The Ravens are staring at a roster crunch that could hit hard in 2027, and a handful of familiar names may be on their last lap in Baltimore. With owner Steve Bisciotti carrying a $365M payroll and a roster packed with older players, injury risks and players in walk years, the team’s next major shakeup may be coming sooner than later.
That reality is even sharper now that coach John Harbaugh is gone after nearly 20 years on the job. The franchise change was never going to stop with one offseason, and the younger talent drain already happened on offense this winter, when Tyler Linderbaum, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar, Keaton Mitchell and others were moved out. The bigger veteran exodus could be right around the corner.
One of the likeliest departures is Marlon Humphrey. General manager Eric DeCosta spent last week talking him up, but the contract tells a different story.
Humphrey is on a $19.25M deal, and DeCosta did nothing to restructure or extend it. After two of the last three seasons went poorly for the corner, the Ravens seem to know what they have.
Humphrey was 70th or worse out of 76 qualified pass defenders in many key metrics last season, and while moving him into the slot might help, the money is steep for a player they don’t appear willing to bet on long term.
“Did not have a great year last year,” DeCosta noted. “I feel confident he is going to rebound and have a great year this year.”
That confidence doesn’t look especially firm from the outside.
Rashod Bateman is another name hanging over the roster picture. He’s still starting in a new offense that needed proven receivers behind Zay Flowers, and his path to this point has been messy.
Bateman also got arrested while away from team activities in June, and the allegations around that incident added more baggage for a Ravens organization that already has a reputation problem. DeCosta didn’t discipline him, while the authorities in Atlanta and the NFL investigate, but the message was clear enough: Bateman is on notice.
Flowers is now making real money, and the Ravens drafted two receivers on the second day.
“It is obviously something that we are very disappointed about, that we have to deal with these kinds of things,” DeCosta mustered. “I think right now, a little bit of a distraction at some points.”
Bateman has also been a malcontent for much of his time in Baltimore, and it has already lasted longer than the Ravens probably wanted.
Ronnie Stanley also looks like a man at a natural stopping point. Baltimore seems to view left tackle as a position that has to be attacked as high as possible in the 2027 draft, and Stanley’s deal is reaching its end.
The guaranteed money is gone, he’ll be 33, and his career has long carried the weight of ankle concerns. The Ravens got strong play from him while paying him relatively cheaply as a pending free agent, but this feels like the kind of moment where the organization starts thinking about life after him.
If Alabama tackle Kadyn Proctor had still been there at No. 14, the belief is he would already be on the roster with a future move in mind.
Patrick Queen Smith is in a different kind of bucket, but the logic points the same way. He’s not been the kind of $20M linebacker the Ravens need him to be for a while, and DeCosta hasn’t moved to extend him after two down years.
The fit with the scheme matters too. The system shouldn’t require that kind of money on a linebacker wearing the dot, and there’s a clear example of a cheaper path: Mike Macdonald picked up Ernest Jones for far less mid-season in 2024 and won a Super Bowl with him wearing the dot.
Smith is pushing 3,000 snaps in his career, has clearly slowed down, and coverage is only going to get tougher as he ages. DeCosta may love overpaying older players, but carrying Smith into his 30s would be hard to justify.
The one veteran who may keep beating the odds is Derrick Henry. The prediction here is simple: stop betting against him.
The Ravens have twice been able to sign him on team-friendly terms, and the running back market has stayed depressed even with Bijan Robinson unable to move it much. Henry is only due $11M next season, which is described as John Simpson money, and the expectation is that he’ll be back.
Then there’s Mark Andrews, whose situation is as strange as any on the roster. Baltimore extended him late last season even though it didn’t have to, and the decision came when the rest of the league wasn’t offering much in a trade the year before.
The Ravens chose Andrews over Isaiah Likely, who was younger, better and faster, and they paid Andrews on a yearly basis about what Harbaugh gave Likely to come to New York in free agency. If this weren’t about favorites, the read would be that Andrews is gone next year.
But he’s owed $5M guaranteed in 2027, and Baltimore could probably get him to take a cut if needed.
For now, though, the bigger picture is unavoidable: this Ravens core is aging, expensive and built for change. The turnover that starts in 2027 may not be subtle.
In Other News...
Lamar Jackson's Next Deal Could Shape Everything For The Ravens
The Ravens already have one of the leagues most important roster questions sitting in plain view, and it reaches well beyond the present season. With a $41.5 million salary cap deficit projected for 2027, Baltimore is staring at a future squeeze that could force some hard choices, and ESPNs Aaron Schatz, using OverTheCap data, points to Lamar Jacksons contract as the most obvious place to start easing the pressure.
A long-term extension for Jackson would help spread that cap hit over more years and give the Ravens some much-needed room to maneuver, but it is the kind of move that comes with its own set of complications. For a team built around a franchise quarterback, the structure of the next deal may end up influencing not just the cap sheet, but the shape of the roster around him for years to come. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Face One Big Question Up Front Entering Week 1
The Ravens spent much of the offseason trying to get sturdier up front, and most of that work centered on the interior of the offensive line. General manager Eric DeCosta has made it clear the team still has some sorting to do, especially with the starting five, and center remains the spot drawing the most attention as Ethan Pocic and Jovaughn Gwyn compete for the job.
Vega Ioane has added a promising note during preseason, but the bigger picture is still about how quickly the group can come together once the games count. For a team with high expectations, the early weeks could test both the lines chemistry and the staffs patience as Baltimore tries to settle on the best combination. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Receiver Battle Just Got More Interesting Because Of One Young Playmaker
A preseason loaded with roster jockeying always has a way of turning one more name into a real factor, and LaJohntay Wester has done exactly that for Baltimore. The rookie receiver has flashed enough to make the conversation a little more interesting, putting together a steady summer that included seven catches, 45 yards and two touchdowns while also showing the kind of quickness that fits what the Ravens want from a slot option.
Wester is already viewed as a likely piece in the punt return game, but the intrigue goes beyond special teams if he keeps stacking days like this. He has earned positive notice from teammates, including DeAndre Hopkins, and that kind of internal support matters when a young player is trying to carve out offensive snaps in a crowded receiver room. For now, the Ravens have another young playmaker making the final decisions a little tougher than expected. [Read more 🡒]