The Ravens still have three moves staring them in the face, and the biggest one is the one that should have been finished long before now: lock up Lamar Jackson.
That, at least from this view, was supposed to be handled before last year’s draft. If not then, before the 2025 draft.
Instead, Jackson is headed into 2026 on a max-restructured deal that leaves him in what amounts to a lame-duck year, and that’s a problem the Ravens created for themselves. The source material doesn’t soften it, and neither should anyone around the team.
Jackson is the franchise, and the contract setup gives him enormous leverage with an $85M cap hit, plus no-trade and no-tag protection hanging over the Ravens’ heads.
The frustration here is that this isn’t some mystery. The people discussed on “The Daily Flock” - longtime NFLPA negotiating guru Mark Levin, longtime NFL general manager Marty Hurney and NFL analyst Brian Baldinger - all basically landed in the same place on the issue.
The source also makes clear that the delay has gone on long enough, and that whatever is holding back Eric DeCosta and Steve Bisciotti no longer matters. The warning is blunt: anything that rolls past 2026 without Jackson in the picture is a losing proposition.
The second move is a Darren Waller reunion, and this one has been sitting at the top of the wish list all spring and summer. The case for it is simple: it would be useful, and it wouldn’t cost much. If the Ravens are worried about Waller’s age and injury history, fine - but then the question gets turned right back on them, because they already committed to Mark Andrews at $13M a year when they didn’t have to.
That leaves the tight end room in an obvious spot. The Ravens are a move tight end short, the rookies will need time, and the source says there just isn’t much available on the street outside of Waller. If Baltimore wants to do something more creative, the suggestion is to make an interesting trade and surprise everybody.
Then there’s the kicking situation, which the source clearly still isn’t comfortable with. Tyler Loop has the job right now, and there’s confidence he can handle it and learn from a rookie year that was more good than bad.
There’s also belief in kicking guru Randy Brown. But after seeing Loop miss two kicks left from about the same spot where he had missed in Pittsburgh to end last season, the concern isn’t going away.
That’s why the idea here is to bring in a veteran on the cheap and let the competition breathe a little. Not necessarily because Loop can’t handle it, but because a little pressure might be useful.
The names floated were Graham Gano, Brandon McMannus, Matt Prater and Daniel Carlson, with Prater mentioned as an example of a vet-min deal and a $250K signing bonus. If that kind of player would come for a small guarantee - or even no guarantee at all - the point would be less about replacing Loop than about testing him.
Whether Steve Bisciotti would want to carry a veteran for a month just to create tension is another question. But for a team this early in camp, with expectations this high and a roster many believe is legitimate, the source makes the case that these are the kinds of moves worth considering right now.
In Other News...
Zay Flowers Just Raised The Stakes For Baltimores Next Big Decision
The Vikings made their commitment to Jordan Addison official by picking up the wide receivers fifth-year option, a move that locks in another layer of stability for a passing game trying to sort out its future. Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski called Addison an impact player, which fits the bigger picture in Minnesota: even after a season slowed by suspension and quarterback instability, the team is still betting on his talent and the work he has put in during training camp.
For Baltimore, the news is hard to ignore because it sharpens the next big question around Zay Flowers and the value the Ravens place on their own young playmaker. Teams do not hand out these decisions casually, and when a rival locks in a receiver with Addisons profile, it only adds to the urgency elsewhere in the league for front offices weighing how much to invest in their own breakout pass catchers. The Ravens are still in the part of the calendar where those choices are about projection and trust, and Flowers remains right in the middle of that conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Lamar Jackson Just Got Another Reason To Silence NFL Doubters
Lamar Jackson remains one of the leagues most closely watched quarterbacks, even if the outside conversation around him has shifted in recent seasons. His rushing volume has dropped sharply from the earliest years of his career, but he still showed plenty of passing efficiency in 2024, and the Ravens continue to view him as the engine of everything they want to do on offense.
A recent ranking from NFL coaches and executives placed Jackson among the top quarterbacks again, even with a slight slide from the previous year, which is the kind of reminder that his standing is still very much elite. The bigger question for Baltimore is what comes next after an injury-marred 2025 campaign, because with a healthy offseason and a new offensive coordinator, there is a real sense that Jackson could have another chance to answer the league's lingering doubts in 2026. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens May Have Found The Passing Game Spark They Desperately Needed
Jesse Minter is settling into his new role as Ravens head coach, and one of the early training camp storylines has been rookie wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane. The third-round pick has flashed the kind of burst that can change the feel of an offense, and Minter has already singled him out as a key playmaker. For a Baltimore passing game that finished 27th last season, any receiver capable of stretching the field and creating easy separation is going to draw attention quickly.
Lanes early momentum matters because the Ravens are looking for more than just another camp standout. They need someone who can help make the passing game more dangerous and less predictable, and the rookies explosive plays have given them a reason to believe that answer might already be in the building. Training camp is still young, but Lane has done enough to make his presence felt, and the next step is proving those flashes can carry over once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]