Inconsistency Overshadowed Flashes of Promise for Ravens Rookies

Expectations for the first-round safety were sky-high coming in as not only the first prospect at his position to get drafted, but because of where he landed and the obvious need for the role, many believed he was tailor-made to fill in the Ravens defense. For the most part, he did his job of keeping a lid on the top of the coverage unit, taking away favorable looks for opposing quarterbacks deep down the field.

Most of the deep balls the defense gave up down the stretch were often in either single-high coverage or just a result of a great throw outside the numbers, where the cornerback didn't get safety help on the play. After months of being praised for his playmaking ability and ball skills pre-and-post-draft, Starks failed to live up to the hype, squandering a couple of golden opportunities to record his first career interception.

It took seven games before he recorded his first pass breakup, which also happened to be the same game he logged his first career interception against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9. Starks stayed hot the following week by recording his second career interception against the Minnesota Vikings. Both plays displayed the impressive range, instincts and ball-hawk ability that he was lauded for coming into the league.

Unfortunately, Starks wasn't able to keep up that play-making pace and only recorded two more pass breakups in the final eight games with no other splash plays of note outside of some nice open-field tackles where he ran the alley and limited the ball carrier to a modest gain. His 1065 defensive snaps were 94% percent of the defense's total, and he played well on his 145 special teams snaps as well.

Starks finished with the fourth-most total tackles with 84, including 49 solos and just one for a loss, and one quarterback hit. Overall, he paired well with three-time All Pro Kyle Hamilton as a steadying presence in the backend that helped the Ravens avoid the consistent major coverage busts that plagued the unit most of 2024 before a late-season turnaround.

OLB Mike Green

Off-the-field concerns stemming from his past coming out of high school and early in his college career caused the prospect who was touted as a top 15 talent to fall into the Ravens' lap in the second round, where they stopped his free fall. It was viewed as a calculated risk from a public relations standpoint, given the franchise's history with players who've dealt with similar issues, but one that many believed would pay major dividends in the long run and as early as his first season.

Green went from hardly seeing the field to start the season, to playing a heavier-than-expected workload, to having his defensive snaps dialed back following the trade of veteran Dre'Mont Jones and the return of Tavius Robinson from injury. He didn't record his first sack until Week 8 and finished with 3.5, the third-most on the team, and his 14 quarterback hits were the second-most and just one less than Jones.

While his pass rush prowess fell well short of the preseason hype that built up, Green was much better than anticipated against the run, recording 41 total tackles, including seven for a loss. He also logged a fumble recovery, 19 pressures, 10 knockdowns and five hurries. There's a strong chance that he could make a major leap in his second season, as most players do who don't hit the ground running, but the Ravens shouldn't bank on that happening and need to take a big swing to land a proven game wrecker off the edge via trade or free agency.

OG Emery Jones

A shoulder labrum sustained during the pre-draft process that took way longer than anticipated to heal cost the third-rounder out of LSU the bulk of his rookie season, as his first action didn't come until Week 13. Jones went on to appear in four of the Ravens' last five games, rotating and filling in at both left and right guard. He played double-digit snaps on offense in three of his four appearances and finished with 49 total in that phase of the game, with just nine coming on special teams as a member of place-kicking protection units.

Jones will be a contender for both guard spots heading into his second season, along with whoever the Ravens sign in free agency and select in the draft, both of which they should invest significant resources into this offseason.

LB Teddye Buchanan

The fourth-rounder out of the University of California, Berkeley, went from being a dark horse to contend for the starting WILL inside linebacker spot next to four-time Pro Bowler Roquan Smith to usurping Trenton Simpson as the full-time starter after a short-lived two-man rotation to open the regular season. Before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 15, Buchanan was trending upward and showing signs of improvement each week.

Despite missing the last three games due to injury, his 93 total tackles were the most among rookies on the team, including 49 solos and five for a loss. He made 13 starts and also recorded a pass breakup, a forced fumble, two quarterback hits and a half a sack.

Buchanan earned Defensive Rookie of the Month honors for October following a stretch where he started two games at the MIKE spot in place of Smith, who was out with a hamstring injury. Once he's healthy again, he'll be competing to regain his spot with Simpson, another fellow second-year pro, and whoever else might get brought in.

OT Carson Vinson

As the only prospect drafted from a Historically Black College/University in 2025, the fifth-rounder out of Alabama A&M was dubbed a developmental prospect who'd most likely redshirt this year as a staple on the inactive list.

While the season began that way for Vinson, it didn't stay that way as he eventually usurped veteran Joseph Noteboom for the primary swing tackle spot on game days. He was active for seven games and saw the field for just seven offensive snaps in place of Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley late in a couple of games and 34 on special teams as a member of the field goal protection unit. A full offseason part of an NFL training program could help look like the next left tackle in waiting and certified swing tackle of the present even more.

K Tyler Loop

No Ravens first-year pro had bigger shoes to fill than the sixth-rounder out of Arizona, as he was tasked with succeeding not only a franchise legend but an all-time NFL great in seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All Pro Justin Tucker. The first kicker the Ravens drafted in the franchise's 30-year history was solid as a rookie but far from perfect, and has a lot of room for improvement. Loop led the league with eight kickoff infractions where he either booted the ball out of bounds or short of the landing zone.

While he was perfect on kicks under 40 yards, he picked the worst possible time to have his first miss under 50 yards, as the 44-yarder he missed in the regular season finale would've been his first game-winner and helped the Ravens become the first team to three-peat as three-time AFC North champions. He missed a pair of extra points that proved pivotal in a loss to playoff teams and was a disappointing 1-of-4 on attempts of 50-plus, despite having a big leg being his claim to fame in college.

Expect to see the Ravens bring in competition for his spot at some point in the offseason, whether it's an experienced veteran or priority undrafted rookie free agent.

WR LaJohntay Wester

There was a lot of excitement surrounding the sixth-rounder out of Colorado for his tantalizing all-purpose potential as a return specialist and dynamic weapon on offense. Unfortunately, the hype never materialized into consistent production in either phase of the game. He saw the field for 58 snaps on offense, mostly as a motion receiver, but never got single touch or target.

Wester led the team with 198 punt return yards on 16 opportunities with an average of 12.4 and a long of 35 yards, and finished third in kick return yards with 246 yards on 10 with an average of 24.6 and a long of 32 yards. He'll be the Ravens' incumbent at punt returner heading into his second season, but nothing will be promised to him as consistency and juice from that role is still missing from what was once a vaunted all-around special teams unit.

DT Aeneas Peebles

Despite the Ravens being thin in the defensive trenches for most of the year, especially after two-time Pro Bowler Nnamdi Madubuike and fellow veteran Broderick Washington suffered season-ending injuries, the sixth-rounder out of Virginia Tech was only active for half a dozen games. The Ravens struggled with interior pass rush even as Travis Jones began to break out down the stretch, yet Peebles was only active for one game after the team's Week 7 bye, which came in Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving.

The bulk of his combined 104 snaps came on defense with 71, while the other 33 came on special teams, and he finished with three total tackles, including two solos, to go along with a quarterback hit, a pressure and a batted pass at the line of scrimmage. Hopefully, his ability to be more of an interior disruptive presence will be something the next coaching staff looks to utilize more instead of ensuring they have bigger bodies to stuff the run.

CB Keyon Martin

After turning a rookie mini camp tryout into a spot on the 90-man roster, the undrafted free agent out of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette parlayed a sensational showing in the preseason into making the final 53-man roster.

Before he became relegated to playing exclusively on special teams and eventually a healthy scratch for the final two games, Martin was seeing regular playing time on defense as a depth piece at nickel when one or more veterans dealt with injuries. He appeared in 13 games and had four where he logged double-digit defensive snaps, including a high of 49, and finished with 143 in total which was 16.3% of the team's total and his 222 special teams snaps was 62% of the team total. Martin finished third among Ravens rookies with 23 total tackles, including 21 solos and one for a loss, to go along with a quarterback hit, sack and a pass breakup.

DB Keondre Jackson

The undrafted free agent out of Illinois State didn't make the final 53-man roster coming out of the preseason, but quickly established himself as both an energizing and impactful presence on special teams when he got his shot to shine. After recording five solo tackles in his three standard elevations from the practice squad, Jackson earned a spot on the active roster and has the makings of the Ravens' next great special teams ace. He appeared in 12 games, with his 227 special teams snaps were 75% of the team's total, during which he recorded 13 total tackles, including 10 solos, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Jackson also played a key role in aiding punter Jordan Stout in his All Pro season by downing several punts inside the opposing 20-yard line and blocking an extra point attempt that could've proved to be the difference in the regular season finale had Loop not shanked the game-winning attempt.

LB Jay Higgins

A lack of ideal measurables and below-average athletic testing numbers caused the former All American out of the University of Iowa to go undrafted, but he didn't let that stop him from making the final roster or establishing himself as a core special teams ace in the regular season. Higgins appeared in 11 games, and his 184 special teams snaps accounted for 61% percent of the Ravens' total. He only saw the field for seven snaps on defense the whole season, all of which came in a Week 17 blowout of the Green Bay Packers. Between his time with the two phases of the game, he recorded 10 total tackles, including three solos, and forced a fumble on kickoff coverage.

LB Chandler Martin

The undrafted free agent out of Memphis made a compelling case for a roster spot during the preseason as well, but didn't make the final roster. He was signed to the practice squad and got called up for three games during Higgins' absence and played exceptionally well on special teams, recording five total tackles, including a solo in 34 snaps, before suffering a season-ending torn ACL on the opening kickoff of his third game in Week 13. He'll be slightly ahead of Buchanan in the recovery schedule and should be slated to return to action around the same time during the summer.