Ravens LB Teddye Buchanan Expected Back ‘Sooner Than Later’

The Cal product tore his ACL during Baltimore’s Week 15 shutout of the Bengals. The typical nine-month return timeline for such injuries put Buchanan’s status for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season in doubt, but DeCosta said that he is “very optimistic” about his young linebacker’s recovery.

“He has done a great job,” DeCosta said. “Top 1% of rehabs I’ve seen in my time here, which has bene 30 years.” 

Buchanan, 23, was a fourth-round pick last year who quickly supplanted Trenton Simpson as Baltimore’s No. 2 inside linebacker next to Roquan Smith. He racked up 93 total tackles, the third-most on the team, and allowed just 6.4 yards per target in coverage. (Smith, for comparison, allowed 6.0 yards per target.) At the end of the year, Buchanan was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team alongside Jihaad Campbell and Carson Schwesinger, who were selected with the No. 31 and No. 33 overall picks by the Eagles and Browns, respectively.

Buchanan should have his starting job waiting for him when he does return to the field. DeCosta’s comments indicate that he will make his practice debut relatively early in training camp, though he will likely begin with individual drills as he ramps up to full-team work. While he is still sidelined, Simpson, a 2023 third-rounder entering a contract year, will likely line up next to Smith in the middle of the Ravens defense with second-year UDFA Jay Higgins pushing for reps, too.