The Ravens will be without their top edge threat on Sunday, but there’s at least some optimism on the offensive line front.
Head coach Jesse Minter said free agent pass rusher Trey Hendrickson has undergone a procedure to fix a lingering finger problem, and he’s been ruled out for the game against the Titans at M&T Bank Stadium. Minter said he believes the absence will be “very, very short term.”
At the same time, Minter is holding out hope that left tackle Ronnie Stanley can return from a toe injury. Stanley did not practice Friday, but Minter said he liked the work the veteran put in this week and the team will see how he feels on game day. For now, Stanley is still considered a possibility to play.
“We were able to get the finger fixed,” Minter said of Hendrickson, who was paid $30M a year to be a “closer” as Minter dubbed him to fix a failing fourth-quarter defense.
Hendrickson’s absence comes at a rough time for a Baltimore pass rush that has been tepid at best and, in some metrics, even worse than it was before. He made an immediate impact in Week 1, but his production has tapered off, and the finger issue likely played a major role. In the fourth quarter, he has only three pressures on 30 pass-rush snaps, while the Ravens’ defense continues to struggle late in games and ranks bottom eight in pressure rate while giving up passing yards again.
Minter also pointed to undrafted rookie linebacker Ethan Burke, a Maryland native, as a player who could see a bigger role with Hendrickson out. Burke may get a chance to do more on defense this week, not just on special teams.
Stanley’s situation remains murky, but the Ravens clearly need help wherever they can get it up front. He tried to push through the injury in Week 2 and had a rough outing before giving way to youngster Carson Vinson, a 2025 fifth-round pick. Vinson appeared likely to start against Dallas in Brazil in Week 3 even with Stanley on the trip, and Baltimore still sounds hopeful that Stanley can suit up Sunday, though nothing is set yet.
The line around him is still unsettled. The Ravens have been overmatched in run blocking, and pass protection has been a problem from the start.
Guard Andrew Vorhees, part of a difficult interior group last season, is expected to start again. John Simpson, the $10M signing, has struggled at guard, and rookie Vega Ioane is set to make his first start at center against one of the league’s most dominant defensive tackles in Tennessee’s Jeffery Simmons.
“I think he’s handled it really well,” Minter said of the youngster's quick transition to another new position.
In Other News...
Ravens Beat Dallas In A Game Bigger Than Anyone Realized
The Ravens trip to Rio de Janeiro ended up carrying far more weight than just an early-season win over Dallas. Baltimore came away with a 34-31 victory in a game that drew a massive audience on CBS, and Nielsens numbers made it clear this was not just another overseas showcase. It became the most-watched international NFL game ever, a reminder that when the Ravens are part of a big-stage matchup, the spotlight can be as much about the event as the result.
For Baltimore, the significance goes beyond the box score because this was one of those rare games that pushed the leagues global reach while also producing a tight finish against a team with a huge fan base. Dallas entered at 1-2, and its supporters showed up in force even far from home, which only added to the backdrop of a game that felt bigger than the standings. The Ravens left with the win, but the size of the audience suggested the league may have just found another international benchmark. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Face One Ugly Threat That Could Derail Lamar Jackson
The Ravens are walking into Sunday with a familiar kind of worry hanging over the offense: protection. Tennessees defense has long been built around Jeffery Simmons, and Baltimores line is still trying to sort through its own issues, including a rookie guard being asked to start at center. With Lamar Jackson under center, the margin for error shrinks quickly when the pocket is unstable, and this matchup threatens to make every pre-snap decision matter.
Baltimores staff knows the answer is not simply asking Jackson to escape trouble after it starts. Declan Doyle pointed back to past performance and the need for cleaner execution, which is a reminder that the Ravens have to arrive with a plan, not a hope. If the line cannot hold up against Simmons and the Titans front, the game could turn into an uncomfortable test of how much Jackson can create on his own. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Pass Rush Suddenly Faces A Bigger Trey Hendrickson Concern
A week that already carried some uncertainty around the edge of the defense took another turn when Jesse Minter said outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson will not play against the Tennessee Titans. Hendrickson dealt with multiple fractures in a finger in Week 1, then missed every practice this week while looking for a permanent solution, leaving Baltimore to manage one of its key pass-rush pieces without him for at least this matchup.
The hope inside the building is that the surgery serves as a short-term fix that lets the finger heal properly over the long haul, but the immediate reality is a pass rush that has to adjust without one of its more disruptive options. For a defense that leans on pressure to set the tone, the next question is how quickly Hendrickson can get back to being available and effective once the medical side is settled. [Read more 🡒]