The Ravens don’t have the playoff race to hide behind anymore, and maybe that’s the point. With the season slipping away and Lamar Jackson almost certainly out of the picture, the focus has shifted from chasing wins to seeing whether this roster can accomplish even a few modest things over the final eight games.
That starts with the young pass catchers. Baltimore spent a big chunk of the draft on receivers and tight ends, and the question now is simple: can any of them show enough to matter?
Ja’Kobi Lane, Matthew Hibner and Josh Cuevas don’t need to become stars overnight, but the Ravens need at least one of them to flash in real games and leave some reason to believe in 2027. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle admitted the coaching has to help them get there, saying, “I can do a better job of putting them in better positions and making sure that they're able to go out and execute,” Doyle said of his players last week.
The same kind of test applies to the defense, where Hamilton has to become more than a body around the line of scrimmage. The Ravens do not need another run stuffer.
They need him to affect the quarterback, disrupt throws and actually make plays on passing downs. Hamilton said after the Week 8 loss to the Bills, “If I'm out there, I need to be putting good stuff out there on tape,” Hamilton said after the ugly loss to the Bills in Week 8.
“Me, myself personally, I don't think I did that. Doesn't matter the situation I'm in.
If I'm out there, I need to be doing my best to get the job done.”
There’s also the bigger issue of what this defense is supposed to be. Minter talked Monday about “re-establishing” key tenants on his unit, but the Ravens have spent the season looking like the worst second-half defense in the NFL and a team that can’t hold a lead when it matters.
The pass rush hasn’t gotten home, the secondary has been exposed, and dime looks keep getting picked apart. They can slow the run some, but that hasn’t mattered when the middle of the field keeps opening up in the passing game.
After a weekend off, Minter said, “A couple days gives you a chance to really look and really dig deep,” Minter said after a weekend off. “I think first and foremost, making sure that the identity that we talk about that we want is not just talk.
Sometimes that can get lost as you're racing each week to try to get a game plan in and do things. I'm excited for us to sort of re-establish our identity.”
Then there’s the question of who, if anyone, is worth a real investment. Trenton Simpson is the clearest candidate, and the Ravens should be thinking about him as a possible Roquan Smith successor right now.
Beyond him, the list gets thin fast. Nnamdi Madubuike, Hamilton and Flowers are the only blue-chip players signed beyond 2027, and that’s a problem for a team that keeps talking like its roster is in great shape.
The front office’s next challenge is less glamorous but maybe more revealing: can it actually find help off the margins? Waivers, practice squads, Tuesday workouts - that’s where bad teams often survive.
The Ravens haven’t done much of that. One longtime NFL personnel executive put it bluntly: “When’s the last time they found a football player on a Tuesday?”
he asked. “Do they think that’s beneath them too?
Like (selling at) the trade deadline?
“There’s never anybody on waivers who is better than their 53? When’s the last time they stole somebody who could play off a practice squad? What do the pro personnel guys do over there?”
That’s the backdrop for the rest of the season: not a push for the postseason, but a search for anything useful. A rookie making a case.
A defender becoming a playmaker. A contract-worthy season from someone besides the obvious names.
A real identity on defense. And maybe, just maybe, a roster move or two that looks like it came from a functioning football operation.
In Other News...
Ravens Quarterback Situation Just Got Even More Concerning
The AFC North picture shifted again in Week 9, and for Baltimore the timing could hardly have been worse. While Pittsburgh stayed on top during its bye and Cincinnati got a lift from Joe Burrow in a win over Atlanta, the Ravens dropped a game to Jacksonville and then moved to shore up the most important spot on the roster by adding quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
It was the kind of move that says plenty about where things stand in Baltimore right now. Clevelands quarterback situation has already been a talking point in the division, with Shedeur Sanders starting in a loss to New Orleans, and the Ravens now find themselves needing another arm in a race that is tightening around them. The acquisition of Brissett adds another layer to a situation that already felt unsettled, and it leaves plenty to sort through as the season moves deeper into November. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Tight End Debate Just Got More Painful For Baltimore Fans
Breiden Fehoko took aim at one of Baltimores most familiar roster choices, arguing that Eric DeCostas commitment to Mark Andrews has come at a cost. The former Steelers nose tackle pointed to the Ravens tight end usage as a factor in the teams championship outlook, while Isaiah Likelys rise elsewhere has only sharpened the conversation. Likely, now with the New York Giants, is putting together career-best production this season, a reminder of what Baltimore once had in reserve.
For Ravens fans, the frustration is easy to understand because the team has already extended Andrews even as his output has slipped from previous years. Baltimores record and injury issues have only made the debate louder, especially with Likely thriving in a bigger role and Andrews still carrying the weight of the franchises trust. It leaves the Ravens in a familiar spot, defending a decision that looks increasingly expensive in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Get A Telling Zay Flowers Update As Lamar Wait Continues
Zay Flowers offered a small but telling glimpse into the Ravens quarterback situation this week, saying he has not spoken with Lamar Jackson recently so Jackson can focus on recovering from the thumb injury that has him on injured reserve. It is the kind of update that says as much about the moment around Baltimore as it does about Jackson himself, with the offense now adjusting to life without its star passer while the team tries to steady itself.
Baltimores response has included bringing in Jacoby Brissett to help support the offense, but the bigger picture remains the same: the Ravens are sitting at 4-5 and trying to keep pace in a season that has already forced them into survival mode. Next up is a home game against the Los Angeles Chargers, and every bit of news around Jackson only adds to the sense that the Ravens are still waiting for their most important answer. [Read more 🡒]