The Ravens are getting closer to having the kind of defensive line that can wreck a game before it even settles in. After recognizing how rough that area was in 2026, Baltimore attacked it in a big way, and now the group is starting to come together at training camp.
The latest boost came with Nnamdi Madubuike coming off the PUP list, while Calais Campbell and John Jenkins are also back in the mix. Travis Jones could be next, and on Sunday Jesse Minter gave a very upbeat read on where Jones stands as he works back from a pectoral injury.
“I think Travis will [return] real, real soon,” Minter said. “Expect that [defensive line] room over the next week to two weeks to take shape for us.”
That matters because last season, the Ravens were leaning on a very small group of dependable bodies up front. Outside of Kyle Hamilton’s obvious brilliance, Travis Jones and John Jenkins were among the few defenders who consistently held up their end, and that pair helped Baltimore finish top-10 in run defense in 2025.
Now the ceiling looks much higher. Madubuike missed all but two games last year, and Baltimore brought in Campbell in free agency, giving the line a major talent injection. Those additions should sharpen the run defense, but they also give the pass rush a much-needed jolt.
That’s the part that could change the whole conversation. The Ravens finished with 30 sacks last season, and that simply can’t be the standard again.
Madubuike and Campbell alone bring 147 career sacks into the picture, and both have the kind of track record that changes how offenses have to plan. Madubuike can blow up a passing game, while Campbell has stayed remarkably productive, recording at least five sacks in each of the last four seasons.
Baltimore also has more coming off the edge. Mike Green and Tavius Robinson are back, and Eric DeCosta added more help this offseason. Trey Hendrickson is one of the league’s most feared pass rushers, and Zion Young brings the kind of energy that can lift everyone around him.
Add in the coaching arrivals of Jesse Minter and Anthony Weaver, and the picture gets even stronger. The Los Angeles Chargers defenses finished top-10 in sacks in both seasons under Minter, and Weaver is expected to have his group ready to hunt. Put it all together, and the Ravens have the look of a defensive line that should be dangerous in every phase if the health holds.
In Other News...
Ravens Practice Raised A Real Question About Their Kicking Situation
The Ravens turned up the intensity in a physical preseason practice, and the early part of the session looked every bit like a team still sharpening its timing. Quarterbacks were working on varying cadence, which helped explain some of the sloppiness up front as the offense was hit with multiple false-start penalties. Lamar Jackson finished 9 of 16 in 11-on-11 work, while rookie receiver JaKobi Lane and Derrick Henry were among the most noticeable contributors in the passing and run game.
Baltimore also got several good defensive moments from Kyle Hamilton and Adisa Isaac, but the kicking operation may have been the most encouraging part of the day. Tyler Loop was perfect on the field goal attempts he was asked to handle, a useful development for a team still trying to settle that spot. For a preseason practice that mixed physicality with some uneven offensive rhythm, the most important unanswered question might not have come from the skill positions at all. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Face A New O-Line Reality Without Tyler Linderbaum
The Ravens have been forced to adjust to a new interior reality after Tyler Linderbaum left for Las Vegas, where the Raiders handed him a three-year, $81 million deal and immediately made clear why they valued him so highly. Their offensive line coach, Rick Dennison, has already talked up Linderbaums athleticism, leadership and the way he has fit into the room during training camp, a good reminder that Baltimore did not lose just a center, but a stabilizing force in the middle of the line.
For the Ravens, the bigger question is how the offense absorbs that kind of departure. Linderbaum had become one of the steadier pieces up front, and replacing that combination of movement skills and command is never simple, especially when the line is being asked to hold up the rest of the attack. Baltimore has built plenty of its identity around efficiency and physicality, so the spot where Linderbaum once anchored things is now one of the most important places to watch as the season develops. [Read more 🡒]