The Ravens are heading into the first full week of training camp with more questions than answers, and the pads finally coming on Monday only sharpened the uncertainty.
That’s the point where camp starts to feel real, but this is still a team in the middle of a major reset. Jesse Minter is a rookie head coach.
Declan Doyle is a rookie offensive coordinator. There’s newness everywhere, and Lamar Jackson has already urged everyone not to read too much into what’s been seen so far.
He’s right to pump the brakes. These practice windows don’t tell you much, especially when so many rookies are trying to carve out real roles.
The bigger concern, though, isn’t on the field at all. It’s the contract situation that hangs over everything.
Jackson needs to be extended, and there’s a sense that if he plays this season on his current deal, there’s a real chance he’s gone in 2027. That isn’t just speculation from one corner; it’s the view of multiple general managers, contract negotiators and agents, along with Mark Levin, who was heavily involved in the last negotiation when he was with the NFLPA.
Jackson holds all the leverage. Next year’s $85M cap hit, the no-tag provision and the no-trade provision all tilt the table his way. The issue is that something is keeping the Ravens from giving him what he wants and what he’s worth, even as other teams routinely get quarterbacks at this level locked up.
If Jackson eventually shuts down negotiations, the Ravens will be in serious trouble.
On the offensive side, Doyle has plenty to prove as he prepares to call plays in a job he has never done before. He has said he’ll toggle between the sideline and the pressbox in the preseason to figure out where he wants to be when it counts. That’s part of the process, but it also underlines how much he’s still learning on the fly.
There is reason for optimism about what he’s trying to build. He comes from a coaching family tree that has not exactly produced a long line of play callers, and that makes this a real test.
Still, there’s belief he can be the exception. Sean Payton has already explained why there’s something to like about the install.
Even so, the Ravens have another obvious roster problem to sort through: pass catchers who can threaten defenses downfield and complement Zay Flowers. The concern is whether they have enough NFL-caliber players at that spot, especially true difference-makers.
At the moment, that looks thin. Darren Waller, the veteran tight end, makes a lot of sense in that mix.
They’ll work through the four receivers they drafted, and the organization wants to believe the answers are already in-house. But they’d be wise to keep their options open if the evidence says otherwise.
Then there’s Nnamdi Madubuike, whose return remains one of the most encouraging developments of camp so far. Even with the positive signs, nobody will know for sure how he’s handling things until he starts taking real hits from other teams and tests that neck.
The details around his April neck surgery have been limited, but it was clearly not a routine decision. His career was in the balance.
Team officials are expected to be careful with how much he does and when he does it, and for good reason. His importance to the Ravens cannot be overstated.
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Roger Rosengarten Could Unlock Another Level For Derrick Henry
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For Derrick Henry, that kind of growth could be a difference-maker. Henry put together a strong 2025 season even while the line around him still had its issues, and Baltimore has reason to believe a cleaner push up front would let him do even more damage. If Rosengarten makes the leap the Ravens are hoping for, the offense could have another layer to its running game at just the right time. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Center Battle Just Became More Serious Than Fans Realized
Baltimores search for a new center is already one of the more important camp storylines, and it has the feel of a real competition rather than a placeholder exercise. With Tyler Linderbaum out of the picture for 2026 training camp, the Ravens are sorting through a group that includes veteran Ethan Pocic, Danny Pinter and Jovaughn Gwyn, with Nick Dawkins and Corey Bullock also in the mix as possible sleepers.
Offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford has made clear this is not the kind of job that will be handed out early, since the evaluation is tied to everything the players do in camp and the preseason. For a team that leans so heavily on cohesion up front, the timing matters almost as much as the talent, and the center battle may linger deep enough into August that the Ravens still will not have their answer when fans start looking for one. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Face Early Lamar Jackson Concern In New-Look Offense
The Ravens passing game has not looked especially crisp in the early days of training camp, and that is a noteworthy development for a team trying to settle into a new offensive structure after Todd Monkens departure. With Declan Doyle now calling plays and Jesse Minter on the defensive side of the ball, Baltimore is still sorting through the feel of its new-look operation while Lamar Jackson works through the opening weeks of camp.
There is still more than a month before the season opener, so early rust is not a crisis by itself, but it does add a little extra weight to every practice rep involving Jackson and Tyler Huntley. The timing is not ideal either, with Jacksons contract extension discussions still hanging over the summer, making the Ravens offensive progress something to watch closely as camp moves along. [Read more 🡒]