background and thus his ability to maneuver could be appealing to Baltimore, which likes players with diverse athletic backgrounds and skill sets that translate. Also of note: His draft comp is former Raven Matthew Judon. Chase Bisontis, guard, Texas A&M The 6-5, 315-pound interior lineman has heavy hands and a well-balanced repertoire, though his run blocking is ahead of his pass protection, according to scouts. He’s described as having plenty of “nasty” to him as well, something former Ravens great and Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist Marshal Yanda had in spades and goes a long way on the interior. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Isaiah Likely made two things clear during a recent appearance on Jon Gruden’s “Gruden Goes Long” podcast: Baltimore feels like home — and he’s ready for more. The 25-year-old tight end, set to hit free agency, said he appreciates the Ravens drafting him in 2022 when “all 31 didn’t.” But he also acknowledged the reality of the moment. “Baltimore’s home for me, but at the end of the day, this is business,” Likely said. He told Gruden he has made his priorities clear to his agent: he wants to “blossom” — and he wants to be used as a “chess piece.” Slot. In-line. Out wide. Backfield. He’s not just looking to be a complementary piece behind Mark Andrews again. He wants deployment. “The last couple of years I’ve had a great vet in Mark Andrews, where he’s taught me everything to be a star caliber tight end,” Likely said. “I just want to be on a team where I could just get out there and help a quarterback, help a team be able to put as much points on the board as possible.” Likely also acknowledged the financial reality in Baltimore. Andrews, who finished last season with 422 yards and six touchdowns, agreed to a three-year, $39.3 million extension in December. Top receiver Zay Flowers has two years remaining on his rookie deal, with a $28 million club option for 2027 that could precede an extension. Starting center Tyler Linderbaum is also due for a new contract and is expected to command top-of-market money at his position. Baltimore has just $22 million in cap space, per OverTheCap. Likely understands the cap equation isn’t simple. After a breakout 2024, Likely’s production dipped to 27 catches for 307 yards and one touchdown last season. Part of last season’s modest stat line stemmed from a broken foot l suffered late in training camp. Likely told Gruden he didn’t feel like himself until about Thanksgiving. Likely called it “gruesome” for the injury to have occurred in a contract year. Even with Likely healthy late in the year, the Ravens failed to finish enough games to capture the AFC North or make a deep postseason run. Likely was at the center of one of the season’s defining moments — a controversial overturned touchdown in a December matchup against the Steelers. Officials ruled he did not complete the catch in the fourth quarter, wiping away a go-ahead score that would have put Baltimore ahead with less than three minutes remaining. “I really didn’t get an explanation, if I’m being honest,” Likely said. Related Articles Mike Preston: New coordinator, new demands for Ravens’ Lamar Jackson | COMMENTARY Baltimore sports radio host Jason La Canfora no longer with 105.7 The Fan Ravens GM Eric DeCosta on Tyler Linderbaum contract status, Minter’s hiring How Ravens’ Jesse Minter assembled his staff: ‘Each side of the ball as a puzzle’ 3 takeaways from new Ravens coordinators, including ‘new age’ rebrand In some ways, the play mirrored the Ravens’ season — close, explosive, but ultimately unfinished. “That was kind of the mantra of our season — not finishing,” Likely said. “We’d have explosive plays, then drives would stall out. We just weren’t clicking on all ends.” The frustration carried beyond the field. After 18 seasons, the organization moved on from coach John Harbaugh — a decision Likely admitted stunned the locker room. “When you have a coach in Baltimore for 18 years, it’s a shock to everybody,” he said. “When you have a great team, as we does, where everybody’s putting you on the stratosphere of Super Bowl or bust, it starts getting a little heated in conversation when you don’t make the postseason.” The standard in Baltimore hadn’t changed. The results hadn’t matched it. Now, as the franchise resets under new coach Jesse Minter and Likely prepares to test free agency, both face a similar question: what comes next? Likely says Baltimore is home. But he also says he wants to blossom. Have a news tip? Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Mikephowes. View the full article

The top news to come out of the Ravens’ introductory news conference for their new coordinators Wednesday was a declaration by offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. Despite all the record-setting accomplishments by two-time Most Valuable Player and quarterback Lamar Jackson, the ninth-year player was going to have to make some adjustments in Doyle’s variation of the West Coast offense. There is the play called in the huddle, and then there is Jackson improvising. One needs more consistency, even though the best moments for the Ravens have always been Jackson running around and making plays. Not anymore. “That first can be more consistent at times, with his eyes, his footwork within the system,” Doyle, 29, said. “That’s kind of what I’ve noticed is that we’ve watched the tape, and this is stuff — as soon as he gets in here — I’m really fired up to sit with him and start to talk through a lot of that stuff because you don’t always get the full picture until you’re really sitting with a player and talking. “How are you being coached or what were you supposed to be looking at? And once you start to be able to have that dialogue, that’s where progress exists.” This will be interesting. Doyle’s offense is predicated on short to intermediate passes that create space and features a power running game. Timing on routes is a key, an area in which Jackson has to improve. Whenever he has struggled, it was always through sloppy and faulty mechanics. The Ravens rarely used short-timing patterns, except possibly to Rashod Bateman on slants to the wide side of the field. Quick hitch patterns had become obsolete, and there was no such thing as a deep comeback pattern, which the team is still unlikely to use. “With Lamar, obviously, the biggest thing with him is that a defense has to defend two plays on every play,” Doyle said. “They have to defend the first play that we call that we have designed and game-planned, and try to stress the defense. And then they have to defend the second element, which is Lamar creating on his own, that second act, which is the stuff that he has done since he was a kid.” It’s a sound concept. According to Doyle, he has spent more than an hour on Zoom with Jackson during the interview process, and they have traded a few text messages. Jackson’s relationship with former coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Todd Monken was strained in 2025, and even Monken has admitted that the communication with his quarterback needed to be better. But the positive news is that the Ravens hopefully will reach a new contract extension with Jackson before free agency begins on March 11. That could solve some of his differences with the ballclub last season, which included Jackson missing midweek practices because of injuries. This offense, though, isn’t all about Jackson. The Ravens kept forgetting about running back Derrick Henry and panicked in playoff losses to both Kansas City and Buffalo in two of the previous three seasons. “When I talk about physicality, it is those guys trying to impose their will on the defense, trying to create expansion in the offense and the run game,” Doyle said. “Us being detailed across the board, whether that is in the passing game, the route detail, the quarterback’s footwork, his eyes, all those things, or how all our jobs fit in the run game.” The Ravens need to improve their play on the offensive line. Both starting guards, Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele, struggled last season as well as second-year player and right tackle Roger Rosengarten. Center Tyler Linderbaum is a free agent and has been criticized for his lack of size (6-foot-2, 305 pounds) so it wouldn’t be surprising if he ended up in New York with his old head coach. Related Articles Baltimore sports radio host Jason La Canfora no longer with 105.7 The Fan Ravens GM Eric DeCosta on Tyler Linderbaum contract status, Minter’s hiring How Ravens’ Jesse Minter assembled his staff: ‘Each side of the ball as a puzzle’ 3 takeaways from new Ravens coordinators, including ‘new age’ rebrand Josh Tolentino: Ravens special teams need their bite back | COMMENTARY The receivers could use an upgrade, too. Bateman is the X-factor, but it’s hard to tell what you’re going to get from him game to game. They have Zay Flowers, who is excellent in the slot, but would be more effective if the Ravens had a big, No. 1 receiver on the outside. But this offense starts and ends with Jackson. If he learns the offense and plays well, like second-year quarterback Caleb Wiliams did last year in Chicago’s offense, the Ravens have a decent shot of advancing into the postseason. As a rookie, Williams threw for 3,541 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. Last year, Williams had 3,942 passing yards and 27 touchdowns as the Bears improved from 5-12 to 11-6 and won their first playoff game since 2010. Jackson doesn’t need a complete overhaul, just to get better. Doyle, though, has another new job. In Chicago, coach Ben Johnson approved all his game plans. In Baltimore, Doyle will call the plays. “Knowledge is power,” he said, “and if they feel like you can help them and they feel you can help accelerate their careers and our a goals as team, guys are willing to listen, guys are willing to be taught and to grow and work together. “There are similarities in the jobs, but now being the last guy to see it, articulating the visions, being able to sell that to the players, and then ultimately, being able to call the plays on game day was what attracted me to this opportunity.” Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

Baltimore sports radio personality Jason La Canfora confirmed to The Baltimore Sun he is no longer with 105.7 The Fan. La Canfora had co-hosted the show “Inside Access” since 2020 after stints covering the NFL for the Washington Post, NFL Network and CBS Sports. The Banner first reported his ousting. La Canfora was one year into a three-year deal with The Fan. He told The Sun that the station’s programming director held a meeting on Friday “to talk about being number one in all the weekly ratings and to tell us we had the best YouTube numbers at the station.” The situation apparently changed days later, with La Canfora saying, “there were no specifics given” for the change. “They would not say anything other than they were moving in a different direction,” he added, after appearing on Wednesday’s show, which runs from 2 to 6 p.m. Audacy Baltimore senior vice president/market manager Tracy Brandys sent a memo to staff, one employee of The Fan confirmed, writing, “We will begin the process of identifying his replacement and will post the position in the near future. We wish Jason the best in his future endeavors.” Inside Access co-host Ken Weinman delivered an official announcement at the start of Thursday’s show that La Canfora, a Baltimore native, is no longer with the station. “You don’t hear Jason La Canfora,” Weinman said. “He is no longer with Audacy, but ‘Inside Access’ will continue. We wish Jason the very best, but hopefully you will continue to listen.” La Canfora has been a polarizing figure, inciting controversy among Orioles and Ravens fans by way of criticism aimed toward Orioles general manager Mike Elias as well as Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and owner Steve Bisciotti. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. Sam appears as a host on The Sun’s “Early Birds” podcast. View the full article

New Ravens coach Jesse Minter has finalized his staff, assembling a mélange of experiences and backgrounds. Quarterback Lamar Jackson and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle have already spent time discussing their vision for the offense. Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and special teams coordinator Anthony Levine Sr. are back on the same sideline they once patrolled as players in Baltimore. Still, the work is only beginning. For general manager Eric DeCosta, the offseason is his season. He often arrives at the team’s facility in Owings Mills as early as 3 a.m. on weekends, hoping to steal a few quiet hours to study tape of NFL prospects, he said on “The Inner Circle” podcast with former star defensive tackle Aaron Donald, television reporter Zach Klein and agent Todd France. Preparing for next week’s scouting combine in Indianapolis was only one of several topics he touched on. Another was the search that preceded the hiring of Minter. “We had some great candidates,” DeCosta said. “We had probably five finalists. “In the end, given the rules, we were able to interview three of the five finalists.” Those rules concern the timing of coaching interviews during the postseason. Baltimore’s process — and the calendar — meant that two of the finalists never reached the final stage, likely because their teams were still alive in the conference championship games. Coaches involved in those games cannot meet with other teams in person until their season ends. The conference title games were played Jan. 25. The Ravens hired Minter on Jan. 22. Three coaches whom Baltimore had interviewed earlier over Zoom — Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Broncos quarterbacks coach Davis Webb and Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak — were coaching that weekend in the AFC and NFC championship games. Could one of them have impressed DeCosta, executive vice president Ozzie Newsome and team president Sashi Brown enough to land the job? Perhaps. In the end, only Kubiak — whose father previously served as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator — went on to secure a head coaching position elsewhere, with the Las Vegas Raiders. DeCosta, though, expressed little hesitation about the direction the Ravens chose. “Change can be good,” he said. “With change comes innovation and new ways of doing things, new ways of practicing, a new scheme and all these different things. “That’s going to give us an advantage, I think, this year.” Related Articles Baltimore sports radio host Jason La Canfora no longer with 105.7 The Fan How Ravens’ Jesse Minter assembled his staff: ‘Each side of the ball as a puzzle’ 3 takeaways from new Ravens coordinators, including ‘new age’ rebrand Josh Tolentino: Ravens special teams need their bite back | COMMENTARY Ravens OC Declan Doyle details Lamar Jackson call, vision for ‘explosive’ offense Less ambiguous is the importance of trying to re-sign three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum. “We’ve got some work to do on his contract,” DeCosta said. “We strongly hope to have him back. He’s a great player for us and a great leader.” Linderbaum, who turns 26 in April, would be among the most sought-after players on the market if he reaches free agency, which opens in earnest March 9. The Ravens declined his fifth-year option last offseason — a move that would have cost $23.4 million had they not done so — but DeCosta made clear then, and again recently, that the team hopes to keep the former first-round pick from Iowa in Baltimore for the long term. Doing so, however, will not come cheaply. The Kansas City Chiefs’ All-Pro center Creed Humphrey is currently the highest-paid player at the position, earning $18 million per year after signing a four-year, $72 million extension in August 2024. Linderbaum could command a similar figure — or more — if he reaches the open market. For now, Linderbaum has said he would like to remain in Baltimore, while acknowledging he must do what is best for him and his family. Baltimore currently has about $13.4 million in effective salary cap space, according to Over the Cap, though that figure is likely to change. One possibility would be an extension or restructure involving Jackson, whose contract carries a $74.5 million cap hit in each of the next two seasons. Along with Linderbaum, DeCosta said he would like to “augment” the guard position. He spoke highly of 2025 rookie Emery Jones Jr., whom he believes could compete for a starting role replacing either Andrew Vorhees or Daniel Faalele. Just as pressing, he added, is the need to generate more pressure on opposing quarterbacks after the Ravens finished second-to-last in sacks last season. Part of that problem stemmed from the loss of defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, who suffered a season-ending neck injury. Whether he will return next season remains uncertain, and DeCosta pointed to a group of younger players who could help close that gap in the months ahead. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The last time the Ravens broke in a new head coach and three new coordinators at once, “Mr. Holland’s Opus” was near the top of the box office, and their current offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle, was still a month from being born. It was February 1996 and the NFL had just approved then-owner Art Modell’s move from Cleveland. Three decades later, the Ravens find themselves in a different kind of reset. How new coach Jesse Minter, 42, intends to manage so much change in an organization that has been principled on foundational consistency for three decades is the principal question. Minter of course knows that history well. He served as a defensive assistant here from 2017 to 2020. “There’s a great piece of being here before and understanding the foundation — understanding a lot of the history, understanding what this place has been built on,” he said Wednesday. “But I’ve also formulated some of my own ideas over the last few years. There’s a foundational way that the Ravens play that we need to play like, but I also think there’s a new age and a new way to do things.” New age, indeed. Minter wore a hoodie beneath his sport coat as he sat at a long table flanked to his left by special teams coordinator Anthony Levine Sr., Doyle and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. A bottle of water rested in front of each — a small but noticeable departure from the can of Diet Coke that had long accompanied John Harbaugh. As Minter assembled his first staff, he returned repeatedly to a handful of words: leaders, connectors, teachers. Schematic fluency mattered. So did presence. Among his 24 assistants are five who came directly from the college ranks. There is also Doyle, the youngest play-caller in the league, and Minter’s 71-year-old father, Rick — once Harbaugh’s boss eons ago at the University of Cincinnati. The range is deliberate. “You definitely look at, specifically, each side of the ball as a puzzle, making sure that Declan has his experiences and where he’s been. You want him to be surrounded by people that can help him do the job at the highest level, so there are a few [coaches] that maybe he’s worked with prior,” he said. “There are also a few that I have history with, and then there are different levels of experience, and there are different levels of guys that have been play-callers, passing game coordinators, all those different types of things that can really help support a younger, newer play caller that I felt like maybe I had as I was coming up as that type of position. “Then on defense, I was really looking for teachers, connectors, fundamentalists and how they’ll teach the guys how to play defense and what we expect, how to play defense like the Ravens need to play defense.” Experience, he suggested, was less about résumé than about resonance. The youth movement is impossible to ignore. Minter is just outside the league’s 10 youngest head coaches, but this is his first time as a head coach. Doyle is two months younger than quarterback Lamar Jackson. Weaver, passed over twice previously for the defensive coordinator job in Baltimore, is still just 45. Special teams coordinator Anthony Levine Sr., is a former player who has been a coach in the league since 2022 but is just 38. Defensive pass game coordinator Mike Mickens (Notre Dame), defensive line coach Lou Esposito (Michigan), outside linebackers coach Harland Bower (Duke) and safeties coach P.J. Volker (Navy) have never coached in the NFL, while assistant defensive backs coach Miles Taylor (Nebraska) had only a brief stint last year as a coaching fellow with the Los Angeles Chargers under Minter. Mickens (38), Bower (37) and Taylor (30) are all under 40. For Doyle, the age is less a liability than it is a bridge. “It actually is a little bit easier for me to connect with guys because we are the same age,” he said. “We grew up in the same world.” Doyle has, as he said, been “too young for every job” he has held. The lesson, as he sees it, is that authority flows less from seniority than from utility. “Knowledge is power,” he said. “If they feel like you can help them and they feel like you can help accelerate their career and our goals as a team, guys are willing to listen, guys are willing to be taught and to grow and to work together.” The template for this recalibration is familiar. Related Articles 3 takeaways from new Ravens coordinators, including ‘new age’ rebrand Josh Tolentino: Ravens special teams need their bite back | COMMENTARY Ravens OC Declan Doyle details Lamar Jackson call, vision for ‘explosive’ offense Ravens DC Anthony Weaver, passed over as head coach, has next best thing Mike Preston: For Ravens’ defense, boring is necessary | COMMENTARY Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin won a Super Bowl before 40. Rams coach Sean McVay was 30 when L.A. hired him and at 36 is the youngest coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl. Mike Macdonald, 38 and a former defensive coordinator for the Ravens, guided the Seattle Seahawks to the title this season. Coordinators such as Joe Brady, Kellen Moore, Kyle Shanahan and Klint Kubiak all held those roles in their 30s before going on to become head coaches. Put another way, teams have increasingly entrusted offenses, defenses — or the lead chair — to coaches who once might have had to wait. Minter had been contemplating his own version of that shift well before Baltimore called. Last year, as defensive coordinator of the Chargers, he studied offensive systems across the league, paying particular attention to what Ben Johnson built in Detroit, where he was the offensive coordinator before taking over as the Chicago Bears head coach this season. Doyle, though he never worked under Johnson before 2025, had interviewed with him in 2022 and came, Minter said, “very, very highly recommended.” “Age is just a number,” Minter said. “This is his eighth year in the National Football League. He’s worked his way up. I think he’s really well prepared for this opportunity.” The staff is also not exclusively young. Offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, 49, held the same job with the Atlanta Falcons. Senior offensive assistant coach Joe Lombardi, 54, was the Denver Broncos’ offensive coordinator the past three seasons. Running backs coach Eddie Faulkner, 48, had been with the Steelers since 2019. Pass game coordinator Marcus Brady, who followed Minter from L.A., has been a coach in the league since 2018 and had stints with the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles. Tight ends coach Zack Grossi spent the past four seasons with the Broncos. Offensive quality control coach Patrick Kramer spent the past five years with the Falcons, while wide receivers coach Keary Colbert was with Denver the past three years. Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, left, and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver are two crucial members of Jesse Minter's initial staff. The group of coaches includes rising stars and proven veteran assistants. (Brian Krista/Staff) Levine, like Weaver, is a former player and is widely respected in the building, from players to executives. If the younger hires suggest a generational turn, the foundation remains seasoned. The central aim is cultural rather than chronological. “I think when they feel that it’s collaborative — when they feel that it’s ours and not just the coaches — that’s when you get the best version of everybody,” Minter said shortly after getting the job. Now that his staff is complete, the calendar also accelerates. The scouting combine looms. The offseason program begins in early April, followed by the draft at the end of it. There are voluntary workouts and training camp. The sprint, as Minter calls it, is already underway. “We’re on a sprint as a coaching staff up until April 6 to make sure that we’re ready for the players,” Minter said. “Then when they get here, it’s about creating an environment that they feel great about, that they feel like they’re becoming better, that they feel like they’re improving, they feel like they’re becoming the best version of themselves. “And then we certainly want to have everybody have high expectations from the outside. We want to build standards inside that match what we want the results to be. I think if we do that, we have a hungry group that is coming off of a year that they’re not as proud of as some of the previous seasons, and so there is a hunger amongst the players to get right back to work and hit the ground running.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Late Wednesday morning, Ravens coach Jesse Minter introduced the three coordinators who will lead his first NFL staff. Minter wore a black hoodie, gray blazer and an eager grin, proudly showing off the three prominent leaders of his 25-person staff, which he finalized in a matter of 21 days. “We’re on a sprint as a coaching staff up until April 6 to make sure that we’re ready for the players,” Minter said. Here are three takeaways from the coordinator introductions: Coaching staff is embracing ‘new age’ Ravens Executive vice president Ozzie Newsome started using the phrase in the mid-aughts. Former coach John Harbaugh wrapped his arms around it in 2008, his first year on the job. A year later, the team’s marketing department full-court pressed what has since evolved into a long-standing mantra for football in Baltimore. To “Play like a Raven,” legendary defensive tackle Haloti Ngata once said, means “being nasty and playing rough, tough football. … It’s a nastiness where you’re going to impose your will on teams.” Minter’s fingerprints will inevitably mark up these Ravens while, he said, maintaining the integrity of those who built a reputation before him. But he wasn’t afraid to embrace change. He twice referenced a “new age” rebrand of what it means to play like a Raven. “There’s a foundational way that the Ravens play that we need to play like, but I also think that there’s a new age and a new way to do things, and that’s the reason we’re all sitting up here,” Minter said. “Change can be embraced, change can energize people, and so we really look forward to it. I think it’ll be up to everybody watching us to see what’s different about it. Not necessarily us, but everybody [will be] watching to determine what maybe the differences are.” This was a pressing question from the moment owner Steve Bisciotti fired Harbaugh. Would they steer into a completely new direction? Or might they promote someone with close ties to the organization and stay on the same course that has blocked them from football’s ultimate prize? With Minter, it seems they’ve struck a balance. With his staff, he’s maintaining the credibility of folks who have walked the hallways in Owings Mills, rounded out by coaches from different backgrounds who check specific football and relational boxes. Minter solved his coaching staff puzzle “irrelevant of pro experience, college experience or years of experience.” His staff represents what they’re calling a “new age” of what it means to play like a Raven. What that looks like will become more apparent once they get on the field together. Doyle has no fear about being a first-time play-caller Three hours before every NFL game Doyle has been a part of — as a quality control coach in New Orleans, tight ends coach in Denver then non-play-calling offensive coordinator in Chicago — he stepped onto the turf by himself. There, he’d walk up and down the field simulating four offensive drives in his mind. “I knew that the first time I was going to call plays probably wasn’t going to be in a smaller setting,” Doyle said. “It was probably going to be with the bright lights. I felt like I needed to prepare for that early. So, in that way, I’ve kind of been preparing just to be able to call it and kind of how your mind works.” Cheesy? Perhaps. Did it help? We’ll find out. Doyle is 29 years old, the same age as Lamar Jackson — a fact that is sure to be rehashed ad nauseam. In Chicago, he was the offensive coordinator under NFL Coach of the Year finalist, Ben Johnson. Now, he’ll call plays for what was an historically great offense just two seasons ago. Doyle wasn’t timid about these new responsibilities. Related Articles How Ravens’ Jesse Minter assembled his staff: ‘Each side of the ball as a puzzle’ Josh Tolentino: Ravens special teams need their bite back | COMMENTARY Ravens OC Declan Doyle details Lamar Jackson call, vision for ‘explosive’ offense Ravens DC Anthony Weaver, passed over as head coach, has next best thing Mike Preston: For Ravens’ defense, boring is necessary | COMMENTARY For one, he said they’re in the early stages of “really stripping this [offense] down to the studs and then rebuilding it around the personnel that we have here.” That starts with Jackson, the quintessential dual-threat quarterback who Doyle praised for having Superman-like qualities. Doyle has every intention of utilizing Jackson’s mastery to chase explosive plays. And he won’t shy away from the kind of trickery that became a regular part of Johnson’s Bears offense. Doyle has three nonnegotiables: “that we are physical, we are detailed and we are explosive.” He side-stepped any analysis of the 2025 offense, which struggled to consistently find its footing, but referenced Baltimore’s 2024 group — the first in NFL history to eclipse 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in a single season — as “something to be reckoned with” and the kind of success they’ll chase. That starts in optional team activities. Two years in a row, Jackson has forfeited $750,000 by failing to attend at least 80% of the team’s voluntary workouts. That clause is etched into the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player’s contract through 2027. He’s seemingly ignored it. Doyle did not directly mention Jackson, but in his first meeting with local reporters, he said he “expects” players to be there. He didn’t bite his tongue about why. “If you want to say that you’re going to win a championship, you want to say that you have championship standards, and those are your goals and your expectations,” Doyle said, “certainly that’s going to take work, that’s going to take collaboration, and that’s going to take the beginning of building the relationship with their coaches and other players starting off this next regime on the right foot.” For Weaver, Ravens DC is ‘hardly a consolation prize’ There were 10 NFL head coach vacancies. Weaver interviewed for five of them, including the Ravens. All five passed over the former Dolphins defensive coordinator. So Minter called him, with a proposition of returning to coach the team that drafted him and helping re-establish a dominant Ravens defense. Weaver admitted he was disappointed to not get a head job this cycle. It made him take stock of his own priorities. He looked in the mirror and asked himself why he was still coaching. The answer was simple: to hoist a Lombardi Trophy and to help players get the most out of their careers. “I don’t need to be a head coach to do that,” he said. “I can certainly do that from this seat.” Ravens defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, shown at Wednesday's news conference, admitted to having some disappointment about not being named a head coach during this offseason's hiring cycle. (Brian Krista/Staff) Furthermore, Weaver’s perception of the Ravens’ defensive coordinator opening, even without being a play-caller, is a more prestigious role than most other coordinator jobs around the league. That’s because he played for the kind of teams contemporary players revered, and he helped coach the most recent example of a Ravens defense atop the NFL. With this job, he said, “you’re the dude.” Even though Minter will call the plays, he and Weaver have already talked at length about what’s needed in that room. Minter wants a defensive coordinator who can lead men through brick walls and someone to articulate scheme and buy into the selfless role of building a championship contender. He found Weaver. And despite the disappointment of being passed over by several NFL teams, Weaver found Minter. To him, coaching the Ravens is “hardly a consolation prize.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. Sam appears as a host on The Sun’s “Early Birds” podcast. View the full article

Anthony Levine Sr. sat at the podium Wednesday morning in Owings Mills, dressed in a black suit and checkered button-up with a pair of diamond earrings, as cameras flashed and shuttered. Alongside his coaching peers Declan Doyle and Anthony Weaver, Levine was formally introduced by coach Jesse Minter as the Ravens’ new special teams coordinator. But Minter didn’t stop at the title. “I just picture him as the face of Baltimore special teams,” the first-year coach said of Levine. For a franchise that has built championships on electric special teams moments, Minter’s descriptor set a lofty bar. From Jermaine Lewis racing down the sideline in Super Bowl XXXV to the late Jacoby Jones sprinting 108 yards in Super Bowl XLVII, special teams has served a foundational role in the organization’s biggest moments. Even former head coach John Harbaugh cut his teeth as a special teams guru, a reminder that the third phase is entrenched to the franchise’s DNA. Former general manager and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome used to tell young players the same thing Levine recalled Wednesday: “I pay you to make plays on special teams, so I expect you to make plays on special teams.” “That right there told me off the muscle that I better start making plays on special teams, and we know that,” Levine said. “We know special teams is not just, ‘Go out there, and just play special teams.’ …We are here to make sure that we impact the game in a positive way.” The Ravens are hoping Levine can carry and lift that standard as the 38-year-old replaces his predecessor Chris Horton, who followed Harbaugh to New York. Last season, the Ravens ranked 18th in the NFL in special teams EPA, according to TruMedia, which factors expected success in kickoffs, punts, field goal attempts and two-point attempts. Overall, Baltimore was functional, but not an elite group. There were highlights and lowlights scattered across the 2025 campaign that saw the Ravens finish 8-9, including a franchise-worst 3-6 mark at M&T Bank Stadium. Punter Jordan Stout, a pending free agent, delivered a career year, leading the NFL with a 44.9-yard net average. He placed 24 punts inside the 20-yard line with just six touchbacks. He earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors and climbed from 19th to fifth in Puntalytics’ annual rankings. Rookie kicker Tyler Loop made 88.2% (30 of 34) of his field goal attempts, but faltered under the brightest lights. His missed kick during the regular-season finale sealed Baltimore’s (and Harbaugh’s) fate and helped send Pittsburgh to the postseason. Loop also posted a league-worst eight kickoff infractions. Featured punt returner LaJohntay Wester flashed with his 12.4-yard punt return average, which ranked 10th in the NFL and more than two yards above the league average. The rookie wide receiver’s ceiling was visible, especially when he chose to be a vertical runner. But then came his muff inside the 10-yard line against Cleveland in Week 11. The mistake marked consecutive weeks with fumbles, stalled his momentum and his confidence dipped. Between Weeks 12 to 18, Wester registered just four additional punt returns for 25 yards. Can Wester shake off the nerves from Year 1 and evolve into a true dynamite in his incoming sophomore campaign? Related Articles Ravens OC Declan Doyle details Lamar Jackson call, vision for ‘explosive’ offense Ravens DC Anthony Weaver, passed over as head coach, has next best thing Mike Preston: For Ravens’ defense, boring is necessary | COMMENTARY After former Ravens RB Jamal Lewis’ pardon, Olszewski’s reform plan gains support READER POLL: How do you grade the Orioles’ offseason moves? Across the board, the Ravens had a whopping 42 missed tackles on special teams, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked 28th in the NFL and last in the AFC North. In comparison, first-place Pittsburgh had just 20 special-teams missed tackles. Will Levine help restore the unit’s bite? He at least understands the magnitude of playing special teams because he filled those cleats for a decade, starring with the Ravens between 2012 and 2021. He prolonged his career for his performance on coverage units and earned the nickname “Co-Cap” for the way teammates responded to his voice. About that voice … fans can certainly get used to hearing more of Levine. During my first year covering the Ravens, Levine, an assistant special teams coach last season, was one of the most audible coaches on the practice field. He often barked instructions and demanded excellence from players under his watch, unfazed by nearby onlookers. His coaching style has led to excellent relationships away from the field. On Tuesday night, Levine received a phone call from rookie Keondre Jackson, who flew in from his native Freeport, Illinois, to attend the news conference and support one of his biggest mentors in Levine. Jackson, a former undrafted free agent out of Illinois State, earned his elevations and eventual promotion from the practice squad to the active roster last season largely because of his effort on special teams. Despite playing in just 12 games, Jackson led the Ravens with 13 special teams tackles. “That speaks [to] the volume of the type of players that we have and the type of connection that I have with these guys,” Levine said. “They understand the standard, they understand the culture. Chris [Horton] did a great job of always putting me in front of the room. [With] my leadership style, the way I interact with them, the way I challenge them [and] the way we hold each other accountable. … These guys, they respect me. “We don’t talk a lot about how much I did when I played, because it’s not about what I did when I played. It’s more about them, and it’s more about me being able to teach them to go out there and be productive and have a great career that they want to have.” Ravens coach Jesse Minter said Wednesday he views Anthony Levine Sr. as "the face" of Baltimore special teams. (Brian Krista/Staff) Levine also boasts a unique advantage given that he played for Minter during Minter’s first stint in Baltimore. Minter rose from defensive assistant to defensive backs coach during his four seasons (2017 to 2020), all of which overlapped with Levine. “He’s earned this position,” Minter said of Levine. “This isn’t like he was just handed this position; he’s earned the right to be in this position, and he’ll be a great leader for our special teams. Again, [he is] a connector, a relationship builder. I couldn’t be more excited. [Levine, Doyle and Weaver] will help us create the vision of what we want the team to be like, and how we want to play.” Calling Levine the face of special teams does not guarantee a return to dominance, and like his coordinator peers Weaver and Doyle, he is not being asked to reinvent the standard. Newsome once told Levine he was paid and expected to make plays on special teams. Now Levine is responsible for drilling that message and making his unit consistently dominant. Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. Josh appears as a host on The Sun’s “Early Birds” podcast. View the full article

As 29-year-old Declan Doyle interviewed to become the Ravens’ new offensive coordinator, he spent more than an hour on Zoom with quarterback Lamar Jackson. It was less formal than a calibration. They discussed the architecture of an offense — what it should feel like, how it should stress a defense, where it might bend without breaking. Doyle, two months younger than the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, wanted to know whether they were “compatible.” They have traded a few text messages since. “I am certainly very excited about the caliber of player he is,” Doyle said Wednesday in Owings Mills, where he was introduced alongside new defensive and special teams coordinators Anthony Weaver and Anthony Levine Sr. “His willingness to listen, his hunger to learn, his hunger to grow. He’s a guy with a growth mindset.” In Baltimore, as Jackson goes, so go the Ravens. And now Doyle — who will be the league’s youngest play-caller, ascending after a season as the offensive coordinator in Chicago under head coach Ben Johnson, who handled the play-calling — has been tasked with restoring the offense to its recent heights if not surpassing them. Two years ago, Baltimore became the first team in league history to amass 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in the same season; the year before that, Jackson claimed his second MVP after posting career highs in touchdown passes (41) and passing yards (4,172) Doyle apprenticed under offensive wizzes Johnson and Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton. Now, under first-year head coach Jesse Minter – who replaced John Harbaugh after 18 seasons – Doyle says he is “actively chasing” a return to that earlier form. He describes his offensive vision with three adjectives: physical, detailed, explosive. “Those are three things we want to hang our hat on,” he said. The phrasing is familiar; the implementation, he insists will not be. They are “stripping this down to the studs,” then rebuilding around the personnel. A construction metaphor, yes, but in Doyle’s case it has some biographical symmetry. As a toddler, he napped beneath the bleachers at Kinnick Stadium at Iowa, where his father, Chris, served as the longtime strength and conditioning coach. At five, he drew plays at the kitchen table. He briefly flirted with another life — he captained the baseball team at Iowa Western Community College — but coaching was gravitational and he transferred to Iowa his sophomore year and became a student assistant for the football team in 2016. The tight end room that season included George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant. While Doyle’s father’s career effectively came to an end four years later amid accusations of racism and bullying that led to a separation agreement with the university, his son’s was just taking off. By 2019, Payton had hired him as an offensive assistant in New Orleans, where Drew Brees was the quarterback. The tight ends coach on the team at the time was also current Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell. Three years later, Doyle interviewed for the Lions’ tight ends coach opening. Johnson, then offensive coordinator, ended up going with Tanner Engstrand, who was 14 years older and more experienced, but the two remained in touch. Related Articles Ravens DC Anthony Weaver, passed over as head coach, has next best thing Mike Preston: For Ravens’ defense, boring is necessary | COMMENTARY After former Ravens RB Jamal Lewis’ pardon, Olszewski’s reform plan gains support READER POLL: How do you grade the Orioles’ offseason moves? Ex-Ravens DC Zach Orr reportedly joining Seahawks, Mike Macdonald When Payton re-emerged in Denver in 2023, he brought Doyle with him to be his tight ends coach. Two years after that, Johnson called back, this time to be his offensive coordinator in Chicago, where Johnson called the plays but Doyle was charged with game-planning and running meetings, among other duties, and to be the go-between for a seamless transition when Johnson had to tend to head coaching matters. Never mind that Doyle was younger than most of the players he was coaching. “When I learned his age, I was like, ‘That makes no sense,'” Broncos tight end Adam Trautman told Yahoo Sports last year. “It was like, ‘Show me your birth certificate, dude. Because that’s bulls—.’ Holy crap.” In Baltimore, Doyle considers that proximity in age to his players an advantage. “We grew up in the same world,” he said. He has, by his accounting, always been the youngest in the room. “What I’ve noticed is it really doesn’t matter. Knowledge is power.” Doyle’s preparation, like that of his players, also borders on ritual. Three hours before kickoff. he walks the field alone and scripts four imaginary drives in his mind. He began the practice in 2019, suspecting that his first opportunity to call plays would arrive not in some low-stakes environment but beneath bright lights. Better to have been there before. Doyle, whose two brothers work for the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets, also doesn’t see a lack of experience that others might. “I’ve been preparing for it for a long time,” he said. “Yes you are calling a play on game day, but the prep during the week is where the work exists.” Minter could see the depths and Doyle’s talents, too. A defensive coach by trade, Minter had studied offensive systems while exploring coaching opportunities last offseason. Johnson’s unit in Detroit surfaced; so did Doyle’s name. “He’s a connector,” Minter said. “A collaborator. Creative. We see football the same way.” In a building recalibrating after Harbaugh’s departure and the ascension of former coordinator Todd Monken to the Cleveland Browns head coach job, alignment is paramount. Jackson, for his part, is coming off the most uneven season of his career — injuries, four missed games, an offense that regressed. Doyle has immersed himself in the tape. What he sees is brilliance and margin. Jackson, he noted, forces defenses to defend two plays: the one called in the huddle and the one improvised when structure dissolves. The first, Doyle suggested carefully, “can be more consistent at times with his eyes, with his footwork, within the system.” Doyle spoke often of relationships and dialogue, too, including sitting down with Jackson to assemble the “full picture,” because “once you start to be able to have that dialogue that’s where progress exists.” The work will begin in earnest at voluntary organized team activities this spring. Doyle did not equivocate. Championship standards, he implied, require championship attendance. “We would expect them to be here,” he said. That expectation extends, of course, to Jackson. He has already proven to be perhaps the sport’s best player when at his zenith. Doyle’s job is to help him find it again – if not exceed it. “He’s played at a really high level,” Doyle said. “And still, I think he wants to continue to work and feels like he can get better. We’re excited to chase that with him.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, right, says he's excited to work with Lamar Jackson in 2026. Doyle enters his first season as a play-caller with lofty expectations. (Brian Krista/Staff) View the full article

In spring 2002, the Ravens used a second-round draft pick on a defensive end from Notre Dame. As Anthony Weaver recalled, he showed up to training camp his rookie year and was handed a team-issued T-shirt with a prominent logo and forthright message. Better to be feared than loved. Weaver joined the Ravens two seasons removed from the organization’s first Super Bowl. Defense defined those turn-of-the-century teams. Two decades later, from 2021 to 2023, Weaver returned to Baltimore to help construct another period of stellar defenses as a defensive line coach. So when contemporary players spent the past two seasons waxing about a return to playing like those “feared” Ravens defenses, Weaver, the team’s new defensive coordinator, knows what that can and should look like. “It looks like a pack of wolves,” he said. “Like we have 13 guys out there.” In trying to articulate his defense, which will be an extension of first-year coach Jesse Minter’s vision, considering that Minter will call the plays, Weaver’s mind zipped back nearly a quarter-century to that T-shirt he got as a rookie. That’s a major reason Minter hired him. “He knows what it means to be a Raven,” Minter said. “That was a huge piece of it. But most importantly — more so than his experience here, more so than his experience in Miami, or wherever … I don’t think there’s anybody that will get more out of our guys than him.” That’s the quintessential task for those overseeing this Ravens defense. Can they rediscover what was once among the best units in football? The Ravens finished 2025 ranked 24th in the NFL, which was only the third time in 25 years it finished the year in the bottom half of the league. Can Weaver pull them up by their bootstraps? He was asked pointedly about Baltimore’s troubling pass rush, which ranked 31st in sack percentage, and any conclusions he’s drawn from rehashing film of an inconsistent secondary that allowed more explosive plays than half the league. Weaver smiled at the two-parter and bowed his head. “We certainly have rushers, right?” Weaver said. Without All-Pro Nnamdi Madubuike up front, Weaver said, the Ravens struggled to get hands on the quarterback. That’s a fair explanation, but also an acknowledgment that the group never consistently recovered from Madubuike’s neck injury in Week 2. The next name out of Weaver’s mouth, thinking about players who can get into the backfield, was All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton — another indictment on last year’s shortcomings. A follow-up: Does that mean the Ravens could use their No. 14 draft pick on a defensive lineman? Related Articles Mike Preston: For Ravens’ defense, boring is necessary | COMMENTARY After former Ravens RB Jamal Lewis’ pardon, Olszewski’s reform plan gains support READER POLL: How do you grade the Orioles’ offseason moves? Ex-Ravens DC Zach Orr reportedly joining Seahawks, Mike Macdonald Ex-Ravens coach John Harbaugh on President Donald Trump’s support: ‘Crazy’ “You’ll have to watch the draft and find out,” Minter laughed. Weaver chimed in, “That’s above my pay grade.” General manager Eric DeCosta will have the final say on personnel. However, it will be up to those two to maximize the roster. Minter’s game planning helped turn around the Chargers’ defense from worst in the NFL in 2024 to among the league’s elite in 2025. In Baltimore, he won’t be so hands-on inside that meeting room, so he’s leaning on Weaver. They’ve run similar schemes at previous stops and share foundational priorities of relationship building. Although they didn’t overlap, both have previous coaching experience in Baltimore. Both know what it means to be a Raven. So in Minter’s eyes, both are equipped to lead the “rebrand” and “new age” of that time-honored slogan. In 2024, former Ravens coach John Harbaugh hired Zach Orr as his defensive coordinator over Weaver. So Weaver took a job with the Dolphins to “show I can lead a defense again as a coordinator.” Weaver elicited uneven results in Miami. In 2024, the Dolphins finished inside the top 10 in both yards and points allowed. They regressed as a unit this past season amid what was a fraught year. Still, Weaver was a respected candidate during this whirlwind coaching cycle. He interviewed for half of the league’s 10 head coaching vacancies. One of them was the Ravens. He flew to Baltimore for a second-round, in-person meeting. All five passed over Weaver in a year the NFL went without hiring a Black head coach. Not receiving that call was disappointing, Weaver admitted. But a homecoming is “hardly a consolation prize,” he said. When Weaver realized he wouldn’t be an NFL head coach this fall, he said he took a step back to recalibrate. He thought about the idea of leaving sunny Miami for a Super Bowl contender. He thought about how, in Week 14 of this past season, the Ravens brought back players from their 2000 Super Bowl-winning team to celebrate the 25th anniversary. “I want that,” he said. “I want to be a part of that.” And Weaver’s ultimate goal, he said, is to help the players reach their full potential. “I don’t need to be a head coach to do that. I can certainly do that from this seat,” he explained. The job in question, being back with the team that drafted him and an organization he has familiarity with, helped too. In his mind, being the defensive coordinator for the Ravens is like being the face of defensive coordinators in the NFL. “Like, you’re the dude,” he said. That perception is a credit to the kind of defenses Weaver played for and later coached in Baltimore. Now, for a talented defense that lost its way, Weaver is in charge of making sure they’re feared, not loved. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. Sam appears as a host on The Sun’s “Early Birds” podcast. View the full article

First-year head coach Jesse Minter attended his news conference in tennis shoes, a slightly grey and beige sports coat, tennis shoes and a hooded shirt. The new wave has arrived at The Castle. Minter, 42, was in Owings Mills on Wednesday to introduce his three coordinators in Declan Doyle (offense), 29, Anthony Weaver (defense), 45, and Anthony Levine Sr. (special teams), 38. Minter, of course, talked about the basics of returning the Ravens into an old-guard team built on being physical, executing and hungry after a year of disappointment. The more interesting question was if Weaver could turn this defense into one of the most physical teams that dominated in the early part of the century? Minter, though, was prepared for the trick questions when asked about his draft preference. “I guess you just have to tune in,” Minter said, smiling. There have been numerous draft projections with the Ravens taking a wide receiver at No. 14 overall in the first round, but that’s ridiculous. The Ravens need some beef on both interior lines, so they can’t go wrong with an offensive or defensive lineman. But unless it’s Jonathan Ogden, who was taken with the No. 4 overall pick in 1996, the Ravens need to find a defensive lineman and edge rusher. There are a lot of them available, like Texas Tech’s David Bailey, Miami’s Reuben Bain Jr., or Ohio State’s Arvell Reese coming off the edge, or maybe an interior defensive lineman like Clemson’s Peter Woods, Florida’s Caleb Banks or Georgia’s Christen Miller. On Wednesday, Weaver was full of coach speak. He talked about all the weapons the Ravens had in the secondary, like cornerback Nate Wiggins and safety Kyle Hamilton. He said nice things about the Ravens’ pass rush from a year ago that produced only 30 sacks. By the time the news conference was over, it was as if the Ravens suddenly had Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor on the roster. “We certainly have rushers, right?” Weaver said. “I think it took a hit with losing Nnamdi Madubuike. I think we all know the effect of losing him had on this defense, but from a talent standpoint, we certainly have some dudes that can get there.” Where? Now, put all jokes aside and let’s be serious. The Ravens were 29th in pressure with a success rate of 32.1%. They were 18th in points allowed at 23.4 and 23rd in yards (348 per game). They were ranked 31st in pass defense, allowing 247.9 yards a game and nearly led the NFL by squandering 46 fourth-quarter leads under former coach John Harbaugh. If I were Madubuike, I’d retire instead of playing with any form of a neck injury. It’s just common sense. It was more interesting that Weaver talked about the basics. It was boring stuff, like getting off blocks and all 11 players running to the ball. But that happens when a defense becomes great, like Weaver when he was drafted by the Ravens in the second round in 2002, and he played next to defensive lineman Kelly Gregg and linebackers Ray Lewis, Bart Scott, Adalius Thomas and Peter Boulware. The Ravens excelled in run defense. They got penetration off the snap of the ball. No offense to former Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr, but the Ravens were lost in the fourth quarter against strong passing teams. Regardless of what anyone says about building a team around a quarterback, it’s defense that wins games. There is talk around town about adding another receiver, but the Ravens have tried that before with veterans like DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. It didn’t work out. Related Articles After former Ravens RB Jamal Lewis’ pardon, Olszewski’s reform plan gains support READER POLL: How do you grade the Orioles’ offseason moves? Ex-Ravens DC Zach Orr reportedly joining Seahawks, Mike Macdonald Ex-Ravens coach John Harbaugh on President Donald Trump’s support: ‘Crazy’ NFL wins grievance against the players’ union, banning ‘team report cards’ Also, please stop the noise about adding Marquise “Hollywood” Brown through free agency. The Ravens don’t need another small receiver who falls quickly or runs out of bounds after a reception. If the Ravens draft a receiver, at least make it a big No. 1 receiver type on the outside. As always, it’s back to defense. Just look at the past two Super Bowls. A few weeks ago, Seattle pounded the New England Patriots, 29-13, as quarterback Drake Maye completed 27 of 43 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. He was sacked six times, most of those from Seattle’s front four. The previous year, Philadelphia beat Kansas City, 40-22, in the Super Bowl as quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times, again most of those from the Eagles’ front four. If a team can’t score, it can’t win, and that’s a sound philosophy. That’s why it’s good to have Weaver back on the coaching staff, even though he did get beat out by Orr for the job two years ago. He understands the way this team has been built through the years, and the Ravens always did it through the draft. It was notable how Minter described former Ravens and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh going from zero sacks in his first five games with the Ravens to seven once he was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers in early October this past season. “We just simplified things,” Minter said. It should work again in Baltimore. Just make it simple and play great defense. It has worked for the Eagles and the Seahawks the past two years. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. Ravens defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, shown at Wednesday's news conference, wants his Baltimore defense to handle the basics well. (Brian Krista/Staff) View the full article

WASHINGTON — The Ravens flock rejoiced when former running back Jamal Lewis received a pardon from President Donald Trump. But Rep. Johnny Olszewski Jr. instead saw another example of why the pardon process needs reform. “Anytime where what was meant to be a tool of justice and mercy gets perverted into something that rewards just the rich and powerful, it demands that we do something about it,” Olszewski, a Democrat representing Baltimore and Carroll counties, told The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday. Olszewski, a devout Ravens fan, didn’t take issue with Lewis’ pardon, specifically. But he saw a continued theme of the rich, the powerful and the prominent benefiting from the president’s pardon power — a problem that has existed through several presidencies, he said. It’s why the freshman lawmaker introduced a constitutional amendment that would give a supermajority of Congress the power to overturn presidential pardons. His effort gained an important supporter this week: Republican Rep. Don Bacon. “Don Bacon and I share the notion that no one should be above the law in our country and that upholding our justice system and the rule of law is not a partisan issue,” Olszewski said. “We should not allow examples where the elite, the wealthy, and the well-connected are allowed to avoid accountability while the rest of us are left behind.” As a moderate who has frequently split with the president, Bacon gives the amendment an advocate on the right. “Frankly, it is clear to me the pardon authority has been abused,” Bacon, of Nebraska, said in a statement. “I’m pleased to cosponsor Rep. Olszewski’s Pardon Integrity Act, a constitutional amendment that establishes a narrow, commonsense guardrail that preserves the pardon power while ensuring Congress can fulfill its constitutional role to provide accountability and uphold the rule of law.” Pardons are the responsibility of the president, as enshrined in the Constitution. But that authority has been under the microscope since the end of President Joe Biden’s administration, when he pardoned his son, Hunter Biden. Hunter was convicted on federal charges of lying when purchasing a gun and pleaded guilty to multiple tax offenses in 2024. Biden said in June of that year that he wouldn’t pardon his son. The scrutiny intensified when Trump pardoned over 1,500 people connected to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Dozens had criminal records. One was arrested last August on charges of child abuse. He was convicted on Feb. 11 and faces life in prison. The president also commuted and pardoned a string of high-profile cases involving people who were convicted of white-collar crimes. Among them were former Rep. George Santos, who was convicted of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and Changpeng Zhao, the former CEO of Binance. Zhao served prison time after failing to stop criminals from using the platform to move money connected to crimes. He was also a supporter of the Trump family’s cryptocurrency endeavors. The administration’s merciful disposition toward white-collar criminals has forgiven about $1.56 billion in financial penalties, according to Liz Oyer, the former United States Pardon Attorney under Biden. Trump also pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández. In 2024, Hernández was sentenced to 45 years in prison for taking part in a drug trafficking operation that flooded America with hundreds of tons of cocaine. Have a news tip? Contact Ben Mause at bmause@baltsun.com. View the full article

Spring training is fully underway for the Orioles in Sarasota, Florida. They look much different from last season, thanks to the addition of first baseman Pete Alonso, outfielder Taylor Ward, and starting pitchers Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt. How do you grade the Orioles’ offseason moves? We want to hear from you. After you vote, leave a comment and we might use your take in The Baltimore Sun. The Baltimore Sun reader poll is an unscientific survey in which website users volunteer their opinions on the subject of the poll. To read the results of previous reader polls, click here. View the full article

Former Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr is joining Mike Macdonald and the reigning Super Bowl champions in Seattle, according to multiple reports. Orr, who led Baltimore’s defense to mixed results in 2024 and 2025, will coach Seattle’s inside linebackers. Orr held that same role in Baltimore under Macdonald in 2022 and 2023 before being promoted to defensive coordinator when Macdonald took the Seahawks’ head coaching position. “Baltimore it’s always love from my end,” Orr posted on X on Friday. “Although the last couple years we did not achieve our goals that we set out to achieve, I will choose to cherish the brotherhood, fellow coaches, players making plays, division title, playoff win,etc!” Baltimore’s defense struggled to begin 2024 but finished the season strong and helped the franchise make the AFC divisional round and win the AFC North. The results weren’t as good in 2025, as early woes continued throughout the 17-game slate. Baltimore allowed 354.5 yards per game, the ninth worst mark in the NFL. Key injuries hurt the unit, namely Nnamdi Madubuike’s neck injury that ended his season after two games. Without the defensive tackle, Baltimore’s defense struggled to create pressure. The Ravens finished the season with 30 sacks, with only the Jets (26) and Cardinals (20) recording fewer. The lack of pressure spotlighted an inconsistent secondary, as teams picked on cornerback Marlon Humphrey and others to average 247.9 passing yards per game. Only two teams (the Colts and Cowboys) allowed more passing yards per contest. After the Ravens finished 8-9, they fired coach John Harbaugh in early January. He was replaced by Jesse Minter. While Baltimore’s new coach overlapped with Orr in Baltimore as assistants from 2017 to 2020, Minter didn’t opt to keep Orr on his staff. He named Anthony Weaver his defensive coordinator, and Tyler Santucci will coach the team’s inside linebackers. Minter will call the team’s defensive plays in 2026, with Weaver helping with game plans, strategy and other duties. Orr also didn’t follow Harbaugh to New York. Harbaugh named Dennard Wilson as his new defensive coordinator, and Frank Bush will coach New York’s inside linebackers. Before joining Seattle, Orr interviewed with the Los Angeles Chargers to be the defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh and also interviewed for a position with the Cowboys. He had also been requested to interview for the Raiders’ DC job. Orr’s ties to Baltimore run deep, as he played for Baltimore from 2014 to 2016 before a spinal condition cut his career short, but Seattle is an ideal landing spot for him. Orr will work directly with Macdonald, a rising coaching star fresh off a Super Bowl victory. Orr, 33, has plenty of time to revive his coaching career and potentially make his way back into a coordinator position in future seasons. Have a news tip? Contact Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. Related Articles Ex-Ravens coach John Harbaugh on President Donald Trump’s support: ‘Crazy’ NFL wins grievance against the players’ union, banning ‘team report cards’ Former Ravens RB Jamal Lewis on presidential pardon, Hall of Fame chances The Sun’s ‘Early Birds’ podcast debuts to kick off Orioles spring training ‘I left a mark’: Where does the Ravens’ 2025 rookie class go from here? View the full article

Shortly after the Ravens fired John Harbaugh in January, President Donald Trump posted on social media encouraging NFL teams to hire the longtime Baltimore leader. “HIRE JOHN HARBAUGH, FAST. HE, AND HIS BROTHER, ARE TOTAL WINNERS!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social. Harbaugh, now the coach of the New York Giants, addressed the president’s support Friday during a 25-minute interview with Fox News. “It did surprise me,” Harbaugh said of the social post. “It was crazy. All the sudden, bing, bing, bing, my phone starts going off and there it is. “It just goes to show how blessed we are to do something like this. That he even knows who you are, it’s crazy to me.” Trump’s support of Harbaugh came several months after Harbaugh visited the White House in July. Harbaugh discussed his visit during summer media availability and was asked about visiting with Trump, who called Baltimore a “disgusting” city in 2019. Harbaugh took issue with the framing of the question and mentioned that he’s visited with several presidents across different political parties during his life, including Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Ronald Reagan. “I root for our president,” Harbaugh said in July. “I want our president to be successful, just like I want my quarterback to be successful and I want my team to be successful.” Harbaugh was hired rather quickly this offseason, as Trump suggested. The coach said earlier this week on an episode of the BMore Football Podcast that he considered other coaching vacancies but ultimately chose the Giants. New York made an intense push to land Harbaugh, who was widely considered a top candidate for openings this coaching cycle. “They’re good recruiters,” Harbaugh said. “I’ve got to hand it to them. They don’t take no for an answer. It was a great process.” The Ravens replaced Harbaugh with Jesse Minter, a 42-year-old coach who most recently led the Chargers’ defense under Jim Harbaugh. Have a news tip? Contact Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. Related Articles Ex-Ravens DC Zach Orr reportedly joining Seahawks, Mike Macdonald NFL wins grievance against the players’ union, banning ‘team report cards’ Former Ravens RB Jamal Lewis on presidential pardon, Hall of Fame chances The Sun’s ‘Early Birds’ podcast debuts to kick off Orioles spring training ‘I left a mark’: Where does the Ravens’ 2025 rookie class go from here? View the full article

An arbitrator determined the NFL Players Association violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL by distributing annual “team report cards” and ordered the union to stop making public any future reports. The NFL informed teams of the decision on Friday. “We are pleased with the decision from the arbitrator, upholding the parties’ collective bargaining agreement and prohibiting the NFLPA from disparaging our clubs and individuals through ‘report cards’ allegedly based on data and methodologies that it has steadfastly refused to disclose,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement. “We remain committed to working in partnership with the NFLPA and an independent survey company to develop and administer a scientifically valid survey to solicit accurate and reliable player feedback as the parties agreed in the CBA.” In a memo sent to the 32 teams, NFL attorneys said the NFLPA’s witness and counsel at a hearing characterized the report cards as “union speech” and admitted that: the union “cherry-picked” topics and player responses to include or not in the report cards; players had no role in drafting the commentary; the union selected which anonymous player quotes to include or exclude and the union determined the weight to give each topic and the resulting impact on the alphabetical grades. “The arbitrator did not find that the union’s independent survey necessarily conflicts with its obligation to conduct a joint specific survey of players’ opinions regarding the adequacy of medical care under the CBA,” the league said in its memo to teams. “Therefore, the Management Council will continue to work with the NFLPA to design and conduct such a survey in the coming seasons.” View the full article

Former Ravens running back Jamal Lewis received the phone call Thursday night from Alice Marie Johnson, President Donald Trump’s “pardon czar” Lewis said she graciously told him around 8 p.m. that all the charges from his 2004 drug conspiracy case had been dropped. Lewis eventually pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and using a cellphone in the commission the drug sale. Trump granted four other pardons to four other NFL players: Joe Klecko, Nat Newton, Travis Henry and the late Dr. Billy Cannon. “There is a certain amount of freedom that I can now enjoy,” Lewis told The Baltimore Sun on Friday from his home in Atlanta. “I can now vote, I can carry a firearm, and now I can engage in certain businesses that I wasn’t allowed to invest in before. “And maybe, just maybe, I can get into the Hall of Fame now because those illegal charges carried a lot of weight in the voting process.” Lewis played for the Ravens from 2000 through 2006 and spent his final three seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Without the power back, the Ravens would never have won the Super Bowl championship during the 2000 season. Baltimore had a great defense with outstanding players like linebackers Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware and Jamie Sharper, and defensive linemen Rob Burnett, Sam Adams, Michael McCrary and the late Tony Siragusa, but the offense was one-dimensional. The running game was featured, and it was all Lewis. Lewis was the NFL’s rushing leader in 2003 with 2,066 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He finished his career with 10,607 yards rushing, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. He had seven seasons in which he rushed for more than 1,000 yards, including 1,364 yards during the Ravens Super Bowl run in 2000. Lewis, though, said he was never a Trump supporter. “Actually, I was disgruntled with the entire judicial system,” he said. “But Alice Johnson was like my angel in the sky. She said she just wanted to help me out, and I am delighted because it lifted a lot of weight off my shoulders.” Lewis said he had approached the Biden and Obama administrations about pardons in past years. Neither of those two administrations agreed, but Lewis said that didn’t stop them from asking for campaign contributions for as much as $25,000 to $75,000. He said he got the news Thursday night after going to a workout with his son, Jazz Lewis, at Milton High School in Atlanta. “I always tried to persuade the previous administrations about this injustice, that I was basically set up but I could never get an audience until now,” Jamal Lewis said. “[Johnson] told me last night that I was doing well and working with the kids in Atlanta. I’m just glad someone took my side of the story and that it has all worked out well. I thank this administration for finally weighing in on a difficult subject matter.” Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

SARASOTA, Fla. — Orioles spring training is underway and The Baltimore Sun’s new “Early Birds” sports podcast launched just in time to give fans an inside look at an eventful first day of camp. Orioles reporter Matt Weyrich was on the ground at Ed Smith Stadium and he joined co-hosts Sam Cohn and Josh Tolentino to give a full rundown of Day 1, which included the signing of starter Chris Bassitt and sobering injury news for Jackson Holliday. With the news breaking that Baltimore had reached an agreement with Bassitt on a one-year, $18.5 million contract just before they began recording, the trio gave their instant reactions to the deal and broke down how it affected the rotation’s outlook for 2026. “It doesn’t necessarily to me raise the ceiling of what this team can be,” Weyrich said. “If you look at the guys that they have in their rotation, there’s plenty of upside. The ceiling is there. It’s a question of whether they can put it all together and do it over the course of a full season, and that’s where I feel like you get some security now with Chris Bassitt.” Tolentino, who wrote in a recent column that the Orioles’ offseason was “incomplete” without an ace, lauded Baltimore landing a starter who could help ease the workloads of the rest of the group but said the signing still fell short of expectations set last fall. “I think there’s a lot to be desired,” Tolentino said. “The fact that it’s only a one-year deal shows and underlines the fact that, again, Mike Elias and the Orioles’ front office, they weren’t able to land that ace that many fans were hopeful for. Not only that, but they essentially hinted or promised that they had the payroll space [to get a deal done].” The Orioles finished last season 75-87 and missed the playoffs, but turned in an aggressive offseason that has Baltimore eying a run at the American League East. On the other side of the Camden Yards Sports Complex, the Ravens are also in the midst of transition after hiring Jesse Minter to replace John Harbaugh as head coach. Minter put the finishing touches on his coaching staff this week and “Early Birds” wrapped up the show with a discussion about the relatively young — and familiar — group of coordinators who will be in key roles next season. “They’re a little bit unproven, but I still think there are a lot of reasons … to be, I’m going to say cautiously optimistic — cautiously very optimistic,” said Cohn, who covers the Ravens for The Sun. “All signs point to, these guys can succeed in the positions. It’s just a matter of whether they can do it together, with this group, with this team, etc.” “Early Birds” is The Sun’s twice-weekly sports show, airing every Monday and Thursday morning with insight and analysis on the Orioles, Ravens and other major Baltimore sporting news. Listeners can find the full video version of the podcast on YouTube and the audio is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeartRadio, among other platforms. Connect with the show on social media via the @SunEarlyBirds handle on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. View the full article

They sat in a corner sandwiched by uncertainty; four of the Ravens’ 11 draft picks less than one full day removed from the end of their rookie season, and 24 hours before their first NFL head coach was fired. It was locker room clean-out day. Mike Green organized a pile of game-worn jerseys to exchange with his buddies. Beside him, Emery Jones Jr. rounded up his belongings. Teddye Buchanan sat hunched over, leaning on his left knee because his right was wrapped in a prominent brace. Aeneas Peebles grabbed a sharpie to sign a purple jersey on the floor. They laughed. They hugged. And they went their separate ways, signaling the start of their first NFL offseason. Here’s a look back at how their individual inaugural seasons unfolded and thoughts about where they go from here: Malaki Starks, safety When the Ravens first interviewed Starks last spring, they asked who he believed was the best safety in the NFL. Kyle Hamilton “was the first person I said,” he recalled. In July, the All-Pro Hamilton said the No. 27 overall pick was “miles ahead” of where he was upon entering the league. Still, there were early concerns about Starks’ missed tackle rate (13.3%) and coverage lapses, most of which he cleaned up by the back half of the season — a credit to him being a quick study and the circumstantial increased role. Starks played more coverage snaps than any other NFL safety and ranked in the top 11 in total defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. The question(s) here: How does a Minter defense deploy the versatile Hamilton, and how does Ar’Darius Washington return health wise and is free agent Alohi Gilman still on the team? Nevertheless, a Hamilton-type trajectory would mean Starks could be a centerfield fixture for years to come. Mike Green, outside linebacker Don’t expect Green to show up at training camp having undergone some complete physical transformation. He’d like to get in better shape and put on a bit more muscle mass, Green said, but “I think my size and my speed come with its own advantages.” He finished the year third on the team in sacks (3 1/2) and tied for second in tackles for loss (7). Those rankings look a lot better on a team that struggled to pressure the quarterback and collectively recorded their fewest sacks (30) in 15 seasons. Asked what he learned over his first NFL season, Green gave an affirming, “I’m just capable of doing everything that I think I can do. “Rookie coming in to fill big shoes, it definitely wasn’t easy. It came with its own trials and tribulations, of course. I think I did good for the most part doing that. Just coming in here and trying to make a name for myself the first year — which a lot of rookies really can’t — was pretty tough. For my first year here, I left a mark. There are plays and things that we wish that we can get back, but I think it shows your true personality when you’re able to overcome everything that you’ve been through.” When the Ravens traded away Odafe Oweh and endured injuries across the defensive line, Green accepted a regular role. He played the second most pass rush snaps of any rookie edge rusher. The Ravens will certainly address the position either with a splash in free agency or in the draft but it’s clear they see Green as a centerpiece of their future at the position. Emery Jones Jr., guard Because of a shoulder injury, the third-round rookie didn’t see the practice field until Oct. 1. He wasn’t active for a game until late November. Jones played sparingly in place of Andrew Vorhees as part of a guard rotation that didn’t last long. Former coach John Harbaugh thought he played “OK” in his debut but that he “didn’t outplay” Vorhees or Daniel Faalele. A new offensive line coach in the well-respected Dwayne Ledford plus a likely addition via free agency or the draft could rewrite the offensive line room. Based on last year’s struggles, the guard position is an open competition. Related Articles Ex-Ravens coach John Harbaugh on leaving Baltimore: ‘I’ll miss that’ Watch Episode 25 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law Mike Preston: Will Ravens’ coaching youth movement pay off? | COMMENTARY Ravens 2026 offseason guide: Examining free agents, key dates and more Ravens hire Anthony Levine Sr. as new special teams coordinator Teddye Buchanan, linebacker The fourth-round rookie was promoted to a starting linebacker role by Week 2. It had been 20 years since the last time a Day 3 pick started on the Ravens’ defense within his first two games. Buchanan survived the normal, step-slow struggles of a rookie. Then around the midway point of the season, he turned a corner. Buchanan logged 93 tackles, two quarterback hits, half a sack and a forced fumble before tearing his ACL in Week 15. Assuming a full recovery with no major setbacks, Buchanan is primed to be the starter beside Roquan Smith (barring a blue chip free agent signing, of course). Carson Vinson, tackle Vinson took seven reps on the offensive line this past season: six in relief for the injured Ronnie Stanley in Week 15 then one two weeks later against the Packers. There was never an obvious path for him sans major injury along the offensive line. The Ravens drafted him as a long-term project. After the draft, DeCosta described Vinson as a “polished, tough, tenacious guy.” Both tackle spots are locked up by Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten. A significant step forward for Vinson might mean he’d be first off the bench. A step back, or if the Ravens draft a replacement, could leave Vinson closer to the practice squad. Bilhal Kone, cornerback Kone’s rookie year ended before it started. The sixth-round pick showed promise in training camp then suffered a major knee injury in the preseason opener. By November, he was lightly jogging in a pool at the facility and by season’s end he seemed to float around the locker room with ease. He should get another try to compete for a roster spot this summer. Tyler Loop, kicker The image of a football curving east of the uprights, fading into a flood of swirling yellow towels tarnished what was an otherwise productive first year. Loop will long be remembered for the errant 44-yard kick that boxed Baltimore out of the playoffs. That was his only missed field goal inside 50 yards. He missed three from 50-plus, despite showing supreme leg strength in the preseason. Kicking is “a terrible job,” owner Steve Bisciotti said, showing sympathy for the 24-year-old and first kicker drafted by the Ravens in 30 years. But that swing won’t forever define him. “That kid’s resilient enough from what I’ve learned,” Bisciotti said, “and he’ll be our kicker next year.” Ravens kicker Tyler Loop reacts after missing a field goal in a Week 18 loss to the Steelers. Loop's missed kick kept Baltimore out of the postseason. (Matt Durisko/AP) Loop hadn’t attempted a pressure-cooker kick like that before. His get-back will be a talking point throughout training camp but the expectation in Owings Mills is that he is still their long-term solution at kicker. Bisciotti said as much. Plus, Loop’s direct kicking coach, Randy Brown, survived what was a near-total staff turnover. LaJohntay Wester, wide receiver The sixth-round pick set a high bar for himself early. Wester’s most memorable play of the year came in the preseason, returning a punt 87 yards for a touchdown against the Colts. He vowed to be a speedy field flipper come the regular season. That never quite manifested but Wester showed flashes and, despite a critical muffed punt in Cleveland, maintained a roster spot because of his return ability. That will continue to be his path to playing time next season. Aeneas Peebles, defensive tackle Former defensive line coach Dennis Johnson once called Peebles, a Day 3 draft pick, the most explosive defensive lineman he’d ever seen. Hyperbole? Perhaps a smidge, but the point was that Johnson saw legitimate potential in the undersized rookie. Peebles played depth reps through the first five weeks of the season, sat for two months, played four more snaps in Week 13 then healthy scratched the final weeks of the season. The Ravens should address their defensive line in free agency and the draft, especially if Nnamdi Madubuike’s neck injury means he’s unavailable next season. But if Peebles takes a sophomore step forward, he could stick around as an insurance piece — or more — on the active roster. Robert Longerbeam, cornerback DeCosta’s prophetic analogy comparing cornerbacks to sports cars that break down quickly struck another sixth-round rookie. Longerbeam, like Kone, was placed on season-ending injury reserve after Baltimore’s preseason opener. Last year’s draft marked the fourth time in five years the Ravens selected multiple cornerbacks in the same class. A healthy Longerbeam figures to battle for a roster spot this August, more likely sticking around on the practice squad. Garrett Dellinger, guard Baltimore selected Dellinger with the 243rd overall pick. DeCosta said they saw him play at the Senior Bowl and thought he had “traits” to eventually be a contributor. Then in December, the Browns plucked him off the Ravens practice squad and the Titans claimed him off waivers a week later. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. Sam appears as a host on The Sun’s “Early Birds” podcast. View the full article