Sign, draft or trade for help? Here’s how the Ravens can plug their roster’s biggest holes.

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The Ravens entered training camp last summer with a roster widely considered one of the NFL’s best. Then the season started and the on-field talent fell short of the on-paper talent.

Ahead of the start of free agency next week, the roster evaluations in Baltimore are less glowing and the organizational urgency is more pressing. As Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta braces for a busier-than-normal legal tampering period, there are moves to make, holes to address, salary cap space to create. He must set up first-year coach Jesse Minter for the success that eluded John Harbaugh last year.

“I know that Eric has been very, very introspective about his failures and how they contributed to our dear friend being shown the door,” owner Steve Bisciotti said after firing Harbaugh in January. “So nobody’s harder on himself than Eric.”

The Ravens have only so many means to acquire impact players. They can retain their own pending free agents, sign outside free agents, trade for veterans already under contract and draft players next month. Here’s a look at how they can address their biggest positional needs this offseason.

Starting center

Retain: A handful of starting-level centers are set to hit free agency. Connor McGovern, 28, has graded out as a top-10 center for the Buffalo Bills over the past two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus, and is a strong pass blocker. Cade Mays, 26, didn’t allow a sack over the past two seasons in 25 games for the Carolina Panthers. Luke Fortner, 28, allowed three sacks but just 11 pressures overall in 17 games (10 starts) for the New Orleans Saints last year.

But in Tyler Linderbaum the Ravens already have a three-time Pro Bowl pick, a team leader and a perfect fit for new offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford’s outside-zone run schemes. With his team in win-now mode and his quarterback needing better protection, can DeCosta afford to weaken the interior line with a Band-Aid signing? Or take his chances on a draft class that doesn’t have a center ranked among the top 50 prospects?

Starting guard

Draft: If the Ravens don’t sign Linderbaum, 25, they should have more salary cap space to bolster their guard depth. And there’s a long list of free agents who could challenge Emery Jones Jr. and Andrew Vorhees for snaps. Will they look for a short-term deal with an aging veteran such as former Raven Kevin Zeitler, Isaac Seumalo or Joel Bitonio? Will they be attracted to the traits of a former top-60 pick such as Alijah Vera-Tucker or Ed Ingram? Will they shell out for ascendant or in-their-prime options such as David Edwards or Zion Johnson?

The Ravens should come away from the opening weeks of free agency with at least one guard. But the most attractive, team-friendly options are on Day 1 and Day 2 of the draft. Over the past decade, the team has used just two top-100 picks on full-time interior linemen: guard Ben Cleveland, a third-round pick in 2021, and Linderbaum, a first-round pick in 2022. (Jones, a third-round pick last year, played tackle at LSU.) Penn State’s Vega Ioane is considered a plug-and-play option and has been linked to the Ravens’ No. 14 overall pick. Texas A&M’s Chase Bisontis and Oregon’s Emmanuel Pregnon could be second-round targets.

Starting ‘X’ wide receiver

Draft: The Ravens need a weapon who can free up Pro Bowl receiver Zay Flowers to move around the field and play off the line of scrimmage. One problem: Wideouts who can beat press coverage and win on an island almost never reach free agency in their prime. When they do, it’s normally because of injury concerns or legal issues. This year, the Ravens likely won’t be able to win a bidding war for top-tier options Alec Pierce and Mike Evans or even second-tier options such as Jauan Jennings and Romeo Doubs, both of whom should command deals worth at least $15 million annually.

There’s always good young talent in the draft, though. Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson, a first-round talent, has dominant traits but is injury-prone. Washington’s Denzel Boston, Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell II, Louisville’s Chris Bell and Notre Dame’s Malachi Fields could be options from late in the first round to late in the second.

Blocking tight end

Retain: The Ravens’ rushing attack has always leveled up with tight ends who can serve as both a sixth offensive lineman and a credible receiving threat: Nick Boyle, Josh Oliver … Charlie Kolar? He looked the part last year. Kolar, primarily a slot receiver in college, has transformed his body and his game over his four years in Baltimore. Last season, working primarily as an in-line blocker, Kolar had the lowest blown-block rate (0.4%) among all tight ends with at least 200 blocking snaps, according to Sports Info Solutions. He has just 30 catches for 409 yards and four touchdowns over his career, but the 27-year-old is a big target with good hands over the middle.

Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard, 31, can also serve as a blocker around the line of scrimmage. His injury history is worrisome and his fit in offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s system is unclear, but Ricard’s desire to finish his career in Baltimore, his partnership with running back Derrick Henry and his ability in pass protection could lead to another contract extension.

If the Ravens part ways with both, they could target free-agent tight end Chris Manhertz, a solid in-line blocker who’s never had more than 71 receiving yards in a season, or draft a Day 3 prospect such as Stanford’s Sam Roush, Texas A&M’s Nate Boerkircher or Ohio State’s Will Kacmarek.

Backup quarterback

Retain: DeCosta had higher hopes for Cooper Rush when he signed him to a two-year deal last offseason, but a preseason reunion with Tyler Huntley on a low-cost deal proved extremely valuable. Huntley went 2-0 in his starts for the ailing Lamar Jackson, completing 77.6% of his passes for 426 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions and rushing 24 times for 151 yards.

Could the Ravens bring both back? Rush might fare better in Doyle’s system than he did in Todd Monken’s, and cutting him would save less than $500,000 in cap space. Huntley, 28, is the more interesting case. How much interest will he have around the league after a solid 2025? He’s earned just one contract worth more than $2 million in his career, and that was as a restricted free agent. He’s also a more dynamic scrambler than other low-cost options such as Tyrod Taylor, Kenny Pickett and Jimmy Garoppolo.

The Ravens may look for another arm in the draft, but if they have any reasonable hopes of finding a capable backup, they’d likely have to use a top-150 pick.

Starting defensive lineman

Draft: Travis Jones, John Jenkins and C.J. Okoye should anchor the nose tackle spot in Baltimore. But with Nnamdi Madubuike’s uncertain future, Broderick Washington’s disappointing 2025 and Aeneas Peebles’ limited rookie year workload, there’s a hole next to them up front. Before his season-ending and potentially career-threatening neck injury last year, Madubuike, 28, was one of the NFL’s best three-techniques, who line up over the outside shoulder of opposing guards and are typically the most dangerous pass rushers along the defensive line.

A healthy return to action would solve a big problem for defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and Minter. Difference-making defensive tackles are few and far between in free agency, where John Franklin-Myers is expected to lead the way. A reunion with Calais Campbell could be an effective stopgap solution, but the Ravens will likely be evaluating Clemson’s Peter Woods, Florida’s Caleb Banks and Georgia’s Christen Miller as potential top-50 picks.

Starting edge rusher

Trade: DeCosta treasures his first-round picks as if they’re family heirlooms. He probably won’t have the appetite to part with a first-round pick and more to acquire Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby, who has a $30 million base salary in 2026.

But what about dealing a second- or third-round pick for another impactful pass rusher? The Minnesota Vikings are reportedly open to trading outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard, who has an $18.4 million cap hit in 2026, for a Day 2 selection. Greenard, 28, had 12 sacks in 2024 and a 16.6% pass rush win rate this past season, according to PFF, which tied for 25th among regular edge rushers. A shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery limited him to three sacks in 12 games. Greenard, who played at Louisville with Jackson, is under contract through 2027.

The Ravens need more juice up front. They ranked near the bottom of the league in sack and pressure rates last season, and they could lose their most productive edge rusher, Dre’Mont Jones, in free agency. Trey Hendrickson, Jaelan Phillips and former Raven Odafe Oweh will likely have prohibitive price tags, and the market for other options such as Boye Mafe and Khalil Mack could be robust as well. In the draft, barring an unexpected fall for Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr., it’s unlikely the top player available at No. 14 overall will be an edge rusher.

Third safety

Sign: This one’s a toss-up. The Ravens could re-sign Alohi Gilman or Ar’Darius Washington to be their third safety, deployed in nickel and dime personnel alongside All-Pro Kyle Hamilton and Malaki Starks. Both have their weaknesses — Gilman’s tackling ability, Washington’s injury history — but neither would require a huge financial commitment.

The Ravens could also find a low-cost option on Day 3 of the draft. PFF has 10 safeties slotted between No. 100 and No. 250 in its overall prospect rankings.

But there are far more viable options in free agency, where supply could outstrip demand. The Ravens could sign Jabrill Peppers or Andre Cisco, among others, or link up again with former Ravens Geno Stone and Tony Jefferson.

Starting punter

Retain: The Ravens waited over three years for Jordan Stout to realize his potential and emerge as one of the NFL’s best punters. Team officials over the years have not been reluctant to invest in high-performing specialists, and Stout should be the next in line to earn a deal close to the top of the market. He earned All-Pro honors in 2025 after leading the league with a 44.9-yard net average, almost 4 yards better than his previous career high.