Five Ravens Position Battles to Watch at OTAs

After releasing Justin Tucker earlier this month, the Ravens will have a true kicker competition for the first time in over a decade. Sixth-round pick Tyler Loop appears to have the inside track to the starting job, but undrafted free agent John Hoyland will have a chance to compete as well. No matter who wins the competition, they'll have some massive shoes to fill on the field.

Left Guard

Baltimore won't have to completely retool its offensive line like it did last year, but it will have to find a new starting left guard after losing Patrick Mekari in free agency. Andrew Vorhees, who started at left guard for the first three games of last season before being sidelined with injury, and Ben Cleveland, who competed for the starting right guard job last year, appear to be the leading candidates for the job. However, seventh-round pick Garrett Dellinger could potentially compete for the role as well.

No. 3 Edge Rusher

After Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, the Ravens have a ton of questions on the edge. David Ojabo, Tavius Robinson, Adisa Isaac and second-round pick Mike Green, all of whom were drafted in the past four years, are all competing for playing time as reserve players. How they perform at OTAs could end up playing a huge part in their positions on the depth chart.

No. 2 Inside Linebacker

Malik Harrison and Chris Board formed a rotation next to All-Pro Roquan Smith down the home stretch of last season, but with both of them now gone, the position is now wide open once again. The leading candidates for the job are fourth-round pick Teddye Buchanan and third-year pro Trenton Simpson, who started alongside Smith for much of last season before ultimately being benched late in the year. Free agency pickup Jake Hummel, who's expected to contribute mostly on special teams, could potentially compete as well.

No. 3 Safety

Ar'Darius Washington's Achilles injury earlier this month thrust first-round pick Malaki Starks into the starting role, but also left a noticeable hole at the No. 3 safety position. Now, the Ravens will look to Sanoussi Kane or Beau Brade, the last two players to make the roster last season, to fill that hole. Both players played primarily on special teams throughout their rookie seasons in 2024.