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The Ravens opened training camp for the 2025 season Wednesday with a 90-minute session that amounted to a glorified offseason practice — except the top players were in attendance. As expected, coach John Harbaugh declared it a good practice and certain things were clearly noticeable. It appeared that most of the players reported in good shape and were ready to go, even 6-foot-8, 370-pound starting right guard Daniel Faalele. Linebacker Jake Hummel, who will be out a week with a cut on his hand, was the only unexpected absence. It will be interesting to see how that plays out in the coming days as the temperatures get hotter, but that’s plus for the offensive line. Other starters who looked good were veteran left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who has rebuilt the lower half of his body recently, and second-year right tackle Roger Rosengarten, who looks bigger and thicker compared with his rookie campaign. The full pads go on Monday. Here’s what else we saw from the opening day of camp: Nice hands There were several top catches on Day 1. Even though he was out of bounds, veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins hauled in a one-handed, quick 15-yard out after the ball rolled along his back. Tight end Mark Andrews caught a long touchdown pass while streaking down the right hash mark. Andrews completed the play with a 20-yard run, something he couldn’t do last season. That’s a good sign. New-look secondary The Ravens used various starting combinations in the secondary, which included cornerbacks Nate Wiggins, Marlon Humphrey, Chidobe Awuzie and Jaire Alexander. The Ravens are hoping the injury-prone Alexander can stay healthy for an entire season and return to the form that made him one of the best in the NFL in 2020 and 2022. Alexander is cocky, and that’s desperately needed. He knocked down a pass intended for receiver Dayton Wade in the middle of practice and then did one of those signature celebrations. You didn’t see much of that last season when the Ravens had the No. 31-ranked pass defense in the NFL. I will wait to see if that happens consistently throughout training camp, but it was nice to see some swag back on defense from another player besides Humphrey. Ravens receivers didn’t get much separation Wednesday, but the defense is always ahead of the offense early in the season. Injury scare Fans were holding a collective breath when slot receiver Zay Flowers went down with either a knee or ankle injury after a catch along the left sideline during a 7-on-7 period. Flowers sat on a water cooler for about 10 minutes before returning to action. Within minutes of returning, he caught a short pass over the middle, made a jump cut and then juked past a defender, so apparently he was OK. Of course, we’ll see if he is on the field Thursday because a lot of swelling might occur overnight. Flowers, though, looked healthy. Ravens tight end Mark Andrews showed his speed on a long touchdown catch. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Missed opportunities The Ravens had two big misses in practice as second-year receiver Devontez Walker failed to hold onto a pass after diving over rookie cornerback Bilhal Kone and falling to the ground. Third-year running back Keaton Mitchell simply dropped a pass from backup quarterback Cooper Rush in what should have been a 40- to 50-yard touchdown reception. Mitchell is in a battle to be the third-down back with Justice Hill, but Hill’s ability to block gives him the edge in passing situations. Mitchell might have made the play if he didn’t stop running because he didn’t think that he was going to get the ball. Where’s the syrup? The pancake award goes to fullback Patrick Ricard, who easily knocked defensive end David Ojabo to the ground during a pass protection drill. I kept waiting for the late boxing announcer Howard Cosell to say “Down goes Frazier!” Ojabo won’t want to look at the film on that hit. Deal or no deal? With Lamar Jackson in training camp, the Ravens might finally be able to negotiate a new deal with the star quarterback. Everyone knows that Jackson has to be pinpointed, and there is no better time than with him practicing every day. This isn’t hard to figure out. Top-caliber quarterbacks rotate being the highest-paid player in the NFL, so Jackson will make more on his next deal than the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, who averages $60 million per year on his $240 million extension. Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard, left, and fullback Lucas Scott clash during a drill. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Kicker watch The rookie kickers performed well. Tyler Loop, drafted in the sixth round out of Arizona, was 6-for-6. John Hoyland, an undrafted free agent from Wyoming, was 4-for-5 with his lone miss from 40 yards. “With the kickers, it’s a process, and nobody’s more processed than the kickers,” Harbaugh said. “It’s probably more like golf than any other sport in terms of process, swing, replicating that time and time again [and] making a good kick. Arnold Palmer used to talk about making a good putt. Did I make a good putt? If I made a good putt, whether it goes in or not is not the point. The point is, if I make a good putt, I’m going to give myself the best chance to be successful. We want our guys to learn how to make a good kick over and over again in every circumstance. Related Articles What to expect in the Ravens’ kicker battle featuring rookie Tyler Loop Ravens QB Lamar Jackson not ‘trying to think about Super Bowl yet’ Ravens’ John Harbaugh on Trump White House visit: ‘I root for our president’ What NFL power rankings say about the Ravens entering training camp The Ravens’ defense goes as Roquan Smith goes — and he knows it “So that process goes into when they’re over there on the side, and nobody’s paying attention to them. When they bring it over to the team period, when they bring it over to a team situation period like we did the second period today in practice where they had to run on the field and make a kick — as game-like as we can make it now — and then when we take it into the game, replicate the kick every single time. That’s what we’re chasing with those guys.” Harbaugh on Henry Running back Derrick Henry has already made a fan out of Harbaugh after only one season with the Ravens. “The intangible thing is the work ethic and the attitude, the enthusiasm for the day,” Harbaugh said of the 31-year-old veteran, who rushed for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns last year. “My dad talks about ‘attacking the day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind,’ and I see that every day, and it’s not necessarily in what he says — although, he’ll have fun — [but] it’s what he does and the way he works at it and how hard he works to get better, how intentional he is about being the best player he can be. That’s his biggest trait, I think.” Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

At the Ravens’ first training camp practice, while most of the 90-man roster crowds one field, a small quartet of players stands alone on the other. Kickers Tyler Loop and John Hoyland, along with punter Jordan Stout and long snapper Nick Moore, work off to the side during most team drills, practicing different variations of kicks. They will then join the team for simulated attempts. Both kickers were solid during Wednesday’s first glimpse in Owings Mills. The two combined to go 9-for-10 on field goal attempts, with Hoyland’s final kick being the only miss of the day. Loop made kicks from 34, 36, 32, 27 and 30 yards. Hoyland converted his opportunities from 37, 27, 32 and 37 yards, while he missed a 40-yarder. Expect the competition to continue well into training camp, as the Ravens are hoping to see how the specialists perform in high-pressure, game-like situations. That includes simulated drills, end-of-practice kicks and potentially preseason games. Coach John Harbaugh compared kicking with golf and said that kickers should look at their attempts through a process-based lens. If they made a good kick, but it sailed wide, that’s fine. If they struck the ball poorly, but it went through the uprights, what adjustments can they make? The Ravens are aiming to replace longtime kicker Justin Tucker, who was released by the team and subsequently suspended by the NFL for the first 10 weeks of the season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy after more than a dozen female massage therapists accused Tucker of inappropriate sexual behavior at several Baltimore-area spas and wellness centers. Tucker, who went undrafted out of Texas, made 89.1% of his field goal attempts in 13 seasons with Baltimore, making him the most accurate kicker in NFL history. Loop was the first kicker drafted in the team’s history and was the second specialist to come off the board in April. “We felt like he was the best kicker. It made sense for us to take him,” general manager Eric DeCosta said after the draft. Loop had one of the strongest legs in the class and made several 60-yard field goals during voluntary offseason practices. He finished his Arizona career with a program-record 83.75% success rate on field goal attempts, including a 62-yarder that set a school record. However, drafted kickers tend to be hit-or-miss in their rookie seasons. The Bengals’ Evan McPherson became one of the NFL’s top specialists in his first season, drilling several game-winning field goals in Cincinnati’s run to the Super Bowl in 2022. He tied Adam Vinatieri for the most field goals made in a single postseason with 14. But others have struggled. New England Patriots draft pick Chad Ryland, a former Maryland standout, made just 64% of his kicks in his 2023 rookie campaign and was released the following year. Cleveland Browns kicker Cade York was also cut after converting only 75% of his field goal attempts in his 2022 rookie season. Since 2016, drafted kickers have made an average of 81.22% of their field goal attempts during their rookie season. But more than half of the kickers drafted in the past decade were on a new team in their second NFL season. Related Articles Ravens observations from opening practice of training camp Ravens QB Lamar Jackson not ‘trying to think about Super Bowl yet’ Ravens’ John Harbaugh on Trump White House visit: ‘I root for our president’ What NFL power rankings say about the Ravens entering training camp The Ravens’ defense goes as Roquan Smith goes — and he knows it The Ravens added Hoyland, an undrafted free agent, in the offseason to compete with Loop. Hoyland is Wyoming’s all-time leading scorer and converted 15 of 19 field goal attempts in his final season. While his leg is not as strong as Loop’s, he still made several 50-plus-yard field goals in college. The most likely outcome is that Loop wins the job. He has the college pedigree, the front office invested a draft pick in him and he’s outpaced Hoyland in practices so far. But the competition isn’t decided yet. Whichever kicker performs better in practice and preseason games will likely be the replacement to one of the franchise’s most reliable players. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Jane at sjane@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Sam_Jane230. View the full article

Lamar Jackson dropped back for his first pass in 11-on-11, cocked and fired the ball toward an out-breaking DeAndre Hopkins on the sideline, the pass too far in front of the new wide receiver as it skidded to the grass. One throw later, he connected with a more familiar target, with third-year Pro Bowl receiver Zay Flowers hauling in a pass over the middle and breaking loose in the secondary. And so it begins. Jackson and the Ravens kicked off their first day of training camp under warm, sunny skies Wednesday in Owings Mills, where the goal of a trip to the organization’s first Super Bowl since 2012 began in earnest but remains a distant thought. “I’m really not trying not to think that far,” Jackson, 28 and entering his eighth season in Baltimore, said. “Because every time we have those discussions, man, we get to the playoffs, we don’t punch in, we don’t finish. So I’m pretty much trying to finish camp the correct way and get ready for the Bills. “I’m not really trying to think about the Super Bowl yet.” Buffalo, on the other hand, is a more immediate target. The Bills are the ones who ended the Ravens’ bid for a championship in excruciating fashion, 27-25, on a snowy evening at Highmark Stadium in January. The teams will meet again in Week 1 on Sept. 7, also in Orchard Park, New York, on “Sunday Night Football.” First, though, six weeks of training camp, including three preseason games and two joint practices. “We’re just trying to have a great day today,” coach John Harbaugh said when asked about Jackson entering his third year under offensive coordinator Todd Monken and second alongside three-time All-Pro running back Derrick Henry. “We have a lot of goals in terms of what we’re trying to do specifically with our offense. We’re trying to get better at 1,000 different things that apply to what we’re trying to do. “That’s kind of an advantage of Year 3. We have a really good handle on who we are, what our guys are good at, our identity if you want to call it that.” Jackson is of course at the nexus of that identity, and this is the time of year to refamiliarize himself with his pass catchers and introduce himself to new ones. Hopkins, a three-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection, is the most notable among them. There’s also new cornerback Jaire Alexander, a former college teammate of Jackson’s who signed with the Ravens earlier this offseason after his release from the Green Bay Packers. At one point, Jackson lofted a fade to Hopkins up the sideline, who made a nifty back shoulder grab with Alexander in tight coverage. Alexander got up and bowed in a sign of respect. “He’s still that guy,” Jackson said of Alexander, a 28-year-old two-time All-Pro. So is Jackson, particularly when it comes to experimenting with plays this time of year, even when it might not be the intended one. “Coach Monk probably get on me a little bit because he be wanting me to throw the ball certain places,” Jackson said. “But I’m like sometimes in the game it might not happen the way it is in practice. “I try everything. Sometimes coach let me get away with it, sometimes he gonna coach me.” Their partnership has worked incredibly and historically well so far. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson turns during the first day of training camp. Jackson isn't shy about experimenting with plays during preseason practices. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) In 2023, Jackson set career highs in passing yards (3,678) and completion percentage (.672) and was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player after leading the Ravens to the league’s best record (13-4) and the AFC championship game. Last season, he was even better, with 4,172 passing yards, 41 touchdown passes and just four interceptions while also rushing for 915 yards and four scores. Baltimore became the first team in history to throw for at least 4,000 yards and rush for at least 3,000, with Henry’s 1,921 the second-most in the NFL behind only the Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley. Yet, the Ravens believe they — and Jackson — can be even better. “He works really hard at being better,” Harbaugh said. “That position, there’s so much that goes into playing that position and Lamar’s young. “He’s already great. He’s not one of these guys who says I’m great, I’m there, I’ve arrived, I’m already there. He never looks at it that way. … He’s grown in every way.” Still, at this point Jackson will only be measured by postseason success, and that has been tougher to come by. Baltimore is just 3-5 in the playoffs with Jackson at the helm. In that span, he has thrown 10 touchdown passes but also seven interceptions. He has lost four fumbles as well. In last season’s divisional round loss to the Bills, Baltimore had three turnovers while Buffalo had none. Two of them were by Jackson, who had an interception and a fumble. How to fix that? “Just hold onto the football,” Jackson said. Related Articles Ravens observations from opening practice of training camp What to expect in the Ravens’ kicker battle featuring rookie Tyler Loop Ravens’ John Harbaugh on Trump White House visit: ‘I root for our president’ What NFL power rankings say about the Ravens entering training camp The Ravens’ defense goes as Roquan Smith goes — and he knows it For now, though, he has other things on his mind, like finding success in training camp. “Just score on our defense,” he said when asked to define what that looks like. “We got one of the best defenses in the league. If we could put points on our defense or move the ball on our defense I feel like we’re having success.” The offense, with all but one of its starters back from last season plus the addition of Hopkins, shouldn’t be a problem. “We’re looking great on paper,” Jackson said. “But we’re gonna see when the time comes.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

John Harbaugh roots for his president, he said, the same way he roots for his quarterback and his football team. The longtime Ravens coach and his younger brother Jim, coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, visited President Donald Trump at the White House earlier this month. When asked about the trip, Jim recently quoted the family mantra: “I mean, who gets invited to the White House with eight other family members and doesn’t go? Nooobody.” And on Wednesday, on the first day of training camp in Owings Mills, John called it an “amazing experience” with his family. John, 62, also took issue with the framing of the question, which pointed out that Trump has previously made disparaging comments about Baltimore, calling it “disgusting, rat and rodent infested.” “Why would you frame that question,” Harbaugh started to say with a big smile across his face. “I would’ve framed the question like, ‘You got a chance to visit with the president, what was that like?’ It was awesome.” That visit, which included nine members of the Harbaugh family, was John’s fourth presidential meeting and Jim’s seventh. Both brothers individually visited the White House during Barack Obama’s presidency. John said that there’s a photo in his office from the family’s visit with former President Ronald Reagan in 1987 when Jim was a Heisman Trophy candidate at Michigan. John spent time with Joe Biden in 2009 as part of the NFL USO coaches tour. Jim has also met Gerald Ford, George Bush and Bill Clinton. It’s unclear what was discussed during the Harbaugh family’s meeting with Trump, but the White House invited the two coaches to visit, according to a USA Today report. John did not elaborate Wednesday. Neither brother publicly endorsed a presidential candidate in the 2024 election. In fact, John has largely avoided wading into politics during his coaching tenure, making only a few comments about Trump in recent years. In August 2015, John backed the idea that headlined Trump’s first campaign: to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. “You don’t have a border, you don’t have a country,” he said at the time. Then, in 2017, John stood by his players when several took a knee during the national anthem before a game in London. Ravens players decided to kneel after Trump said at a rally earlier that year that any player who knelt during “The Star-Spangled Banner” should be fired by team owners. Related Articles Ravens observations from opening practice of training camp What to expect in the Ravens’ kicker battle featuring rookie Tyler Loop Ravens QB Lamar Jackson not ‘trying to think about Super Bowl yet’ What NFL power rankings say about the Ravens entering training camp The Ravens’ defense goes as Roquan Smith goes — and he knows it Wednesday was the first time that Harbaugh returned to the topic of the divisive sitting president. He pledged his support for the office of the president, without specifically naming support for Trump. John did note that it was “really meaningful” watching how Trump treated his mom, Jackie Harbaugh. “And I promise you,” John said, “I root for our president. I want our president to be successful, just like I want my quarterback to be successful and I want my team to be successful.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

Ready or not, football is back. The Ravens will hold their first practice of training camp Wednesday, with the full team returning to the field for the first time since a divisional round loss to the Buffalo Bills in January. Baltimore will have more than six weeks of preparation and three preseason games before kicking off the regular season Sept. 7 on “Sunday Night Football” for a rematch in Orchard Park, New York, against the team that ended its standout 2024 season. Expectations are high once again for the Ravens, who have been among the league’s most successful teams under coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Lamar Jackson but have yet to reach the Super Bowl with the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player under center. If preseason rankings are any indication, though, this could be the year the Ravens finally break through. Here’s a look at how experts around the league rank the team’s roster heading into the new season: ESPN: No. 1 NFL analysts Mike Clay, Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder ranked every lineup in the league considering factors such as talent, age and production. In a bit of a surprise, considering the Philadelphia Eagles return most of last year’s Super Bowl championship team, the Ravens claimed the top spot. Less surprising was Jackson being identified as the team’s biggest strength coming off back-to-back All-Pro seasons. Guard, however, is once again considered a weakness “for a roster that is otherwise pretty stacked,” Clay writes, with Andrew Vorhees, Ben Cleveland or a rookie vying to replace Patrick Mekari at left guard and Daniel Faalele returning on the right side “after underwhelming as a run blocker.” Also on the offensive line, left tackle Ronnie Stanley is considered the X factor for 2025. “This is all about his health,” Walder writes after Stanley signed a three-year, $60 million extension this offseason. “Stanley didn’t miss a game last season, which helped earn him a well-deserved contract, but that doesn’t mean the injury risks all went away. When Stanley and Jackson are on the field, the Ravens’ offense is awfully hard to beat.” Of course, the Ravens enter the season with uncertainty at kicker for the first time in more than a decade after Justin Tucker was released and later suspended 10 games by the NFL after more than a dozen female massage therapists accused Tucker of inappropriate sexual behavior at several Baltimore-area spas and wellness centers. Sixth-round draft pick Tyler Loop, considered a “nonstarter to watch,” and undrafted rookie John Hoyland are competing for the job. The Sporting News: No. 1 Alec Sanner calls the Ravens “regular-season monsters” but, like many others, questions their playoff bonafides. Still, he says Baltimore “looks like the most complete team in football,” giving the Ravens the edge over the Eagles for the top spot. “The Ravens don’t need any more excuses; it’s time,” Sanner writes. The Athletic: No. 2 The Ravens come in second behind the Eagles in Josh Kendall’s rankings after an impressive second half of the 2024 season in which Baltimore ranked third in scoring (30 points per game) and second in scoring defense (18 points per game allowed). “Now, it’s just a matter of snapping a streak of three straight one-score losses in playoff matchups,” Kendall writes. “The only thing keeping the Ravens from the top of this list is that they lost 15 free agents in the offseason.” The Mina Kimes Show: No. 2 Given the choice between the Eagles and Ravens for the title of the league’s best on the ESPN analyst’s podcast, former NFL defensive lineman and two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long gave one of his former teams the nod – but not by much. “They have more proven playoff success, when all things are close,” Long said of the Eagles. “And they are [close]. Listen, Lamar is fantastic. I know [Jalen] Hurts has the Super Bowl [trophy] but I’m not going to do the thing where as a homer I say, ‘Hurts is better than Lamar.’ “Lamar was arguably MVP last year, and [the Ravens made] some additions in the secondary. I’m excited about [Malaki Starks] from Georgia. [Odafe] Oweh quietly had double digits [sacks] last year. I think they’re going to be tough to run the ball on.” In a league that Kimes said “is so top heavy” right now, Long said the difference might be how well the Ravens’ star running back holds up entering his age-31 season. “The Derrick Henry, ‘Hey, this guy is going to get the ball a million times a year, year over year over year and never slow down’ thing … I’m not betting on it slowing down, but I do feel like the Eagles, they deserve having the No. 1 spot over the Ravens.” Bleacher Report: No. 4 Kristopher Knox said that the “addition of cornerback Jaire Alexander didn’t really change my opinion of the Ravens, though I already had Baltimore as a top-five contender and the team to beat in the AFC North.” He liked what general manager Eric DeCosta and the Ravens did this offseason and expects the defense to hold up better under second-year coordinator Zach Orr. Related Articles The Ravens’ defense goes as Roquan Smith goes — and he knows it Ravens’ Zach Orr had a debut like no other. He and his defense are better now. Ravens’ Nnamdi Madubuike wants to be a ‘tenacious force’ in 2025 6 things to watch for as the Ravens open training camp READER POLL: Who has the best team in the NFL? Still, there isn’t as much confidence in the Ravens until they can show it on the field in the postseason. “I’d still like to see Lamar Jackson prove he can beat Buffalo, Cincinnati or Kansas City in a playoff game,” Knox writes, “but if Jackson stays healthy, I expect him to have that chance in January.” Pro Football Talk: No. 4 Consider Mike Florio also of the opinion that the Ravens need to prove themselves first before being considered better than the Eagles, Chiefs or Bills. Kansas City and Philadelphia have won or made the Super Bowl multiple times in the past six seasons, while Buffalo has eliminated the Ravens and Jackson twice during that span. “The window is still wide open, but the Bills and Chiefs are still blocking full daylight,” Florio writes. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

When an anonymous NFL assistant said in an ESPN ranking of off-ball linebackers last week that the Ravens’ Roquan Smith “needs to get in better shape” and that he “looks a little sluggish at times,” Kyle Van Noy rushed to his keyboard for a profane rebuttal with the same verve that he often displayed pursuing opposing quarterbacks for Baltimore last season. Van Noy’s NSFW defense on X — and quarterback Lamar Jackson’s tacit endorsement via re-post — of a teammate voted Associated Press first-team All-Pro was hardly surprising (never mind that Smith was second behind only San Francisco 49ers star Fred Warner on ESPN’s list). But every outsized reaction almost always carries at least a shred of stinging truth. Smith’s 2024 performance was no exception. He led the team in tackles (154) again in what was his eighth NFL season and third in Baltimore since the Ravens traded for him midway through 2022. He was disruptive in the passing game down the stretch as well, ranking as the fourth-best linebacker in the league, according to Pro Football Focus, with an 81.8 coverage grade from Week 11 onward. But that is a painting only partially complete. Overall, PFF ranked Smith as just the 86th best linebacker in the NFL last season with a mark of 65.2. Through his first nine games, he had only one tackle for loss, no sacks or quarterback hits, and three pass breakups. Against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, wide receiver Rashee Rice racked up seven catches for 103 yards, exposing some glaring weaknesses in the Ravens’ coverage that included Smith. In Week 9, Baltimore blew out the Denver Broncos, 41-10, but Smith had just three tackles in 54 snaps and, on one play, got juked badly by quarterback Bo Nix. In between, communication issues permeated the defense as a whole. There were personnel problems that most notably included fellow inside linebacker Trenton Simpson’s struggles and eventual benching. And there was frustration with some of the coaching, the latter eventually leading to the firing of inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone after the season. Smith, the bellower of fiery pregame speeches and wearer of the green dot as the defensive play-caller, also acknowledged that his play was at times not up to its usual snuff, with reasons ranging from his body to trying at times to do too much to cover up for others. “Coming into the year, I was banged up early in the year,” Smith told The Baltimore Sun recently, though he was not specific about lingering injuries that later led to hamstring issues during the season. “Some of that was just [needing to be] in better shape; then just focusing on doing my job and not [doing] anything more or anything less.” A lot has changed since then. Smith is one of four players who second-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr spoke highly about after mandatory minicamp in June, noting that the 28-year-old is “running at some untimely speeds right now that he hasn’t ran at for us.” Simpson is also “a lot more confident,” Orr added, and now has an understanding of the defense that is “completely different from what it was last year,” according to Smith. DeLeone, meanwhile, was replaced by Tyler Santucci, who was viewed as a fast riser in the college ranks and drew praise for his work at Georgia Tech, Duke and Texas A&M. Related Articles Ravens’ Zach Orr had a debut like no other. He and his defense are better now. Ravens’ Nnamdi Madubuike wants to be a ‘tenacious force’ in 2025 6 things to watch for as the Ravens open training camp READER POLL: Who has the best team in the NFL? Ravens 53-man roster projection: Position battles to watch entering camp The Ravens have also made scheme and roster adjustments. There is a growing trend toward more nickel and dime defenses — which deploy more defensive backs to counter a pass-heavy attack — which should alleviate some of the pressure on Smith. Malcontent safeties Eddie Jackson and Marcus Williams are also gone, the former waived before the end of November last year, the latter released in March. The communication issues that plagued Baltimore during the first half of last season have also been cleaned up, and the communication has been “crystal clear” so far, Smith said. “A lot of times last year, it would be like people would know what to do, but then not being on the same page sometimes would make this person look crazy or that person look crazy,” Smith continued. “All of us would look crazy at the end of the day. “[At OTAs], this was the most installs that have been thrown at us, that I’ve been thrown at my entire career. It’s pretty sweet to see. Seeing how we respond, making minimal errors. It’s not nearly as many errors as before.” It bodes well for a defense that just two years ago was historically great. It’s also just the start of training camp, which kicks off with the first full practice Wednesday. “It’s about being in good shape and having a clear understanding of what's going on,” Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith told The Baltimore Sun when asked what his biggest focus heading into the year is. (Kim Hairston/Staff file) The expectation from the organization and Smith himself is a much better performance this season. With three years remaining on a five-year, $100 million contract that makes him the highest-paid player at his position, it will have to be for the emotional and physical heartbeat of the defense. “It’s about being in good shape and having a clear understanding of what’s going on,” Smith told The Sun when asked what his biggest focus heading into the year is. “For myself, eating better and taking better care of myself and make sure I’m taking care of that and not letting it grow into something else. “In this league, it’s what have you done for me lately.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr was on a roller coaster at Disney World, the so-called happiest place on earth. His wife, Chanel, couldn’t keep her eyes open as the ride took flight, but Zach’s were wide-open, while his son Zachary Paul II laughed the whole way around. It was quite a different scene last September. Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri, defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, rematch of the AFC championship game, prime-time. Helluva welcome-to-the NFL moment for Orr, 33, the second-youngest defensive coordinator in the league when John Harbaugh ordained him to replace Mike Macdonald after Macdonald departed last offseason to become the Seattle Seahawks coach. “It was crazy,” Orr told The Baltimore Sun of the Chiefs. “They pulled out ALL the tricks. “The game, it happened a lot faster than what I anticipated from a play-calling standpoint. They were pulling out all the stops to make me uncomfortable. I was thinking about how they would attack our defense and our scheme. I didn’t think how they would try to mess with me as a play caller.” Kansas City coach Andy Reid has been around — three Super Bowl titles with the Chiefs, 2002 Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he was Ravens coach John Harbaugh’s boss — and did just that. Among the tricks: Often waiting until the play clock got under 15 seconds to put the offensive personnel group on the field. That’s the mark that Orr’s radio to on-field play caller and linebacker Roquan Smith cut out by rule, thus rendering communication impossible and forcing the brain of Orr, in his first year of calling plays at any level, to scramble. “Week 1, I feel like I let the defense and the team down,” Orr continued. “I didn’t feel like we was ready to roll from my standpoint. I put that 100% on me. I felt bad. I felt sick to my stomach.” The pain would subside, but it would take a while. After losing a nail-biter to the Chiefs, 27-20, the lowly Las Vegas Raiders stunned Baltimore at home. Three victories followed, but the defense was a sieve. So after Week 5, Harbaugh hired his former defensive coordinator, Dean Pees, as a senior adviser. Meanwhile, the criticism mounted. Just a year earlier, the Ravens had become the first team in NFL history to capture the defensive triple crown, leading the league in sacks, takeaways and points allowed. Now, they were the antithesis of that, the nadir coming in a pair of games against the Cincinnati Bengals in Weeks 5 and 10 in which quarterback Joe Burrow threw for a combined 820 yards and nine touchdowns and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase had 21 total catches for 457 yards and five scores. “You could look at it and be like, ‘Do they not think I’m capable of the job?’ Or you can look at it like, ‘Maybe I need some more help and maybe this guy could help me out,’” Orr said of the Pees addition. “If we tell the players they gotta be team players, we gotta be team players. “It definitely motivated me, though. I’m a highly motivated guy.” Orr, a former linebacker with the Ravens whose career was cut short because of a congenital spine and neck condition in 2017, could also bury himself in his work, he said. That wasn’t the case for his family, though. It was tough on his wife and father and others in his family. “They know there’s going to be criticism, they know there’s going to be praise that comes with it, but I don’t think they anticipated how much it might’ve been,” Orr said. “They were calling me all the time saying, ‘Are you good?’” He was. “It’s hard when people don’t know what’s really going on and you have to go with what’s out there,” Zach’s father Terry Orr, a former tight end for Washington and the San Diego Chargers, told The Sun. “But I thought he handled it like a champ and said what needed to be said and kept on grinding. “He never got down. I know he was frustrated, but he never got down. I think that helped not just with his players, but with us as well.” Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr is shown during training camp in 2024. Orr gained confidence throughout the 2024 season in his first experience as a coordinator. (Kim Hairston/Staff) What also helped was that Orr — who was likely headed to Seattle to become Macdonald’s defensive coordinator before Harbaugh quickly hired him the day after then-Ravens defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson bolted for the Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator opening — finally felt comfortable enough to make significant changes in several areas. Malcontent safety Eddie Jackson was benched, then waived. Aggrieved and also struggling safety Marcus Williams was also benched in favor of Ar’Darius Washington. All-Pro, do-everything safety Kyle Hamilton was deployed more often on the back end to help stanch deep passes. Struggling second-year inside linebacker Trenton Simpson was benched in favor of a rotation of veterans Malik Harrison and Chris Board. The structure of defensive meetings was changed, with position groups sometimes lumped together and players empowered to ask questions and share their thoughts. The scheme was tweaked. “Earlier in the season I was trying so much to keep so much [of the] carryover [from the previous year],” Orr said. “The system is the system and it’s been the system since Harbaugh started here, but every year has it’s own little twist based off opponents and personnel.” Once it took hold, the improvements were dramatic, with Baltimore boasting one of the league’s best defenses down the stretch. “I felt that, sadly, there’s a lot of things that were being coached that were coached correctly, and when he put it out there for us we weren’t clicking, as far as on the field,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “It actually held us back as a defense from what we could call if we couldn’t execute what was called, so some of the things had to get a lot more simple until we could show that we could execute these things. “Every single player was somebody not doing what they were supposed to do in those first however many weeks, and I think the biggest change was just all 11 guys doing their job.” Those around Orr noticed the impact it had as well, for the team and for the rookie coordinator. “My opinion was it was hard for him because it was first year coming in, I’m the DC, this is what I’m doing,” Terry Orr said, adding that father and son would talk after every game and the former would just let the latter go on unimpeded to get things off his chest. “I think he was slow to pull the trigger. He knew what he needed to do, but you’re in that position, it’s just tough. “But then he was able to put his chest out and say yeah I got it, I’m in charge. … He didn’t really feel in his mind he was in charge.” Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr celebrates with defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh during a playoff win over the Steelers. Orr's defense played its best football in 2024 at the end of the season. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Many on the outside credited Pees and some inside did as well, including Harbaugh, who praised the veteran coach for helping the unit reconnect with its defensive roots that Pees had helped established during his tenure as defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017. But this spring, Ravens pass rush coach Chuck Smith gave an impassioned, 491-word defense of what Orr had done. “I watched this coordinator stand on 10 toes,” Smith said, in part. “Zach is the guy. Zach Orr, I’m telling you, is going to be an incredible coordinator, and let me tell you why. When we were struggling last year, I watched him stand in front of these mics every week and talk to you all, and he didn’t flinch. But I also watched him stand in front of the room [when we] played the Bengals, and it wasn’t like we were celebrating because, from a defensive standpoint, they did a lot. They had a great day on us. Zach Orr looked those players in the eye, and he never lets the highs get too high or the lows get too low; he stayed in the middle. “He always would be positive, but he was tough. He’s tough on the coaches and the players. He would tell everybody, and he would show everybody how close we were to actually having success. It might be an angle of a defensive back running to the ball, or it might be a pass rusher that ran past the quarterback, and the quarterback ran. Zach would stand and talk to everybody, and he led. He never flinched. … I know last year a lot of people in the media were saying, ‘Well, this guy came in and helped.’ No, Zach Orr did it. … He’s a special coach, and I’m really blessed to be around a guy like that.” If the games against the Bengals were rock-bottom, then Baltimore’s Week 17 contest against the Texans in Houston was its zenith. Christmas Day. Netflix. A Beyonce concert at halftime. The need for the Ravens to win against the AFC South-leading Texans to keep their AFC North title hopes alive. The game was a rout, 31-2, with the highlight a fourth-down stop by Washington at the Ravens’ goal line that was followed by the 5-foot-8, 180-pound defensive back sending his defensive coordinator to the NRG Stadium turf amid the celebration. “To go out there and put on a complete performance like that was great,” Orr says now. “It was one of the best days of my life. I’ll never forget that.” Yet as training camp kicks off with the first full practice, Orr knows that there is more work to be done. Baltimore ranked 31st against the pass last season, and while the Ravens were second in the league in sacks, they were middle of the pack in pressure rate. After forcing 31 turnovers in 2023, the Ravens also had just 17 takeaways last season, with only six teams forcing fewer. They also turned the ball over three times in a divisional round loss to the Buffalo Bills, while the Bills did not turn the ball over. The belief in Orr, though, has never wavered. Related Articles The Ravens’ defense goes as Roquan Smith goes — and he knows it Ravens’ Nnamdi Madubuike wants to be a ‘tenacious force’ in 2025 6 things to watch for as the Ravens open training camp READER POLL: Who has the best team in the NFL? Ravens 53-man roster projection: Position battles to watch entering camp “We all grow, get better,” Harbaugh said. “You learn from successes and failures, and Zach’s great about that. He is very humble, good combination of humility and confidence. Very, very, very charismatic guy, really smart [and a] good teacher. All those things that I knew, and you see it every day.” Now fit with a roster that is perhaps the best in the league, though, and includes a pair of highly touted rookies in safety Malaki Starks and edge rusher Mike Green, along with free agent cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Chidobe Awuzie, Orr’s eyes are wide again. The excitement is palpable for him and his players. “Just the way he commands the room, you can tell there’s a difference in the confidence in him and everybody in the room, and he puts that confidence in us,” Hamilton said. “So, we follow his lead.” Added Smith: “He’s just so in tune with every little thing, even with the back end. It’s pretty sweet to see. I think it’s gonna be a very special year for him, as well as our defense.” And for Orr, that would be the happiest place on earth. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Nnamdi Madubuike followed up a tour de force 2023 — 13 sacks and his first All-Pro nod — with a not-so-flashy 6 1/2 sacks worthy of a Pro Bowl bid in 2025. But the Ravens defensive tackle knows there’s more to quantifying individual success than the position’s primary production number. “Obviously production is for everybody but just being a tenacious force, that’s how I see it,” Madubuike said. “When you’re a good player, people are going to scheme against you and try to stop you.” Madubuike was among the top five double teamed interior defensive linemen on pass rush plays. He played 55 more snaps this past season than he did the year prior. His pass rush win rate slipped from 11.6% to 6.6%. It was a physical, dissatisfying winter. Opposing offenses keyed in on Madubuike, which frustrated him, even if it opened the gate for Baltimore’s edge rushers, two of whom notched double-digit sacks last year. “But you still want to play,” he said. “You still want to eat.” In 2023, Madubuike never went more than two weeks without bringing down the quarterback. Baltimore rewarded him with a four-year, $98 million deal. This past season, his 6 1/2 total sacks were inflated by a monstrous three-sack performance during Baltimore’s infamous Thursday Night Football win over the Cincinnati Bengals. That kept the final tally respectable. Madubuike logged two more in a playoff win vs. Pittsburgh. Still, Pro Football Focus clocked a regression in how he graded out for defense (68.3), run defense (62.5), tackling (54.4) and pass rush (69.9). So Madubuike spent this offseason game planning how he can adjust to the way teams adjusted to him. Most notably by adding a few pounds. After playing at around 285 most of last season, he spent this spring looking to add weight. His desired playing weight this fall will be around 290-300, he said, without sacrificing the burst and power that made him one of the league’s best interior defensive linemen. If the Ravens defense takes a step forward this fall and, as cornerback Marlon Humphrey has declared, it becomes the identity of the organization like it was in the early aughts and 2010s, Madubuike will be at the core. Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike sacks Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson in a wild-card game. Madubuike finished with two sacks in the postseason victory. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Defensive line coach Dennis Johnson was asked after one optional team activity practice whether he’d like to see Madubuike’s snap count deviate to the mean following a high year. “Obviously, I wish I could take some of those snaps off,” Johnson said, “but when the game on the line or it’s close in the fourth quarter, you’re probably not going to look at the snap reps. You’re going to make sure Nnamdi is out there to help you close the game out.” That approach, and the extra attention from offensive line coaches, is a byproduct of Madubuike’s success. Related Articles The Ravens’ defense goes as Roquan Smith goes — and he knows it Ravens’ Zach Orr had a debut like no other. He and his defense are better now. 6 things to watch for as the Ravens open training camp READER POLL: Who has the best team in the NFL? Ravens 53-man roster projection: Position battles to watch entering camp ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently ranked the top-10 defensive tackles for 2025, as configured by anonymous executives, coaches and scouts. Fowler slotted Madubuike seventh, after ranking him inside the top five a year ago. Some of the statistical regression, Fowler pointed out, was affected by the way the Ravens secondary struggled early the first half of the season. More obviously, there fewer one-on-one opportunities. Madubuike knows his sack total wasn’t where he wanted it to be. It’s not the only measure of his success. It’s still one he’s hoping to correct. All this extra attention, “it’s a good thing,” he said, “and I appreciate it. But I definitely want to keep being productive.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

It’s almost time for Ravens players to go back to work. Rookies reported to training camp in Owings Mills on Tuesday, tying for the earliest date in the NFL. Coaches like to get young players in the building as soon as possible so they can acclimate to their first camp, get the attention they need before the arrival of the full roster, and continue to bond with one another. The rest of the team reports Tuesday, with the first practice taking place the following afternoon. That is, in earnest, when the quest begins for what Baltimore hopes will be its third Super Bowl title and first since the 2012 season. Championship expectations are the norm for the franchise, but they have perhaps never been higher, given the acrid taste still lingering from last season’s divisional round loss to the Buffalo Bills and a roster that is possibly not just the best in the league but maybe unrivaled in the organization’s 31-year history. “You can kind of see the trajectory that we think we’re on,” safety Kyle Hamilton said last month. “Still a lot of work to be done, obviously, and [it’s] going to continue throughout the season. But I mean, we’re off to a great start.” Hamilton added that it felt like the defense was playing “12-on-11” during minicamp, a good sign for a unit that ranked 31st against the pass last season. On offense, quarterback Lamar Jackson is coming off career highs in passing yards (4,172) and touchdown passes (41), while Baltimore led the league in total yards (7,224) and rushing yards (3,189) and ranked third in points per game (30.5). With all of its major skill players returning, an offensive line largely intact from last season and the addition of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins along with fully healthy running back Keaton Mitchell, it’s reasonable to think that the ceiling could be even higher. So as training camp kicks off, here’s what to watch for: What will DeAndre Hopkins’ role be? “I don’t really see ‘D-Hop’ as a third receiver,” Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken said last month. “I see him more as, we have three starters at wide receiver, but we also have the two tight ends. So, it’ll be interesting as we get going, especially once we get to camp and we get the pads on, how we can integrate him into the offense, but we’re excited.” There are legitimate reasons to be. Related Articles READER POLL: Who has the best team in the NFL? Ravens 53-man roster projection: Position battles to watch entering camp Lawyer says lawsuit is over between Shannon Sharpe and woman who accused him of rape Ravens rookie OLB Mike Green finally signs contract Why are so many rookies, including the Ravens’ Mike Green, still unsigned? Unlike Odell Beckham Jr. — the other receiver Jackson had requested the team acquire during the quarterback’s 2023 contract negotiations — the potential impact of Hopkins could be substantial. While it’s unlikely that he’ll come close to matching the 82 catches he has averaged over his 12-year career, particularly on an offense that has a lot of mouths to feed, he should still tally a respectable number of targets while importantly being a key figure in short-yard and red zone opportunities, two areas he continues to excel at even at age 33. One big reason is his ability to catch passes in a crowd. Last season, Hopkins had 56 catches for 610 yards and five touchdowns between the quarterback-deficient Tennessee Titans and the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs. Of players with at least 20 tight window targets in 2024, Hopkins tied for the 14th-best reception rate (38.1%), according to TruMedia. He also tied for 22nd in ESPN’s open score with Cincinnati Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase, proving that he’s still capable of finding the patches of grass where defenders aren’t. New Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, shown participating in the team’s minicamp, gives the franchise significant depth at the receiver position. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken views Hopkins as a starting-level receiver. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Who will win the kicking battle? With the Ravens having moved on from Justin Tucker, who has since been suspended 10 weeks by the NFL over sexual misconduct allegations from more than a dozen massage therapists, there will be an open kicking competition for the first time since 2012. That summer, Tucker, an undrafted free agent out of Texas, beat out incumbent Billy Cundiff. This year, Tyler Loop, whom Baltimore selected in the sixth round out of Arizona in April and who was the lone kicker that senior special teams coach Randy Brown identified as draftable in the class, is the favorite. But he also has legitimate competition in John Hoyland, an undrafted rookie out of Wyoming. “I think the biggest thing is to try to put them in tough situations as much as we can,” coach John Harbaugh said of the two kickers. “And then, you get into the situations, and the team situation is one thing, then the game scenarios are the next thing where they have to run out and make it like a game.” So far, each has had good and bad days, and their performances will be scrutinized daily in training camp until one of them is named the starter — unless the Ravens decide to bring in a veteran, which could be another possibility. Is this a make-or-break year for Trenton Simpson? Harbaugh has said that he expects Trenton Simpson, who was benched after starting the first 11 games last year, to be the starting weak-side linebacker alongside Roquan Smith this season. That’s easy to do in the spring. Once the pads go on will be more telling, though there have been some positive signs so far, most notably his much-improved grasp of the defense. “He’s a lot more confident, man,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said of the third-year former third-round pick out of Clemson. “This is the most confident that I’ve seen Trenton, and he’s a lot more relaxed before the play. I hear him talking. This is the most I’ve heard him communicate on the field, so I’m excited.” One reason for the improvement is the work of inside linebackers coach Tyler Santucci, who last year at Georgia Tech turned the Yellow Jackets’ defense from worst in the Atlantic Coast Conference to fifth-best and in 2023 was a nominee for the Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant coach, while at Duke. Still, fourth-round rookie Teddye Buchanan is an intriguing player who could potentially challenge Simpson. He’s a former high school quarterback, something Ravens coaches believe has aided his pass coverage. “He flies around, he seeks contact, he can play in space, and he’s a smart player,” Orr said. But with Malik Harrison and Chris Board having departed in free agency, it will be imperative that Simpson becomes at least a reliable early down linebacker. Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II twists after being pulled by the facemask by Ravens outside linebacker David Ojabo during a 2024 matchup. Ojabo has yet to live up to expectations in Baltimore. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Will David Ojabo blossom or bust in his fourth year? Baltimore’s top four outside linebackers on the depth chart will be Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy, Tavius Robinson and rookie second-round pick Mike Green, who led college football in sacks last season at Marshall. With the expectation that the Ravens will carry five players at the position, that leaves David Ojabo and Adisa Isaac to slug it out for the final spot. Unfortunately for Ojabo, injuries have derailed his career. And even when he has been healthy, he has not been the kind of impact player the Ravens hoped he could be when they selected him in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Michigan. Isaac’s development was also stunted last year as a rookie because of injuries, so in many ways this year will be like a first season for the 2024 third-round pick out of Penn State. “One of the things that Adisa has worked really hard on is he’s understanding the defense,” pass rush coach Chuck Smith said. “He’s in good shape, he’s having a good ‘get-off,’ he’s working hard in his coverage — all the different things that you want a guy to do. … I can’t wait to see when we put the pads on in camp and get after it. That’s going to be really the measuring stick of where he’s at.” Put another way, check back this summer. There have been plenty of Ravens pass rushers who finally broke through in their fourth year, including Paul Kruger in 2012, Pernell McPhee in 2014, Za’Darius Smith in 2019 and Oweh last year. But expecting Ojabo to do the same is probably a stretch. Who will emerge on the offensive and defensive lines? Barring any surprises, the Ravens already know and feel good about who will start for them on the offensive and defensive lines. On offense, Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten will anchor left and right tackle, Tyler Linderbaum returns for his fourth year at center and Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele are the frontrunners at left and right guard. On defense, Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, Broderick Washington and newly added veteran John Jenkins figure to be the top four up front. Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley warms up during practice before a playoff game this past season. Stanley is a proven left tackle, but the Ravens' offensive line depth outside of the starting group could be one of the team's few weaknesses. (Kim Hairston/Staff) But beyond that is where there are questions for both lines. While Baltimore was easily the healthiest team in the league last season, just one injury to a starter on either line could be problematic. That’s the case for most NFL teams, but most teams aren’t contending for a Super Bowl, either. That’s why the losses of versatile offensive lineman Patrick Mekari, who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency, and veteran defensive linemen Michael Pierce and Brent Urban could be tough to make up for. The cupboard isn’t entirely bare, but there is uncertainty. The hope for the offensive line is that veteran Joe Noteboom will be a dependable swing tackle and that rookies Emery Jones Jr., who missed all of spring with a shoulder injury, and Carson Vinson can develop. Ben Cleveland, now in his fifth season, provides experienced depth on the interior. Things are perhaps more concerning on the defensive side, particularly if Jones and Washington have to deal with injuries as they did last season. Having to play undersized rookie Aeneas Peebles or second-year undrafted free agent C.J. Ravenell for a meaningful amount of snaps would be difficult. It’s also possible someone else from the pack of reserves could surprise this summer, though that seems less likely. Which rookies will have the biggest impact? The Ravens usually depend on at least a couple of their rookies to be significant contributors right away. and that’s true again this year. With safety Ar’Darius Washington expected to miss most if not all of the season after tearing his Achilles tendon during offseason workouts, first-round pick Malaki Starks will play early and often. That was likely always going to be the case given how much he has already impressed coaches, but his role now takes on even greater importance. Likewise, Green, who had 17 sacks and a 20% pass rush win-rate for the Thundering Heard last year, figures to be a regular in the pass rush rotation from the start. Though Kyle Van Noy led the Ravens with 12 1/2 sacks last season, he’s now 34 years old, so it will be imperative to manage his snap count wisely. As mentioned, Loop or Hoyland will also have big shoes to fill in replacing Tucker, who, despite the worst season of his career last year, was automatic for over a decade and was responsible for producing some of the team’s biggest moments. Buchanan, who, like Simpson, has excellent speed and athleticism, is worth watching, as is sixth-round rookie receiver LaJohntay Wester, who is small but fast and will have a chance at becoming the starting punt returner, a position that was a weakness last season. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

It’s football season. Training camps are set to begin this week across the NFL, including in Owings Mills where the Ravens will start their quest for their first Super Bowl title since 2013. The Ravens lost to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC divisional round last season but enter 2025 with perhaps one of the league’s best rosters. DraftKings and FanDuel, two of the legal sportsbooks available to Maryland bettors, list Baltimore as the favorite to win the Super Bowl. Entering camp, who has the best team in the NFL? 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 start of the Ravens’ season begins in earnest on Tuesday. That’s when veterans report for training camp, one week after the rookies, with the first full team practice taking place on Wednesday in Owings Mills. Five weeks later, Baltimore’s roster will be trimmed from 91 players to 53, with up to an additional 16 signed to its practice squad (or 17, if one carries an international designation, such as outside linebacker David Ojabo). The difficult reality for many players on the fringe hoping to find their way onto the active roster, however, is that the Ravens simply don’t figure to have many openings with perhaps the best and deepest collection they’ve had in the 31 years of an organization that boasts two Vince Lombardi trophies. Training camp is about preparation, but it’s also often about competition, and simply put, there are few jobs up for grabs. Still, there are opportunities — role players, reserves, they all matter. There will also inevitably be injuries. Already, Baltimore lost safety Ar’Darius Washington to a torn Achilles tendon during offseason workouts, which means someone has to fill his void alongside All-Pro Kyle Hamilton and rookie first-round pick Malaki Starks. With that in mind, here’s a look at how the Ravens’ final roster could end up looking after training camp concludes: Quarterback (2) Lamar Jackson, Cooper Rush For the first time in a while, the Ravens have invested more than just the minimum when it comes to Lamar Jackson’s backup, signing Cooper Rush this offseason to a two-year, $6.2 million deal that’s worth up to $12.2 million. Rush, who will turn 32 in November, is also an upgrade over 39-year-old journeyman and former No. 2 Josh Johnson. The former Central Michigan standout appeared in 38 games (14 starts) for the Dallas Cowboys and last season completed 60.7% of his passes for 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns with five interceptions over 12 games, which included eight starts. That also means that second-year quarterback Devin Leary, who continued to struggle in the spring, is bound — at best — for the practice squad. Running back (3) Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell With Keaton Mitchell appearing to be fully healthy from a brutal torn ACL that he suffered in mid-December 2023, Rasheen Ali, a fourth-round draft pick last year, looks to be the odd man out. Though Ali has kick return ability and showed improvement this spring, the expectation is that Mitchell, with his elite speed, will fill that role along with being more involved in the offense. Baltimore could carry four running backs, but that’s unlikely with needs elsewhere and not enough of a role for Ali. Wide receiver (6) Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, DeAndre Hopkins, Devontez Walker, Tylan Wallace, LaJohntay Wester For a team that has been rightfully maligned when it comes to some of its past wide receiver groups, there is much to like about this room with Zay Flowers coming off a Pro Bowl season, Rashod Bateman healthy and blossoming, veteran DeAndre Hopkins providing elite hands and know-how to get open and 2024 fourth-round pick and speedster Devontez Walker performing considerably better than he did as a rookie. Meanwhile, Tylan Wallace is a special teams ace and excellent blocker with dependable hands, and sixth-round rookie LaJohntay Wester should have the inside track to the punt return job given his speed and shiftiness. Add it all up and Anthony Miller, Dayton Wade, Keith Kirkwood, Malik Cunningham, Jahmal Banks and Xavier Guillory are, at best, probably battling for one spot, if Wester struggles, with the practice squad a more likely destination for some of them. Ravens teammates and coaches are excited about how wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins can fit into their explosive offense. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Tight end/fullback (4) Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar, Patrick Ricard Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar are all in the final year of their contracts, so it’s a big year for the group and also probably the last all three will be together. Andrews will turn 30 in September. Likely, 25, is the logical heir apparent. Kolar, 26, has developed as a blocker, has reliable hands and is a likable locker room presence. Patrick Ricard, who was an All-Pro last season, has a lock on the fullback/tight end role. Put another way, Zaire Mitchell-Paden and Sam Pitz are at best practice squad players. Offensive tackle (4) Ronnie Stanley, Roger Rosengarten, Joe Noteboom, Emery Jones Jr. With Ronnie Stanley eschewing a likely more lucrative free-agent deal to stay in Baltimore and Roger Rosengarten coming off a solid rookie season, the Ravens are set with their offensive line bookends. Adding veteran Joe Noteboom and his 35 career starts also gives them the swing tackle they usually covet. After that is where some possible roster gymnastics could be at play. Emery Jones Jr., a rookie third-round pick out of LSU, might not be ready for the start of the season after missing all of the spring with a shoulder injury. If so, that would open the door for another player, such as fifth-round rookie Carson Vinson or possibly second-year tackle and former Maryland product Corey Bullock. Guard (4) Daniel Faalele, Andrew Vorhees, Ben Cleveland, Garrett Dellinger Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele, last year’s starters at left and right guard, respectively, are the front-runners to do so again this year. Ben Cleveland, who is entering his fifth season, provides familiar depth. But Cleveland, who was arrested on suspicion of DUI in the offseason, could be looking at a potential suspension, and that might impact what Baltimore does here, at least initially. Garrett Dellinger, a seventh-round rookie out of LSU, is someone they’re high on, but he also worked some at center this spring. Darrian Dalcourt, who spent his rookie year on the practice squad, could perhaps work his way into the equation, but that seems unlikely. Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum discusses his offseason workout routine during a media session in April. There's no doubt Linderbaum will start for the Ravens this fall, but there are question marks about the team's offensive line depth outside of the starting unit. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) Center (2) Tyler Linderbaum, Nick Samac The Ravens declined Tyler Linderbaum’s fifth-year option, but that was a financial move more than anything else as they’d like to work out a long-term extension with the two-time Pro Bowl selection. Nick Samac, meanwhile, enters his second season as the favorite to back up Linderbaum, who has at times dealt with injuries, including to his neck. Samac could also potentially be pushed by Dellinger. However it plays out, the expectation is for the Ravens to have nine or more likely 10 offensive linemen on the roster. Defensive line (5) Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, Broderick Washington, John Jenkins, Aeneas Peebles Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones figure to gobble up most of the snaps, with Broderick Washington next in line. John Jenkins, who is entering his 13th season after spending the past two with the Las Vegas Raiders, will fill the void of retired Michael Pierce. Aeneas Peebles, a sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech, is undersized but quick off the line and makes for a potentially intriguing pass rusher. C.J. Ravenell, now in his second year, could also push Peebles for that final interior spot. Outside linebacker (5) Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy, Tavius Robinson, Mike Green, Adisa Isaac After three years marked by injuries and a lack of productivity, David Ojabo could get squeezed out. Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy, Tavius Robinson and recently signed second-round pick Mike Green are all locks to make the roster. That leaves the final spot for Ojabo or Adisa Isaac, who played just 78 snaps between defense and special teams as a rookie last year because of injuries, and it figures to be one of the few training camp battles worth watching. Other linebackers — Malik Hamm, Diwun Black and Kaimon Rucker — face longer odds. Ravens linebacker Odafe Oweh, left, celebrates with cornerback Marlon Humphrey after sacking Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud in 2024. The Ravens expect a productive season in 2025 from Oweh, who enters training camp in some of the best physical shape of his professional career. (David J. Phillip/AP) Inside linebacker (4) Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson, Jake Hummel, Teddye Buchanan Coach John Harbaugh said that he expects Trenton Simpson — who was benched last season — to be the starting weak-side linebacker next to Roquan Smith. Baltimore used a fourth-round pick on Teddye Buchanan, a former high school quarterback who led California in tackles (114) and tackles for loss (12) last year. Simpson is the favorite to start, but Buchanan is one of at least a few rookies worth keeping an eye on this summer. The other linebacker likely to help replace the departed Chris Board-Malik Harrison duo is Jake Hummel, a special teams stalwart who saw an increased role at inside linebacker each of the past two seasons with Los Angeles Rams. Cornerback (7) Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, Jaire Alexander, Chidobe Awuzie, T.J. Tampa, Jalyn Armour-Davis, Bilhal Kone Baltimore plays with a plethora of defensive backs, so that should mean plenty of snaps and mix-and-match options with Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, who was one of the best corners in the league down the stretch as a rookie last season, the newly acquired (and oft-injured) two-time All-Pro Jaire Alexander as well as veteran Chidobe Awuzie (another player with a long injury history). The Ravens are also high on second-year fourth-round pick T.J. Tampa, and Jalyn Armour-Davis, who, when healthy, has been a solid contributor. Bilhal Kone, meanwhile, could be battling fellow sixth-round rookie Robert Longerbeam, as well as Reuben Lowery, an intriguing undrafted free agent who always seemed to be around the ball in the spring. Or, Baltimore could add to their cornerback room with another veteran this summer as they have in the past. Safety (4) Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks, Sanoussi Kane, Beau Brade Washington’s aforementioned injury that will keep him out most, if not all, of the year means that Baltimore could look to add a veteran safety sometime this summer, and there are plenty of options still available. Either way, Kyle Hamilton and first-round pick Malaki Starks figure to be the top two options, followed potentially by Kone or a player still to be added. Baltimore could also look to potentially deploy Armour-Davis or Awuzie at safety. Related Articles Lawyer says lawsuit is over between Shannon Sharpe and woman who accused him of rape Ravens rookie OLB Mike Green finally signs contract Why are so many rookies, including the Ravens’ Mike Green, still unsigned? AP voters rank Ravens’ Lamar Jackson as second-best QB in AFC North READER POLL: Do you believe Orioles GM Mike Elias is doing a good job? Special teams (3) Tyler Loop, Jordan Stout, Nick Moore For the first time since 2012, the Ravens will have an open kicking competition after parting ways with Justin Tucker, who was also suspended for 10 weeks by the NFL over the sexual misconduct allegations brought against him by more than a dozen massage therapists. Tyler Loop, a sixth-round pick out of Arizona, is the favorite, but undrafted free agent John Hoyland out of Wyoming will have a crack at the job, too. So far, both have had good and bad days. This will also be the most analyzed position battle of training camp. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

LAS VEGAS — Pro Football Hall of Fame member Shannon Sharpe has resolved a lawsuit that accused him of sexually assaulting a woman during their relationship, her attorney said Friday. “All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily, and the matter is closed. The lawsuit will thus be dismissed with prejudice,” Tony Buzbee said on X, meaning the lawsuit can’t be refiled. No details were released. The lawsuit had sought $50 million. Sharpe called the allegations “false and disruptive” when the lawsuit was filed in April in Clark County, Nevada. He stepped away from work at ESPN at the time but had pledged to return by the start of the NFL preseason. A phone message seeking comment from Sharpe’s attorney, David Chesnoff, wasn’t immediately returned Friday. The woman first met Sharpe at a gym in Los Angeles in 2023 when she was 20, and a nearly two-year relationship followed, according to the lawsuit. Sharpe, 57, was accused of raping the woman in October 2024 and in January. “Both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship,” Buzbee said. “After protracted and respectful negotiations, I’m pleased to announce that we have reached a mutually agreed upon resolution.” Sharpe was a four-time All-Pro tight end who played on two Super Bowl-winning teams with Denver and one with the Ravens over 14 seasons from 1990 to 2003. He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011. Sharpe retired as the NFL’s all-time leader among tight ends in receptions (815), receiving yards (10,060) and touchdowns (62). Those records have been broken. Sharpe has been a staple on TV and social media since retiring. He left FS1’s sports debate show “Undisputed” in 2023 and joined ESPN soon afterward. View the full article

With less than a week to go until the first practice of Ravens training camp, rookie second-round draft pick Mike Green finally signed his four-year, $7.4 million contract Thursday. The outside linebacker out of Marshall was the last of Baltimore’s 11 draft picks to sign. The delay for Green, selected 59th overall, as with other second-round picks from this year’s class, was over the amount of guaranteed money. While fully guaranteed contracts are the norm for first-round draft picks, that is not the case for players taken in the second round or later. So far, only two players selected in the second round in April — Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins, taken 34th overall, and Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger, selected 33rd — have signed fully guaranteed deals. While the situation lasted longer than usual, it was also not surprising. Once Higgins and Schwesinger signed fully guaranteed deals, other second-round picks were inclined to wait. But when 49ers rookie defensive lineman Alfred Collins, whom San Francisco selected 43rd overall, agreed on Wednesday to a four-year, $10.3 million contract that included reportedly over $9 million guaranteed, that helped get things moving for others. It’s not clear how much of Green’s deal is guaranteed. While Green was able to participate in rookie minicamp, organized team activities and mandatory minicamp earlier this offseason because of an agreement that he signed, as most unsigned rookies typically do, he would not have been able to practice at training camp, which opens Wednesday, until he was under contract. But with Thursday’s news, that’s no longer a concern for Baltimore. After leading the Football Bowl Subdivision with 17 sacks last season, Green is expected to be a prominent part of the Ravens’ defensive plans this year. In another move, the Ravens also added defensive back Ar’Darius Washington, who tore his Achilles tendon during a workout this offseason, to the active/physically unable to perform list. Washington, 25, is expected to miss most if not all of the season. If he is moved to the reserve/PUP list after roster cuts are made at the end of training camp, he will have to miss at least the first four games of the season and will not count against the 53-man roster. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Related Articles Why are so many rookies, including the Ravens’ Mike Green, still unsigned? AP voters rank Ravens’ Lamar Jackson as second-best QB in AFC North READER POLL: Do you believe Orioles GM Mike Elias is doing a good job? Ravens’ Mark Andrews supporting next generation of athletes with diabetes Ravens coach John Harbaugh visits President Trump at White House View the full article

An important development for the Ravens took place Wednesday when the San Francisco 49ers reportedly reached an agreement on a four-year, $10.3 million contract that includes over $9 million guaranteed with rookie defensive lineman Alfred Collins, a second-round pick out of Texas. What does the 49ers finally coming to terms with Collins, the 43rd overall pick, have to do with Baltimore? Plenty. Until then, 30 of the 32 second-round picks from this year’s draft had remained unsigned. Included in that group is outside linebacker Mike Green, Baltimore’s controversial second-round pick out of Marshall and the only Ravens rookie who has yet to sign a contract. The hang-up, in short, for Green and the other second-round picks has been over guaranteed money, and the situation has lingered longer than usual. While fully guaranteed contracts have become the norm for first-round draft picks in recent years, that is not the case for those who come behind them. Before Collins’ deal, Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins, taken 34th overall, in May became the first second-round pick in NFL history to sign a fully guaranteed contract. A day later, Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger, selected 33rd overall, followed suit. The deals for Higgins and Schwesinger, unsurprisingly, led agents for the rest of the second-round draft picks to ask for more guaranteed money. As the 59th overall pick, Green is slotted to get a four-year contract worth $7.4 million under the rookie wage scale that is in the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the Players Association. How much of that will be guaranteed, however, remains to be seen. According to Over The Cap, the 59th pick in 2023 and 2024 had 53.7% and 54% of their contracts guaranteed, respectively, so it seems unlikely Green’s would be fully guaranteed. While Green was able to participate in rookie minicamp, organized team activities and mandatory minicamp earlier this offseason because of an agreement that he signed, as most unsigned rookies typically do, that won’t be the case if he’s still unsigned by the first full practice of training camp on Wednesday. As someone who is expected to be an integral part of the Ravens’ defense this season, it will be imperative for Baltimore to have him on the field as soon as possible — and preferably for the start of training camp. The news of Collins’ deal should help speed up the process for Green and all unsigned NFL rookies, with a more defined path to an agreeable amount of guaranteed money for both the player and team. But Green could choose to hold out for more. So far, the delay has had no impact on the team or Green’s development, but the clock is ticking. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Related Articles AP voters rank Ravens’ Lamar Jackson as second-best QB in AFC North READER POLL: Do you believe Orioles GM Mike Elias is doing a good job? Ravens’ Mark Andrews supporting next generation of athletes with diabetes Ravens coach John Harbaugh visits President Trump at White House Ravens open free training camp tickets Wednesday View the full article

The Associated Press surveyed eight of its pro football writers ahead of the 2025 NFL season, and the group apparently wants to see more in the postseason from Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The annual survey asked writers to rank the top five players at several positions, including quarterback. Not only did Jackson, a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, fall short of earning the top spot, but he wasn’t ranked second or third, either. Instead, Jackson ranked fourth. He came in behind the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, the Bills’ Josh and the Bengals’ Joe Burrow. Yes, Jackson was ranked as the second-best quarterback in his own division. The Eagles’ Jalen Hurts checked in at No. 5, meaning quarterbacks such as the Commanders’ Jayden Daniels, the Rams’ Matthew Stafford and the Lions’ Jared Goff all missed the cut. No. 1, Patrick Mahomes No. 2, Josh Allen No. 3, Joe Burrow No. 4, Lamar Jackson No. 5, Jalen Hurts Of course, the survey doesn’t mean much — other than maybe bragging rights among fan bases. The league’s elite quarterbacks care much more about ending the season as a Super Bowl champion, and it was Hurts who won last year’s title. Allen, Burrow and Jackson have never won championships, while Mahomes and Hurts both have rings. It’s possible Jackson and the Ravens get over the proverbial hump in 2025, with sportsbooks considering Baltimore a favorite to win the Super Bowl. This past season, Jackson eclipsed 5,000 total yards, throwing 41 touchdown passes compared with only four interceptions. He finished runner-up to Allen in AP NFL MVP voting, and the Ravens were knocked out of the playoffs in the divisional round by Allen’s Bills. The AP summary of why Jackson checked in at No. 4 cited his lack of postseason success: “​​Jackson is coming off his third All-Pro season and the best all-around year of his career. He threw for 4,172 yards, 41 TDs and only four interceptions, and led the NFL with a 119.6 passer rating. He also ran for 915 yards and four scores. But Jackson and the Ravens fell short in the playoffs again, losing to the Bills in the divisional round. Jackson got one second-place vote, four thirds, two fourths and one fifth.” ESPN ran a similar poll, although it anonymously polled league personnel rather than media members. Just like the AP survey, Jackson checked in at No. 4 behind the same three quarterbacks. ESPN NFL analyst Damien Woody was surprised by Jackson’s ranking. Related Articles READER POLL: Do you believe Orioles GM Mike Elias is doing a good job? Ravens’ Mark Andrews supporting next generation of athletes with diabetes Ravens coach John Harbaugh visits President Trump at White House Ravens open free training camp tickets Wednesday READER POLL: The Orioles and Nationals need a manager. Which job is better? “You’ve got the two-time league MVP at No. 4,” Woody said. “That’s about the damndest thing that I’ve seen. You talk about a guy in Lamar Jackson, arguably the most dangerous quarterback that we have in our game. A guy who’s improved every year as a passer, and he’s sitting at No. 4. It just goes to show the strength that we have in our league at the quarterback position.” ESPN’s ranking extended through the top 10 NFL quarterbacks, rather than just top five: Patrick Mahomes Josh Allen Joe Burrow Lamar Jackson Jayden Daniels Matthew Stafford Justin Herbert Jared Goff Jalen Hurts Baker Mayfield The AP also revealed its voting for the NFL’s top five running backs this week, and Baltimore’s Derrick Henry checked in at No. 2. Only Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley ranked higher. The Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs, the Falcons’ Bijan Robinson and the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey rounded out the top five. No. 1, Saquon Barkley No. 2, Derrick Henry No. 3, Jahmyr Gibbs No. 4, Bijan Robinson No. 5, Christian McCaffrey In his first season in Baltimore, Henry rushed for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns in the regular season. The physical runner added 270 yards and three rushing touchdowns in a pair of playoff games, nearly giving the Ravens enough of a postseason boost to reach the Super Bowl. His Herculean efforts didn’t result in a Lombardi Trophy, but they did earn him a contract extension. Jackson might be next in line for a new deal. The Ravens are hopeful the tandem can remain productive in Baltimore for the foreseeable future and lead them to their first Super Bowl victory since 2013. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. View the full article

The Orioles are not where they want to be. At 43-52 entering the MLB All-Star break, they are among baseball’s most disappointing teams. But they replenished their farm system on Sunday with four first-round picks in the MLB draft, and they are expected to be sellers and retool for the 2026 season with the trade deadline looming. Do you still believe executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias is doing a good job? 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

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has been clear and candid about his life as a professional athlete living with diabetes. He often uses his platform to raise awareness and support others facing similar challenges. Andrews was front and center Friday in Baltimore, partnering with healthcare company Dexcom to host the first Dexcom U Signing Day Camp, a gathering of athletes with diabetes from all levels who are redefining what’s possible while managing the condition. “This is something that you can control and take care of,” Andrews said. “You may have to work a little harder, but this condition doesn’t stop you from achieving your dreams.” With Andrews and others guiding participants through drills, 13 college athletes were added to “Team Dexcom” as part of the only Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) initiative created specifically for college athletes living with diabetes. Andrews uses the Dexcom G7 device to manage his Type 1 diabetes. “He’s really awe-inspiring,” said Leverne Marsh, Dexcom’s vice president of global marketing. “When young athletes see people like [Andrews] who have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes but still remain at the top of their game, it makes them feel like anything is possible.” Dexcom received hundreds of nominations from deserving athletes with diabetes, a blood sugar condition that, according to the Cleveland Clinic, affects approximately 37.3 million people in the United States. The 13 selected athletes join eight returning members from last year, bringing the total to 21. They represent 12 sports, including football, basketball, lacrosse, track and field, and soccer, according to Dexcom. “This has been a very fun experience for me so far,” said Jackson Montgomery, a new Dexcom signee and baseball player at Coppin State. “I’ve been able to mentor kids and tell them the importance of taking care of not just their diabetes, but also as athletes, taking care of their minds as well.” Montgomery made a team-high 15 relief appearances for the Eagles in 2024 before being redshirted last season. He joins Johns Hopkins lacrosse player Michael Trepeta as one of two Baltimore-area signees. Having Andrews — who plays just miles away at M&T Bank Stadium — in his corner added an extra layer of motivation. “It’s been amazing to see him putting on for the city and putting on for people with diabetes,” Montgomery said. “Now with Dexcom, I can have that same platform and hopefully the same impact.” For Andrews, 29, the event was more than a meet-and-greet. It was an opportunity to deepen a connection with a community he knows first-hand. “For me, giving back to this community is a no-brainer,” Andrews said. “The only people that know what it’s like living with this disease are the people that have it. It’s really an honor to help form this community. I have so much respect for these athletes. It’s special.” Ravens tight end Mark Andrews partnered with healthcare company Dexcom to host the first Dexcom U Signing Day Camp in Baltimore. (Timothy Dashiell/Staff) Now entering his eighth NFL season, Andrews remains a vital part of the Ravens’ offense. The 2018 third-round draft pick in the final year of a four-year, $56 million contract extension he signed in 2021. While there has been speculation this could be his last season in Baltimore, the franchise’s all-time touchdowns leader is expected to play a central role once again. The Ravens led the league in total yards per game (424.9) last season with Andrews and fellow tight end Isaiah Likely forming one of the NFL’s top duos at the position. This offseason, Andrews became the subject of trade rumors after two costly errors in the Ravens’ 27-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC divisional round, including a drop on the potential game-tying 2-point conversion attempt. But on Friday, as he tossed footballs to campers, ran drills, and embraced parents and fellow Dexcom athletes, the atmosphere reflected the mindset of a player not dwelling on the past, but ready to push forward despite any adversity. “I’m excited to show who I still am and how I can help this team win games,” Andrews said. “I have a lot to give and a lot left to do for the Baltimore Ravens.” Have a news tip? Contact Timothy Dashiell at tdashiell@baltsun.com and x.com/dashielltimothy. View the full article

Ravens coach John Harbaugh and his brother, Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, visited President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, a White House pool report confirmed. It’s unclear what was discussed during the meeting, but the White House invited the two coaches to visit, according to a USA Today report. John Harbaugh has spoken about Trump publicly a few times in recent years. He voiced support of a policy suggestion in 2015, prior to Trump’s first election victory in 2016. After a practice in August of 2015, Harbaugh said he backed the idea of building a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. “I’m going Trump here. Build a wall, it’s not that hard. You don’t have a border, you don’t have a country. You’re not a country without a border, right?” Harbaugh said. “At the same time, we’ve got 12 to 15 million hard-working people here. Give them a shot! Give them a chance to become a citizen so they’re paying taxes. All of us know that it’s not that complicated. But this side doesn’t want to solve it and neither does this side. Neither one of them wants to solve the problem. Solve the problem! It’d be done that fast.” Outside of those spur-of-the-moment 2015 comments, the coach often keeps his political views to himself. In 2017, he said he stood by his team when several players took a knee during the national anthem. Ravens players decided to kneel after Trump said at a rally earlier that year that any player who knelt during the national anthem should be fired by team owners. Harbaugh’s comments spoke more to his team’s togetherness than the political divide. “The truth of the matter is, or the way I look at it, I think that’s a really good thing,” Harbaugh said of the protests. “I think that’s a good thing [that] it’s getting talked about. I think it’s something that’s a positive. It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be painful. It’s a tough conversation, but as for us here, as a football coach, my perspective of our team, I love our players and I support our players. A team is about unity. A team is about one accord. A team is a brotherhood.” Neither Harbaugh brother publicly endorsed a presidential candidate before the 2024 election. Both coaches also visited during Barack Obama’s presidency, with John visiting in 2013 and Jim visiting in 2015. Harbaugh and the Ravens open training camp for the 2025 NFL season on July 22 in Owings Mills. Rookies report to camp Tuesday. If all goes according to plan, Harbaugh will take another visit to the White House after the 2025 season as a Super Bowl champion. Sports betting odds suggest the Ravens have as good a chance as any team to accomplish the feat this season. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. Related Articles Ravens open free training camp tickets Wednesday READER POLL: The Orioles and Nationals need a manager. Which job is better? Is this the year? Sportsbooks list Ravens as current Super Bowl favorites. READERS RESPOND: Fans expect Ravens to have better defense than Steelers READER POLL: Will the Ravens or Steelers have a better defense in 2025? View the full article

Ravens fans can get a front row seat to one of the Baltimore team’s 16 practice sessions this summer, as long as they secure a free ticket fast enough. Fans can watch one of 16 Ravens 2025 training camp practices in July or August at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills. Every session will have a post-practice autograph session with the players for children ages 6-12 and Fan Zone featuring food trucks, games, the Ravens Team Store and The Ravens Mobile Museum Exhibit. Admission to the practice session is free with the parking pass, which can be secured on the Ravens’ website beginning Wednesday at 9 a.m. for permanent seat license holders and 11 a.m. for the general public. Each session has a limit of 1,000 attendees. The Ravens will practice against the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 5. Some sessions will have themes for the day, like Military and First Responders Day. The first practice will take place July 23 at 2:15 p.m. Passes for all sessions will be available to reserve through SeatGeek on the Ravens’ website. Pass reservations are on a first come, first served basis. One pass is valid for all attendees in one vehicle, but attendees must legally fit into their vehicle and the vehicle must fit into a single car space. PSL holders who do not secure passes during the early time slot will be able to try again during the general public offering. All dates for the practice sessions are subject to change. Have a news tip? Contact Chevall Pryce at cpryce@baltsun.com. View the full article

The Orioles and Nationals are in the market for full-time managers. Washington fired its manager, Dave Martinez (and longtime general manager Mike Rizzo), on Sunday, shaking up a franchise that has been in a rut since winning the 2019 World Series. Baltimore fired Brandon Hyde in May, parting ways with a manager who had overseen a top-to-bottom rebuild but one who couldn’t right the ship dating to midway through the 2024 season. Tony Mansolino has been the interim manager since. Which job is more attractive? 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

It’s been an interesting offseason for the Ravens. They cut longtime kicker Justin Tucker amid a series of sexual misconduct allegations — and he now faces a 10-week suspension from the NFL. The Ravens’ offseason controversies spanned through the NFL draft, when they picked Marshall’s Mike Green — who’s dealing with his own allegations of sexual misconduct — in the second round. Baltimore’s brass felt the possible reward of bringing in the dynamic edge rusher outweighed any concerns over past allegations. Green has never been charged with any crimes. Baltimore’s bold roster-building efforts continued when they signed Jaire Alexander, one of the top available free-agent cornerbacks with a lengthy injury history. When available, Alexander is an elite talent. Offensively, Baltimore strengthened its group by adding big-name wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to a unit that led the NFL in yards per game in 2024. All of these moves came after coach John Harbaugh said in late March his team was ready then to play a game. Baltimore took big offseason swings. High-profile moves coupled with almost its entire offense returning in 2025, including quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, mean Baltimore enters July with perhaps the NFL’s best roster. Sportsbooks agree. DraftKings and FanDuel, two of the legal sportsbooks available to Maryland bettors, list the Ravens as favorites to win the Super Bowl. DraftKings gives the Ravens +650 odds to win it all, which are the same odds as the Eagles and Bills. Philadelphia will enter the upcoming season as the defending Super Bowl champion, and Buffalo knocked Baltimore out of the playoffs this past season but fell short of reaching the Super Bowl because of an AFC championship game loss to the Chiefs. Both the Eagles and Bills return their respective head coaches and starting quarterbacks. Behind those three teams sits Patrick Mahomes and the aforementioned Kansas City Chiefs, who have +800 odds to win the title. The Detroit Lions are listed at +1000, and sophomore quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Commanders hold +1800 odds. The Cincinnati Bengals, who on paper look like Baltimore’s biggest threat in the AFC North, have +2000 odds. The Steelers are listed at +3000, with the aging Joe Flacco and the Browns well behind at +25000. Cleveland seems destined to compete more for the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft than a Super Bowl. On FanDuel, the Ravens and Bills are tied with the shortest championship odds at +700. The Eagles are close behind at +750. Here’s a closer look at FanDuel’s Super Bowl odds for the 10 shortest title favorites: Ravens, +700 Bills, +700 Eagles, +750 Chiefs, +800 Lions, +1000 Rams, +1700 Commanders, +1900 49ers, +1900 Vikings, +2100 Bengals, +2100 MV3? Not only are the Ravens considered Super Bowl betting favorites, but oddsmakers also like Jackson’s chances of winning a third MVP award. He’s listed at +500 to win the award on FanDuel, making him the betting favorite. Bills quarterback Josh Allen sits closely behind with +600 odds — Allen narrowly topped Jackson for the award in 2024. Related Articles READERS RESPOND: Fans expect Ravens to have better defense than Steelers READER POLL: Will the Ravens or Steelers have a better defense in 2025? NFL coach Jim Harbaugh added to lawsuit about hacking allegations against former Michigan assistant Ravens QB Lamar Jackson opens up to Kevin Hart about his leadership style Mike Preston: We might not have seen the last of Justin Tucker | COMMENTARY This past year, Jackson threw 41 touchdown passes compared with just four interceptions, and he eclipsed 5,000 total yards. He’s been hard at work this offseason, and he has an impressive array of offensive weapons at his disposal. Jackson’s receiving threats include Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Hopkins, Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. The offensive line features some of the NFL’s best in left tackle Ronnie Stanley and center Tyler Linderbaum, and the running back room includes Henry, Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell. On paper, there’s little to suggest the Ravens shouldn’t be in the mix to win a championship in February. It’s only early July, but expectations are growing in Baltimore. Sportsbooks aren’t doing anything to stop the hype train. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. The Ravens are Super Bowl favorites, according to DraftKings and FanDuel. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) View the full article

We asked readers if they think the Ravens or Steelers will have a better defense in 2025. The question arose shortly after dealt safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Dolphins as part of a trade that brought cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Steelers. Baltimore’s offseason included adding free-agent cornerback Jaire Alexander and drafting a few potential starters, including safety Malaki Starks from Georgia. Here are the results from our online poll: Ravens — 85% (155 votes) Steelers — 15% (28 votes) Here’s what some fans told us about the two AFC North defenses (answers have been edited for clarity and grammar): I think Baltimore has a slight edge. The Ravens’ defense was trending upward the final eight games of 2024, while Pittsburgh’s seemed broken by the time their playoff game with us ended. And frankly, I think Miami got the best of its recent trade with Pittsburgh. — Robert Is this for real? I mean, the Ravens are stacked, and it looks like the Steelers are finding scraps. — Mark Vana The Ravens, and it’s not close. — Arthur Brendon The Ravens. Duh. — Bernard McDaniels The Baltimore Sun reader poll is an unscientific survey in which website users volunteer their opinions on the subject of the poll. To see results from previous sports polls, go to baltimoresun.com/sportspoll View the full article

The Ravens and Steelers have long been known for their defenses. That likely won’t change in 2025. While Baltimore has five first-round draft picks in its secondary, including cornerback Nate Wiggins (2024) and safeties Malaki Starks (2025) and Kyle Hamilton (2022), Pittsburgh shook up its unit on Monday by dealing safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Dolphins as part of a trade for All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The Ravens also have All-Pro Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones on their defensive line, and Roquan Smith, Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh in their linebacker corps. The Steelers are loaded, too, with linebackers T.J. Watt, Patrick Queen and Alex Highsmith, as well as defensive backs Joey Porter and Darius Slay Jr. Which AFC North rival will have the better defense in 2025? 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

DETROIT — NFL coach Jim Harbaugh was added Friday to a lawsuit against the University of Michigan and a former assistant football coach who is accused of hacking into the computer accounts of college athletes across the U.S. to look for intimate photos. Attorneys claim Harbaugh, who was Michigan’s coach, and others knew that Matt Weiss was seen viewing private information on a computer in December 2022 but still allowed him to continue working as co-offensive coordinator in a national playoff game roughly a week later. Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel and other officials were also added to the lawsuit in federal court in Detroit. “The university’s delay in taking meaningful protective action until after a high-stakes game sends a clear message: Student welfare was secondary,” said Parker Stinar, who is the lead lawyer in a class-action lawsuit arising from a criminal investigation of Weiss. Messages seeking comment from Manuel and Harbaugh, who is currently the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, were not immediately returned Friday. Separately, Weiss has been charged with identity theft and unauthorized computer access from 2015 to 2023. The indictment says he got access to the social media, email and cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 college athletes, as well as more than 1,300 students or alumni from schools across the U.S., to find private images, primarily of women. He has pleaded not guilty. “Had Harbaugh implemented basic oversight of his staff, plaintiffs and the class would have been protected against predators such as Weiss,” the updated lawsuit states. “Instead, Weiss was a highly compensated asset that was promoted by and within the football program, from which position he was able to, and did, target female student athletes.” The lawsuit says a staff member saw Weiss viewing private information at Schembechler Hall, headquarters for the football team, around Dec. 21, 2022, and reported it before Michigan played Texas Christian University in a playoff game days later on Dec. 31. Weiss was fired a few weeks later in January 2023 during an investigation of his computer use. Earlier this year, after charges were filed, Harbaugh told reporters that he didn’t know anything about Weiss’ troubles until after the playoff game. He said the allegations were “shocking.” Weiss worked for Harbaugh’s brother, John, on the coaching staff of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens before joining the Michigan team in 2021. The lawsuit says Weiss’ university computer had encryption software that had to be disabled by an external vendor as part of the investigation. Authorities disclosed in April that thousands of intimate photos and videos were found on his electronic devices and cloud storage accounts. View the full article

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson can make professional football look easy. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player threw 41 touchdown passes and just four interceptions this past season while adding more than 900 rushing yards. He nearly won his third MVP award, finishing second to the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen. As it turns out, Jackson doesn’t just make the sport look simple for fans watching on TV or in the stands. Sometimes the game feels effortless to Baltimore’s quarterback, too. “It got easy for me my sophomore season [in Baltimore],” Jackson told comedian Kevin Hart in a new episode of Hart’s show, “Cold as Balls,” which features Hart interviewing guests as they each dip into a cold tub. “First game of the season. We blew out the Dolphins, and I’m like, ‘This is easy.’” Jackson references a 59-10 win over Miami in 2019 in which he completed 17 of his 20 passes for 324 yards and five touchdown passes. He posted a perfect passer rating and went on to win his first MVP Award later that season. While the sport has looked like child’s play at times for Baltimore’s signal caller, Jackson is still without a Super Bowl ring. Entering 2025, the Ravens have one of the best rosters in the NFL, and Jackson likes where the team stands in its championship pursuit. “We’re extremely close,” Jackson said. “As I’ve been getting older in the league, my mindset has been different and the game has gotten a lot easier for me.” Not everything comes easily to the former Louisville star, though. He acknowledged that he struggled with leading a team during the early stages of his NFL career. “I’m not really outspoken … a great motivational speech, I don’t have that,” Jackson said. “I pretty much lead by example. I go out there. I’m gonna work hard. I expect that out of you. As I’ve been growing in the league, it’s like, nah, you gotta talk to the guys. “Coaches and stuff like to tell me, ‘You’ve got to talk to the guys. I’m like, all right. Now I talk to them one-on-one.” Jackson later cited an example of those one-on-one conversations he’s becoming more comfortable having with teammates. He spoke with tight end Mark Andrews’ after the team’s playoff loss to the Bills. Andrews fumbled in the fourth quarter and dropped what would’ve been a game-tying two-point conversion in the final minutes. “I went up to him, I’m like, ‘Man, we all played a part in this game, I had my turnovers. We shouldn’t even be in this situation. I know you’ve been busting your [butt] all season. Despite what you’ve been through, you’re just gonna have to bounce back. We can’t dwell on that [stuff],’” Jackson said. Hart approved of the pep talk. “I know you said that you’re not a motivational speaker and you don’t do the inspiring talks, but I’d be damned if that didn’t pump me up,” he said. Related Articles Mike Preston: We might not have seen the last of Justin Tucker | COMMENTARY NFL suspends former Ravens kicker Justin Tucker for 10 weeks READERS RESPOND: Fans split on wanting to see Orioles or Ravens win title first Diontae Johnson sheds light on time with Ravens: ‘I checked out mentally’ Document reveals details of Ravens QB Lamar Jackson’s previous contract saga Hart and Jackson went over serious football topics in the nearly 16-minute interview, but they also shared plenty of laughs. Over the final five minutes of the video, Jackson and Hart wore Ravens wings. While Hart’s wings used what appeared to be backpack-like straps, Jackson’s straps were much smaller and thinner. “Why mine look like a thong?” Jackson quipped. Hart also lobbied Jackson for a spot on Baltimore’s roster. Jackson wasn’t having it. “I see myself in the slot,” Hart said. “Nah, we have tall [guys] at slot,” Jackson quipped. Hart is reportedly 5 feet 5. “That’s the thing,” Hart chirped back. “That’s what [defenses] are used to.” Jackson was quick to shoot down Hart’s NFL dreams. “We might have you on the sideline,” he said. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. View the full article