Ravens risers and fallers: A look at who’s trending early in training camp

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The Ravens’ first 10 training camp practices under coach Jesse Minter have had something for almost everyone. A healthy and engaged Lamar Jackson. A contract extension for Zay Flowers. An exciting rookie playmaker. A more connected defense. A resilient kicker. And relatively few visits with the team’s medical staff.

Five days from their preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Ravens have been far from perfect this summer. Still, their trend lines are indisputable.

“What you’re chasing in training camp is the best version of yourself every day, and you want that to continue to raise and raise and raise and raise,” Minter said after practice Sunday. “So we will keep chasing all that. I like where we’re at.”

Here’s a rundown of who’s performed well in Owings Mills — and who’s left room for improvement.

Risers

WR Ja’Kobi Lane: Few Ravens rookies in recent memory have emerged as suddenly and as forcefully as Lane. In offseason workouts, the third-round pick looked like an afterthought in the passing game. Fourth-round pick Elijah Sarratt was the more productive rookie wide receiver. But when camp opened, it was Lane who was earning first-string reps out wide.

A leaping catch over cornerback Marlon Humphrey early in camp started his hype train. Near-daily highlights have kept it moving. Lane has made one-handed catches along the sideline, leaping grabs in the back of the end zone and smooth put-aways over the middle. Jackson has rarely looked downfield for explosive plays this camp, but the 6-foot-4 Lane has been a welcome exception. “He is different,” Jackson said Aug. 1. “Long arms. Strong hands.” And an attention to detail that his coaches have noticed.

K Tyler Loop: The best way to start a kicker controversy is to miss easy kicks. Loop seemed to do that at the Ravens’ College Park practice, misfiring from 33 and 40 yards — or at least coming awfully close on both — before ending practice with a successful 43-yarder.

The best way to end a kicker controversy, or at least to quiet the noise around one, is to make kicks. Loop hasn’t missed a “live” field goal in his two most recent practice sessions. Just as important, he made five attempts from at least 50 yards across those two days. Training camp and preseason success will endear him only so much to a Ravens fanbase still smarting from his season-ending Week 18 miss in Pittsburgh, but it should at least keep general manager Eric DeCosta from bringing in competition.

CB T.J. Tampa: Like the best cornerbacks, Tampa stands out by not standing out. That was the case in offseason workouts, where he impressed in relative anonymity, and that’s been the case in camp, where quarterbacks have seldom tested him out wide. Tampa hasn’t had a flawless summer, but he’s broken up passes, forced a fumble and stayed healthy.

Tampa should again be an important contributor on special teams, and he could push for meaningful snaps on defense. As the Los Angeles Chargers’ defensive coordinator last season, Minter cycled through cornerbacks in games. Even if Nate Wiggins and Humphrey open the season as the Ravens’ starting outside corners, there’s no guarantee either will be an every-down player.

DL Nnamdi Madubuike: It’s hard to tell how close Madubuike is to participating in padded practices, much less playing in NFL games. But his progress is undeniable. In April, Madubuike underwent neck surgery in hopes of saving his playing career. On Saturday, he was in a helmet and practice jersey, working with defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver on his pass rush technique while director of strength and conditioning Scott Elliott monitored their session.

Minter said in late July that “there are positive things to come” with Madubuike, who last played in a game 11 months ago and hasn’t spoken to reporters in that span. But the Ravens are taking their time with the two-time Pro Bowl selection. They know what’s at stake with his rehabilitation, not only physically but mentally as well. “It’s still a process to get ready to play football,” Minter said.

OL Emery Jones Jr., Carson Vinson: Yes, the Ravens need rookie right guard Vega Ioane to live up to his first-round hype. So far, so good; right tackle Roger Rosengarten called Ioane a “stud.” But the team also needs its second-year linemen to step up as reliable depth pieces. Jones, a third-round pick who lost most of his rookie year to an offseason shoulder injury, and Vinson, a fifth-rounder who arrived in Baltimore with more potential than polish, haven’t raised any alarm bells in camp.

Jones played primarily right tackle at LSU but, after kicking inside in practice last year, projects as the team’s top reserve guard. Offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford said “his intent, his work ethic, his demeanor” are “exactly what you want up front.” Vinson is no pacifist, either; he scuffled with outside linebacker Tavius Robinson last week. Vinson, lauded for his work this offseason, is in a “really good position” in the swing tackle race, Minter said.

CB Keyon Martin, S Keondre Jackson: Their fates here may be intertwined. Martin, who made the Ravens’ initial 53-man roster last season as an undrafted rookie, entered camp squarely on the bubble. Jackson, who made the practice squad last season as an undrafted rookie and went on to play in 12 games, was on safer ground. His special teams value is unquestioned on a roster that lost significant contributors there this offseason.

But Jackson’s emergence on defense — he has two interceptions in camp, and Weaver has called him the unit’s “most improved” player this offseason — could help solidify Martin’s place in the Ravens’ plans. If DeCosta feels comfortable opening the season with just four safeties on his roster, he could make space for another cornerback. Not that Martin needs the help at the moment. He’s impressed with his coverage in the slot, picking off a pass from Lamar Jackson in College Park and knocking balls away from taller receivers at the catch point.

OLB Ethan Burke: If there’s an undrafted rookie who can win the hearts of Ravens fans this preseason — and maybe a roster spot — look out for the 6-foot-6, 267-pound Burke. A former lacrosse prospect who decommitted from Maryland in high school to play football at Texas, Burke was considered a Day 3 draft prospect after a solid Longhorns career.

Though Burke’s impact has waned in recent practices, he impressed early in camp, getting into the backfield to eliminate runs and working past offensive tackles to pressure the quarterback. Burke could also make an impact on special teams; he blocked three field goals over his two final seasons at Texas. “He plays the game hard,” outside linebackers coach Harland Bower said. “He plays long. Great leverage player. Can rush, and really violent at the point of attack. So he gives you everything you want in terms of an edge.”

Also considered: RB Rasheen Ali, OLB Adisa Isaac, OLB Tavius Robinson, ILB Roquan Smith, ILB Trenton Simpson, CB Chandler Rivers

Fallers

CB Marlon Humphrey: Humphrey deserves grace here. After missing every practice that was open to reporters during organized team activities, he arrived at camp having to play catchup. Maybe a slow start was inevitable.

But Humphrey has been targeted early and often during the first 12 days of camp, and unlike Wiggins, another frequent magnet for quarterback attention, he hasn’t made many plays on the ball. Lane has been Humphrey’s chief adversary; the rookie’s size and physicality have overwhelmed him at times. Still, Minter has reiterated his confidence in Humphrey, who said Saturday that, after an injury-marred 2025, he feels good physically and appreciates the bluntness of Minter’s new regime. But Humphrey needs to be better — not only because of his disappointing 2025, but also because the list of receivers outside Baltimore better than Lane is not a short one.

TE Mark Andrews: DeCosta said in February that the Ravens expect Andrews to “get back to himself and be the player that he can be” after a disappointing 2025 (career-low 422 receiving yards). In one-on-ones this summer, Andrews is getting open without much trouble. But in team drills, he’s still finding his way in coordinator Declan Doyle’s offense.

Most of Andrews’ catches have come on throws less than 10 yards downfield; he’s struggled to get Jackson’s attention in his usual sweet spot, between the inside linebackers and safeties. Drops have also been a recurring problem for Andrews, who had just three all last year, according to Pro Football Focus. He flubbed a couple of opportunities on the first day in camp, had another drop Sunday and has struggled with consistency throughout. Rookies Matthew Hibner and Josh Cuevas are unlikely to push Andrews for meaningful snaps on offense, but Durham Smythe’s blocking ability could be prioritized in more personnel groupings than expected.

C Corey Bullock: After the Ravens lost Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, Bullock, his backup, seemed well positioned to fight for the starting job. Five months later, he could be on the wrong side of the Ravens’ roster bubble.

Danny Pinter, who has starting experience at center, has taken most of the Ravens’ first-team reps in camp. Ethan Pocic, who has even more starting experience at center, figures to climb the depth chart as he ramps up physically in his return from a torn Achilles tendon. Bullock missed mandatory minicamp and the first week of camp while recovering from an undisclosed illness, and he hasn’t yet been cleared for team reps. He could make a late charge at a roster spot, but his hopes of earning enough trust to top the depth chart are dwindling.

DL Aeneas Peebles: Peebles, sidelined since Aug. 4 with an undisclosed injury, is expected to return to practice soon. But his absence underscores the intensity of the roster competition along the Ravens’ defensive line. At full strength, four veterans appear to be roster locks: Madubuike, Travis Jones, Calais Campbell and John Jenkins. Broderick Washington’s recent pay cut will also help his case.

But, if the Ravens’ 53-man roster includes a sixth lineman, who will it be? Seventh-round pick Rayshaun Benny has impressed against the run and pass. David Olajiga, a former International Pathway Program player, has flashed, too. C.J. Okoye, a developing space eater, played over 200 defensive snaps in 13 Ravens games last season. And then there’s Peebles, who appeared in just six games as a rookie but has the most pass rush juice of any of the team’s on-the-bubble contenders.

Also considered: WR Dayton Wade, C Ethan Pocic