Ravens Expecting Nnamdi Madubuike Back Early In Regular Season

Madubuike, 28, went down in Week 2 of the 2025 season and did not play another game with some concern about his ability to continue his career. But the Ravens gradually signaled more and more optimism throughout the spring, capped by the Pro Bowl defensive tackle’s activation from the active/physically unable to perform list at the beginning of training camp. A slow ramp-up process followed with Madubuike participating in warmups with his teammates before moving to conditioning and solo positional work. He only began making contact with a blocking sled last week, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.

But by keeping Madubuike off of injured reserve during final roster cuts, the Ravens have given their strongest sign yet that Madubuike will be back early in the season. Head coach Jesse Minter went a step further on Monday (via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic) confirming that the team was not expecting him to miss the first four games of the season, as would have been required by an IR placement.

Instead, Madubuike can continue his ramp-up and the Ravens can benefit from regular-season media rules. During training camp, reporters can watch every player throughout practice and track their amount of participation – for example, Madubuike’s individual drills while his fellow defensive linemen hit the sled and participating in 11-on-11 work. But during the regular season, only a limited portion of practice is available to the press, so it might be harder for other teams to keep tabs on his status. Baltimore’s injury report will only indicate ‘full’ or ‘limited’ participation, and Minter is unlikely to give much away at the podium.