Lamar Jackson has plenty on the line entering this season, but the latest buzz around the Baltimore Ravens is not exactly the kind of support a quarterback wants to hear.
After missing the playoffs last year, Jackson and the Ravens are trying to answer some real questions, and they’re doing it with Jesse Minter now running the show. That puts plenty of pressure on the new head coach, especially with the season approaching and expectations already hanging over the team.
One area drawing attention is wide receiver, and not in a good way. In a Thursday CBS Sports piece, Josh Edwards pointed to a possible roster crunch at the position and singled out the added complication involving Rashod Bateman.
“Baltimore may be hard-pressed to find six wide receivers to keep on the active 53-man roster and the recent arrest Rashod Bateman only complicates the numbers,” he notes in the piece. “The NFL is slow to make any judgments, but that situation is certainly worth monitoring.”
For Jackson, that’s the kind of warning sign that matters. Quarterbacks need reliable targets, and the wide receiver spot is where offenses can change fast with one explosive play after another. If Baltimore doesn’t get that group sorted out before the real games begin, it could become a problem quickly.
It would not be a shock if the Ravens end up making a move, whether that comes through a trade or a free-agent signing, because the position is one that clearly deserves attention before the season gets rolling.
In Other News...
Ravens Just Turned Another Roster Cut Into Something That Matters
The roster trimming that usually fades into the background after preseason has taken on a little more meaning for Baltimore this week. The Ravens dealt offensive tackle Diego Pounds to the Chiefs for a conditional 2028 sixth-round pick, continuing a pattern of turning the edges of their depth chart into future draft capital as they sort through the final roster math.
It is also the second time in a short span the Ravens have found a trade partner for a player on the way out, after sending defensive lineman C.J. Okoye to the Giants for a 2028 seventh-rounder. For a team that likes to keep its pipeline stocked, these are the kinds of small transactions that can still matter later, even if the payoff is well down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Suddenly Have A Kicker Decision They Cant Delay
The Ravens have reached a point in the preseason where a position that is usually supposed to settle quietly is suddenly drawing real attention. Tyler Loop has had trouble finding consistency on field goals, including misses from long range, and that kind of uneven stretch tends to linger in a teams mind even when it happens before the games count. For Baltimore, the issue is not just about one rough preseason, but about whether the kicking job is stable enough as the calendar keeps moving.
So far, the Ravens have not added any competition to push Loop, which leaves the current setup in place even as the misses pile up. New head coach Jesse Minter has already pointed to the importance of converting in pressure moments, but he has not made a move to replace or challenge the kicker yet. That creates an awkward holding pattern for a team that would rather have certainty at a spot where even one shaky afternoon can change the tone of the whole operation. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Bubble Players Still Have One Path To Stick Around
The Ravens are deep into the annual roster trim, cutting from 90 players down to the 53-man limit as the deadline approaches. As the front office makes trades and starts waiving or releasing players, the attention now shifts to the next layer of the roster, where preseason production and long-term value can still buy a place in the organization.
For several bubble players, the best-case path may be the 16-man practice squad rather than an immediate opening on the active roster. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano, sixth-round pick Robert Longerbeam and veteran Chris Moore are among the names viewed as strong candidates to stick around, each bringing a different kind of appeal after preseason showings that made them worth keeping in the building even if their first stop on cut-down day is not the 53. [Read more 🡒]