The Ravens have barely gotten through the first week of training camp, but Keondre Jackson is already forcing his way into the conversation.
Baltimore’s new coaching staff has set a sharp tone early, and a handful of players have taken advantage of it. Rookie third-rounder Ja’Kobi Lane has grabbed plenty of attention, but Jackson has been the one drawing steady praise from the people running the show.
Anthony Weaver didn’t hold back when asked about the second-year safety’s progress.
“From the first day I was here in the spring, and where [Jackson] is now, he’s probably in the running for most improved,” Weaver said. “Right now, if we had to play a game tomorrow, and he had to go out there and play for us, I have a tremendous amount of trust that he can get his job done.”
That kind of comment says a lot about where Jackson stands right now. He’s not just surviving camp - he’s making himself noticeable in a crowded room.
The biggest reason? His pace.
Weaver pointed to the fact that everything Jackson does is at full speed, and that urgency has shown up in how he’s handled the early part of camp. He’s bringing energy, playing with conviction, and giving the staff a reason to keep looking his way.
That matters, because the path to defensive snaps in Baltimore is steep. The Ravens already had Kyle Hamilton and Malaki Starks, then added Jaylinn Hawkins on a two-year, $10 million deal in free agency. That gives the safety group a stacked look, and it leaves Jackson trying to carve out whatever chances come his way under Jesse Minter’s defense.
Those chances will be limited, which makes every rep count even more. But Jackson has already shown he can make a name for himself in one area. As a 2025 undrafted free agent, he quickly established himself as a special teams ace during his rookie year.
That gives him a floor. If the defensive role doesn’t open up right away, Baltimore already knows it has a dependable special teams contributor.
Still, this camp run hints at something bigger. Jackson has put himself in position to push beyond that specialist label, and if he keeps this momentum going through preseason and into the regular season, he could earn sporadic defensive snaps and maybe even fight his way into a regular role.
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Ravens Rookie Receiver Battle May Already Be Swinging One Way
Baltimores search for a bigger target at receiver brought two rookie names into camp with real intrigue, and Ja'Kobi Lane has wasted little time making his case. The Ravens drafted Lane and Elijah Sarratt with the same need in mind, hoping one of them could help fill the kind of role the offense has been missing, and early on it has been Lane who has looked ready to seize the moment.
Sarratts path has been slowed by a leg injury from mandatory minicamp, which has made the competition harder to read than Baltimore likely hoped. Lane, meanwhile, has been steadily building momentum in camp and looks positioned to keep pushing for a meaningful spot if the reps keep going his way. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Push The Edge During Their Most Physical Camp Day Yet
The Ravens spent their longest training camp practice of the summer leaning hard into the kind of work that can set a tone for the rest of August. Long drive drills, live tackling and even coaches jumping into tackling work turned the day into a true test of stamina and edge, with physicality clearly baked into the plan from the start.
Jesse Minter had his hands full as the intensity rose and several players got into heated exchanges, but nothing spilled over into an actual fight. For a team trying to sharpen its competitive habits, it was the sort of practice that walked right up to the line without crossing it, and that may have been the point. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Just Raised The Stakes On Lamar Jacksons Next Deal
The Ravens spent part of their offseason reinforcing the future around Lamar Jackson, locking up wide receiver Zay Flowers on a four-year, $140 million extension. It is the kind of move that signals how seriously Baltimore views its young offensive core, and it also underscores just how much the team has invested in giving Jackson the pieces needed to keep the offense rolling.
What comes next is the bigger front-office test. Jackson is still in contract negotiations with the Ravens, and those talks have not been finalized, leaving the organization with one marquee deal already done and another far more important one still hanging over the roster. Baltimore would prefer to keep both stars in place, but the shape of Flowers' new contract only adds more intrigue to how the next round of talks with its franchise quarterback will unfold. [Read more 🡒]