Ravens release former third-round pick outside linebacker Adisa Isaac

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After two years marred by injuries, outside linebacker Adisa Isaac returned to have a strong training camp but was released by the Ravens on Sunday.

Isaac was the Ravens’ 2024 third-round pick. He was selected out of Penn State after a redshirt senior season in which he recorded 16 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

When Isaac arrived in Baltimore, he was already dealing with a hamstring injury. That lingered through his rookie season, and he played just four games.

With an offseason to recover, Isaac returned healthy for 2025 training camp. He had an impressive camp and looked like a roster lock. But in the second preseason game, a win over the Dallas Cowboys, Isaac dislocated his elbow.

“It is a violent game,” Isaac said Friday regarding his injury. “This is football; things happen. It is just about how you respond to it. I feel like I have done a good job of responding to it well, staying positive and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.”

The injury knocked him out for the season and lingered into the beginning of this year’s training camp.

Isaac said there were a couple of setbacks in his recovery and that “everything just got ruptured.”

When he returned to the field July 31, he was wearing a heavy-duty elbow brace. He said he’s “working through” playing with it to see whether it’s something he plans to wear moving forward. He didn’t feel he was playing with hesitation, though.

“There’s only one way to go through it is straight through the fire, so I don’t really try to think about it too much,” Isaac said after the first preseason game.

Isaac started taking reps on the third team but quickly worked his way up to the second team, with some first-team reps thrown in. He also contributed on special teams.

He finished the preseason with a strong performance against the Commanders, recording five tackles with one sack.

“I feel like there is always more to do,” Isaac said about his preseason performance. “I feel like I definitely wanted to show a lot more, but like I was saying earlier, just more opportunities leads to more success, a better chance of showing what you can do. So I feel like I put a good foot forward, and I just want to continue to do it, keep stacking.”

Although Isaac said he tries to stay positive, his injuries did not allow him to realize the potential the Ravens saw in him. At the time they drafted him, general manager Eric DeCosta said he saw Isaac quickly joining the pass rush rotation.

“He’s got great length, which is a critical factor,” DeCosta said after drafting Isaac. “He’s got heavy hands, he’s got some different moves, he’s got speed and quickness, and I think he’s tenacious. And so, I think all of those things ... when you think about our best pass rushers, I think those are a lot of the traits that those guys have, so we’re very excited.”

In addition to being an athletic pass rusher, Isaac was a character pick. He earned the coveted “Red Star” label from one scout.

Isaac grew up in a single-parent household with three older siblings who are nonverbal due to various diagnoses. Isaac has been an advocate for people with disabilities.

If he clears waivers, he could be signed to the practice squad, but ESPN reported other teams are interested in the young pass rusher.