The Ravens head into Sunday’s trip to Indianapolis with plenty of ordinary expectations attached to their 2026 season. But if you want to stretch past the safe projections, there’s a path - however narrow - to a much louder year in Baltimore.
That starts up front, where Jovaughn Gwyn has been handed the first shot at the starting center job. Head coach Jesse Minter named Gwyn the starter earlier this week, though the decision was framed strictly as a Week 1 call.
Ethan Pocic is still working back into form from injury, which leaves the door open for a change if Gwyn stumbles. Even so, Gwyn has built some real momentum in camp and the preseason.
The 27-year-old brings athletic traits that fit the scheme, and he already has a connection with offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford from their time together in Atlanta. The Ravens brought Gwyn in shortly after hiring Ledford, and if he settles in well enough, it’s not hard to imagine him keeping the job all year and eventually landing an affordable multi-year extension.
At tight end, the rookie to watch might be Matthew Hibner. The Ravens need at least one of their young tight ends - Hibner or Josh Cuevas - to grow into a real receiving piece while Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar are out.
Hibner looks like the better bet to make an immediate dent because of his athleticism and ability after the catch. Mark Andrews still matters as a trusted target, especially on third downs, but his production has been trending down.
Andrews averaged only 24.8 receiving yards per game last season, his least productive statistical year since his rookie campaign. Hibner has the upside to carve out a bigger role as the season goes on and turn a few catches into meaningful yardage.
There’s also a real ceiling play in the secondary with Nate Wiggins. After establishing himself quickly as a rookie starter, Wiggins had a more uneven 2025 season.
He gave up nearly 800 receiving yards, was targeted 112 times - more than any other cornerback - and played in a defense that kept shifting, especially on the back end. This year, though, the setup looks better under Minter and the new specialization coaches.
Wiggins is still the Ravens’ best coverage corner, and his press-man ability gives him a chance to shine. He’s already shown the athleticism and ball skills that pop on film; the next step is consistency.
If he puts it all together on one of the league’s top defenses, an All-Pro nod is in play.
Kyle Hamilton is the biggest swing of the bunch. A safety winning Defensive Player of the Year is almost unheard of - Troy Polamalu was the last to do it in 2010, with Ed Reed doing it for the Ravens in 2004 before that.
Hamilton is rare enough to at least make the idea feel plausible. Through four seasons, he’s already established himself as a perennial All-Pro and the league’s top safety.
The next leap would come in Minter’s system, where defensive backs are put in position to maximize their strengths. Minter helped unlock Derwin James, a player with some similar versatility, and Hamilton is younger and squarely in his prime.
For Hamilton to actually take home DPOY, he’d need the kind of stat line that grabs attention - turnovers, sacks, and big plays in key moments - while anchoring a defense that finishes near the top of the league.
And if the Ravens do make that kind of jump, Jesse Minter could be the one collecting hardware at the end of it. Coach of the Year tends to go to the coach tied to a story: a major turnaround, a team that beats expectations, or a club that finishes near the top of the standings.
Baltimore missed the playoffs last season, so a strong rebound would give Minter a clear case. He’s already viewed as one of the betting favorites, but the award is never that simple once the season starts.
If the Ravens field an elite defense and stack wins - especially if they take the division and finish with one of the conference’s best records - Minter’s candidacy gets stronger by the week.
In Other News...
Ravens Enter Week 1 With A Huge Defensive Question
The Ravens have spent the days leading into Week 1 trying to get healthier on defense, with injured players Teddye Buchanan and Nnamdi Madubuike taking on more work in practice. Head coach Jesse Minter has left the door open on both for Sundays opener against the Indianapolis Colts, and Madubuike is especially notable after beginning to get back into team drills following a neck injury.
Buchanans comeback from a torn ACL is moving in the right direction as well, giving Baltimore a pair of defensive situations to monitor right up to kickoff. On the other side, Colts receiver Alec Pierce is also trending toward playing after ankle surgery, which only adds to the importance of whatever the Ravens can or cannot get back on defense before the first snap of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Fans Just Got A Wild Super Bowl Flashback With Meaning Now
A strange little Florida State-SMU delay sent some Ravens fans straight back to Super Bowl 47, when the blackout in New Orleans briefly turned Baltimores championship run into one of the sports most memorable interruptions. This one was only a college football hiccup, but it landed with extra force for a fan base that still treats that title night like part of the franchises identity, especially with the 2026 season now starting to come into focus.
Baltimore has reasons to think bigger this fall, too. Jesse Minter is settling in as the new head coach, Eric DeCosta has continued reshaping the roster, and the preseason buzz has already pushed the Ravens into the conversation as a Super Bowl contender again. So a random power outage may have been just a TV timeout to everyone else, but for Ravens fans it was a reminder of how one odd delay once preceded something far more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Defense Faces A Week 1 Problem Colts Already Exposed
Jesse Minters defense got a tough lesson from the Colts last season, when Indianapolis found plenty of room against the nickel and dime looks that were supposed to give the Chargers flexibility. The Ravens are watching that tape with interest because those same coverage structures can be part of what Minter leans on again, and the opener offers an immediate reminder that familiar plans do not always travel cleanly from one roster to the next.
Minter has said he learned from those experiences and also noted that his current group is different from the one he coached a year ago, which matters because roster changes can alter how much a defense can disguise and survive. Baltimore also may be navigating potential absences up front, adding another layer to a Week 1 matchup that already feels like a test of how quickly the Ravens can turn last years mistakes into a sharper first impression. [Read more 🡒]