Ravens mandatory minicamp preview: 5 questions to follow before summer break

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When Ravens veterans returned to Owings Mills last month for organized team activities, they were in good company. Only a handful of veterans were missing at each voluntary workout, their first under new coach Jesse Minter.

When the Ravens return to the practice fields Tuesday for the first of two practices at this week’s mandatory minicamp, the 2026 roster will feel almost fully formed. And the strengths and weaknesses of an expected Super Bowl contender will be scrutinized one last time before late July.

With most Ravens rookies and veterans expected to practice this week, here are five questions that could be answered as the team heads into its summer hiatus.

When will sidelined Ravens return?

Minter has tended to address injury questions and recovery timetables with generalities or not at all. In February, he declined to elaborate on an offseason operation that cornerback Nate Wiggins had shared on social media. In late May, Minter said defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike, who’s recovering from offseason neck surgery, is “trending in a great direction” and that inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan, who tore his ACL in December, is “really far ahead of schedule.” But he did not offer projections for when they could return to football activities.

A clearer picture on training camp availabilities could emerge this week. Outside linebacker Adisa Isaac, who’s still recovering from a 2025 elbow injury, was sidelined at the Ravens’ three open practices during OTAs and enters a crucial summer. Cornerback Bilhal Kone, who’s been limited in practice as he works back from the season-ending knee injury he suffered last preseason, could also have to wait to return to action.

Who’s leading the center battle?

Under former coach John Harbaugh, minicamp was often a staging area for the Ravens’ training camp plans. At the team’s 2024 minicamp, Daniel Faalele, then a backup tackle, took snaps at right guard. He claimed the starting job months later. Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu ended minicamp in 2023, his rookie year, as the first-string left guard, only to lose the job to John Simpson.

At the Ravens’ two open practices in OTAs, Danny Pinter (10 career starts) and Jovaughn Gwyn (no career starts) worked at center with the first-team offensive line. Corey Bullock, Tyler Linderbaum’s top reserve last year and another contender to replace him, missed the third open practice last week.

With every Ravens offensive lineman expected to attend minicamp this week, the team’s early pecking order at its most unsettled position should be clear. So could the need for general manager Eric DeCosta to trade for a potential starter.

Will Ravens’ missing big names speak?

The Ravens haven’t announced which players are expected to speak this week, but three are obvious candidates: defensive lineman Calais Campbell, cornerback Marlon Humphrey and wide receiver Rashod Bateman.

Campbell, who signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Ravens in May, has reunited with former Ravens defensive line coach Anthony Weaver, now the team’s defensive coordinator, as well as several former teammates, including Madubuike. With Campbell set to turn 40 in September, this could be his final shot at an elusive Super Bowl title.

Humphrey and Bateman had wildly disappointing 2025 seasons, and their absences at the Ravens’ open OTAs have rankled fans. (Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said last week that Bateman participated in much of the team’s offseason workout program and part of OTAs before leaving to tend to “personal things.”) Neither player seems to be in jeopardy of losing his starting job, but they’ll need to find their 2024 form for the Ravens to live up to their potential.

How do the rookies look?

The Ravens are counting on their rookie class to fortify a roster that lost scores of contributors in free agency. Top pick Vega Ioane has lived up to his first-round billing — “Every day he does something, he comes back, it’s a little bit better the next day,” Minter said last month — and seems on track to start at right guard. But more Day 1 contributors will be needed.

Outside linebacker Zion Young, the Ravens’ second-round pick, has an NFL-ready frame and should help on run defense. His pass rush ability, like that of many others, will be hard to evaluate until the pads come on early in training camp.

Fourth-round pick Elijah Sarratt outshined third-round pick Ja’Kobi Lane at wide receiver in the Ravens’ three open practices, while tight ends Matthew Hibner and Josh Cuevas, both Day 3 picks, likewise need to find their footing in the passing game.

Cornerback Chandler Rivers, who racked up interceptions and deflections at Duke, could make a case for playing time on a defense seeking more takeaways. Defensive lineman Rayshaun Benny could also step into a reserve role if Broderick Washington struggles again.

Punter Ryan Eckley, the Ravens’ pick to replace All-Pro Jordan Stout, will have a big role on special teams. So could running back Adam Randall, a productive returner at Clemson who will challenge for the kick return job in Baltimore.

What are the Ravens’ practice plans?

In prior offseasons, quarterback Lamar Jackson and receivers have hatched plans to meet for throwing sessions during the break before training camp. Some plans have come together. Others haven’t. With Doyle implementing a new offense, will there be more urgency than normal to convene and run routes?

The Ravens’ plans for training camp itself could also be notable. Under Harbaugh, the team moved away from morning practices — not only in July and August but also during the season. Most sessions last summer started at 1:30 p.m., meaning players often didn’t finish practice under the blazing Maryland sun until 4 p.m. Harbaugh also required players to pass a position-specific conditioning test before they were cleared to practice in camp.

Will Minter’s approach be different? The team’s three open practices in OTAs started around 12:30 p.m., but the intensity and scale of camp practices are far greater.