Ravens Named Destination for Former First-Round Pick

The Baltimore Ravens are expected to field one of the best defenses in the NFL this season following their strong finish a year ago, and some believe they're not done adding to it, either.

Anthony Palacios of Last Word On Sports names the Ravens as a landing spot for Buffalo Bills linebacker Shaq Thompson.

"The Bills will never trade to Baltimore, but the Ravens might sign him if he becomes a free agent," Palacios writes. "After losing Malik Harrison in the offseason, the team is losing depth in the pass-rush unit behind Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy. David Ojabo and Trenton Simpson haven’t been living up to expectations, so someone like Thompson could serve as a reliable veteran piece in that locker room, similar to the role that Jadeveon Clowney had before departing for Carolina in 2024."

Thompson, 31, joined the Bills on a one-year deal this offseason, but recent reports hint that he may not even make the 53-man roster.

"As for the released players, Edefuan Ulofoshio improved as the season went on last year, but he didn’t prove to be such an overwhelming special teams player that would make the Bills feel like they couldn’t subject him to waivers," Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic writes. "In this case, the Bills would likely try to get both Ulofoshio and veteran Shaq Thompson back on the practice squad."

Thompson has only played in six games over the past two seasons, recording just 43 tackles. However, before catching the injury bug, he registered four straight seasons with at least 100 tackles.

If Thompson can stay healthy, that's exactly the type of experience and production Baltimore would want to add to its thin group.

Outside of Roquan Smith, the Ravens will have to rely on Simpson to make a big leap in his third NFL season or force fourth-round pick Teddye Buchanan to have a much larger role sooner than expected.

Adding Thompson would give the Ravens so much-needed insurance as they look to pick up right where they left off.