The Ravens’ second week of training camp brought the pads, the contact and a fresh batch of clues about where this roster stands.
Start with Zay Flowers, because the Ravens just made a major statement by locking up the homegrown receiver on a four-year, $140 million deal. That’s a big number for any skill player, but it carries extra weight for a franchise that once rarely took serious swings at wideouts, much less landed one like this. Flowers has become that important.
The price tag looks a little less jarring when you zoom out. Atlanta just handed Drake London a four-year, $141 million extension, and he has one career 1,000-yard season. The receiver market is blowing up, and Flowers’ deal won’t feel nearly as steep once it truly starts mattering in 2028 and beyond.
The numbers back up why Baltimore paid him. In 2025, Flowers’ 29.1% target share ranked fifth in the NFL, and his 36.9% share of the team’s receiving yards was second in the league behind only Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, according to the FTN Football Almanac. He is already a central piece of the passing game.
Flowers said he’s added eight pounds so he can better handle contact when it comes. That matters, because ball security remains an issue and more defenders are aware that fumbles have been a problem. Declan Doyle also wants to be selective about sending Flowers on more vertical routes.
There’s also the bigger-picture contract angle. When asked about Lamar Jackson’s deal, Flowers said it’s “not really my conversation to have,” but Baltimore didn’t make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid receivers for nothing. DeCosta and Steve Bisciotti have to hope this gives Jackson a useful nudge toward an extension.
One of the camp’s most interesting early storylines belongs to Ja’Kobi Lane. Veteran observers know better than to overreact to summer flashes, but the 6-foot-4 rookie is making that hard. He followed a spectacular one-handed catch Tuesday with a leaping touchdown grab Wednesday, and both plays came from Jackson.
The weather made Wednesday even more revealing. It was one of the most rain-soaked practices in recent memory, and the conditions tested ball security and balance for both sides. Doyle and Anthony Weaver both welcomed the chance to work in that kind of environment, since it offered a different way to evaluate players.
Up front, Vega Ioane has already started to show up in the kind of way offensive linemen like best: by flattening people. He’s had pancake blocks on the pads, including one against veteran Broderick Washington.
Ronnie Stanley didn’t sound concerned at all, saying, “I see everything I want to see from a pro, especially an early draft pick. … I’m not worried about him one bit.”
There are still a few roster-health puzzles to sort through. Travis Jones, dealing with a pectoral issue, and Teddye Buchanan, with a knee problem, are the only players left on the physically unable to perform list. With Nnamdi Madubuike, Calais Campbell and John Jenkins ramping up slowly, plus Aeneas Peebles missing a couple practices, it’s been tough to get a clear read on the defensive line.
The tight ends have been quieter than expected. Josh Cuevas, a rookie fifth-round pick, did make some red-zone catches Wednesday, but Baltimore still needs more from the group. Mark Andrews has to bounce back, and at least one of the rookies - the other is Matt Hibner - needs to emerge soon.
There were also a few sideline moments worth noting. Trey Hendrickson and Roger Rosengarten were talking so intensely that you wondered whether things had gotten contentious before they hugged. Stanley also spent time on hand-placement work with Carson Vinson, which is the kind of veteran-to-young-player teaching that never goes out of style.
And then there’s David Olajiga, the defensive lineman from the United Kingdom, who wasn’t on many lists of players likely to pick off Jackson in camp. Still, Jackson has had some early trouble with underneath coverage, and Olajiga, a 2025 practice-squad member, has shown some decent push as an interior pass rusher.
Flowers, for his part, sounded relieved to have his business settled. “I'm super excited.
You can just go play now. This is like a rock lifted off your shoulders, and you can just be free and go play.
It's something you don't have to worry about. It's just a lot lighter on myself.”
In Other News...
Lamar Jackson Just Got Another Reason To Silence NFL Doubters
Lamar Jackson has spent enough of his NFL career answering questions about whether he can keep evolving, and the latest quarterback rankings only add another layer to that conversation. League coaches and executives placed him fifth in The Athletics annual ranking, a one-spot drop from the year before, even as his game has continued to shift away from the relentless rushing volume that defined the start of his career and toward a more polished passing profile.
The bigger issue for Baltimore is whether a healthier version of Jackson can reclaim the edge that injuries took away in 2025. His production dipped after a season that never really let him settle in, but the offseason should give him a cleaner runway heading into 2026, along with a new offensive coordinator and the chance to remind the league how quickly the conversation changes when he is right. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Camp Is Already Creating A Few Early Roster Risers
The first week of Ravens training camp has already sharpened a few roster battles, and some players have started to separate themselves in the kind of early look that can matter once the pads stay on. Ja'Kobi Lane, Lamar Jackson and Matt Hibner have been among the names drawing attention for strong starts, while Elijah Sarratt has had a quieter opening as he tries to make himself harder to ignore in a crowded setting.
Nate Wiggins has also been building momentum with his work in the secondary, giving Baltimore a young defensive back worth watching as the camp competition unfolds. On the other side of the ledger, Corey Bullock has been unavailable because of illness, leaving him behind the curve at a time when every practice rep counts, and the early evaluations are still just that, an opening snapshot rather than a final answer. [Read more 🡒]
Derrick Henry Just Invoked The Ravens Standard Fans Never Forget
Derrick Henry did not tiptoe around expectations when he spoke with Kay Adams on Up and Adams, and for Ravens fans, the comparison he chose carries real weight. The veteran running back pointed to the defense working hard in camp and said this group has the kind of talent and mindset that could stack up with Baltimores celebrated 2000 unit, the defense that still serves as the franchise standard for dominance.
For a team chasing its first Super Bowl in the Lamar Jackson era, that kind of confidence is more than offseason talk. The Ravens have added key players and coaching help to sharpen a roster built to contend, and Henrys comments only amplify the pressure and the promise around what this defense could become if it lives up to the name he invoked. [Read more 🡒]