2025 NFL Offseason Primer: Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens

Projected Cap Space: $9.9 million

Draft Picks: 11

• 1st (No. 27)
• 2nd (No. 59)
• 3rd (No. 91)
• 4th (No. 128)
• 4th (No. 136, comp)
• 5th (No. 176, comp)
• 6th (No. 184, CAR)
• 6th (No. 204)
• 6th (No. 210, comp)
• 6th (No. 213, comp)
• 7th (No. 245)

Notable Free Agents: 

• OT Ronnie Stanley
• S Brandon Stephens
• OL Patrick Mekari
• S Marcus Williams
• S Ar’Darius Washington (RFA)
• FB Patrick Ricard
• G Ben Cleveland
• WR Diontae Johnson
• WR Nelson Agholor
• LB Malik Harrison
• OL Josh Jones
• DL Brent Urban
• LB Chris Board
• CB Tre’Davious White
• WR Tylan Wallace

Top Three Needs

1 – Offensive Line

The Ravens’ needs up front will depend on how the offseason plays out but one way or another the starting five on offense will likely need some attention. Last year, the Ravens broke in three new starters on the offensive line, including at both guard spots. This year, they could equal that either from upgrading current positions or if certain free agents walk. 

The biggest question is left tackle after Stanley’s contract is set to void. Once seen as one of the game’s top young tackles, Stanley saw his career derailed by injuries before accepting a pay cut last offseason to stay in Baltimore. The ensuing season was something of a career revival and now he stands to cash in, either on a new deal from the Ravens or in unrestricted free agency. If the Ravens don’t re-sign the 31-year-old Stanley, tackle becomes a huge need with RT Roger Rosengarten the only one remaining on the roster. 

Mekari is another key pending free agent. The Ravens have relied a lot on him over the years as someone capable of starting at all five positions, and in 2024 he ended up becoming the primary starter at left guard. Baltimore could look to bring him back but will have a tight budget and Mekari could have starting-level offers elsewhere. On the other side, Ravens G Daniel Faalele led the team in snaps, although he had his fair share of rocky moments. The team defended his performance but could look to bring in at least some competition. 

2 – Cornerback

The Ravens look like they’ve hit on another first-round pick with a largely successful debut for CB Nate Wiggins in 2024. Veteran CB Marlon Humphrey bounced back from a rocky 2023 with one of the best years of his career in 2024, picking off six passes and earning first-team All-Pro honors for the second time in his career. Humphrey is entering his age-29 season and has two years left on his contract, so it will be interesting to see if he pushes for an extension, as well as how the Ravens respond. 

Outside of those two, the Ravens have a big chunk of snaps set for free agency led by Stephens who was on the field more than any other player in Baltimore last year. Starting-level cornerbacks are scarce so Stephens will likely do better as a free agent than the Ravens can afford to match. The answer might already be on the roster, but at minimum, the Ravens will need to prioritize reloading the depth at cornerback and making sure it’s an area that remains strong. 

3 – Edge Rusher

The Ravens ask their edge rushers to do a lot of different things compared to other teams; for instance, they might have them drop into coverage or sacrifice their rush to free up another player on a twist or stunt as opposed to just pinning their ears back and trying to beat the blocker in front of them. That makes it a little tricky to evaluate their edge rusher group. In a room with Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh, Tavius Robinson, David Ojabo and Adisa Isaac, there aren’t a lot of household names. But all of them are under contract for at least one more season and the group as a whole was productive. The Ravens were second in the NFL with 54 sacks and both Van Noy and Oweh hit double digits. 

Like most good teams, the Ravens will be opportunistic if the opportunity comes to add to the pass rush. Van Noy, Oweh and Ojabo are all entering contract years as well, though Oweh could sign an extension since it would have the added benefit of lowering his cap hit which is $13.25 million under the fifth-year option. 

One Big Question

Can the Ravens — and Lamar Jackson — shake the playoff monkey off their back?

Fair or not, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has built a reputation as a playoff underperformer. Some of that is because he’s been so brilliant in the regular season, with two MVPs and nearly a third this past year. But there’s a real, tangible drop in Jackson’s performance when he reaches the postseason, at least so far in his career. 

Peyton Manning had the same issue in the first half of his Colts career and overcame it to some degree later. Other quarterbacks weren’t able to get the postseason monkey off their back. Jackson’s got more in common with Manning than most other passers but his career so far serves as a reminder that making it all the way to the top of the mountain in the NFL is hard.

Jackson has as much talent as any quarterback and the Ravens are one of the best-run teams in football, so the supporting cast should be there more often than not. Baltimore was one of the best teams in football the past two years and should be right in the mix in 2025. They just have to make the right plays at the right time, the last ingredient that’s been missing.