Ravens reset: The most interesting stars and storylines of training camp

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Summer break is over for the Ravens. Training camp is finally here.

With the team kicking off its first day Wednesday in Owings Mills, here’s what reporters Jonas Shaffer and Giana Han and columnist Kyle Goon will be looking for at coach Jesse Minter’s first camp.

Which player or coach are you most interested in tracking?

Shaffer: For two weeks last September, Nnamdi Madubuike was one of the NFL’s best defensive linemen. Then he got hurt, and his next 10 months were one big question after another: He’s inactive? How’d he injure his neck? And now his season is over? And maybe his career, too? Wait, he got surgery, and it’s not over?

Apparently not. Madubuike is on the Ravens’ physically-unable-to-perform list for now, but he’s expected to be at practice sooner than later. If Madubuike can return to his Pro Bowl form, the Ravens should have one of the NFL’s best defensive fronts. But that’s a big if: Neck injuries and trench play don’t seem naturally compatible.

Han: After an outstanding 2024 season that should have resulted in a Most Valuable Player award, Lamar Jackson had a 2025 season marred by injuries and overall team struggles. Following subpar performances (by Jackson’s standards) and spotty attendance, the quarterback’s detractors got louder.

But, as Kyle wrote back in January, why are we so quick to discount the player who has delivered some of football’s most magical moments? Sure, he’s a running quarterback, and players in that mold have historically lost a step at some point as they age. But Jackson is not yet 30 and still says he feels good. With an offseason to recover and get stronger, a rebuilt offensive line, a new coordinator and a contract extension on the line, Jackson can remind us why we should never count him out.

Goon: So much about this team’s ceiling rests in the hands of Declan Doyle. He’s the youngest offensive coordinator in the NFL, but he’ll have to command the respect and attention of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. He’ll have to find ways of compensating for a largely unproven cast of pass catchers and getting a lot more out of the offensive line after last year’s group underachieved.

The more I’ve gotten to see of him, the more I understand why the Ravens took a chance on him despite his youth. He has a lot of energy and confidence, and his early interactions with Jackson show that he won’t be afraid to coach the two-time MVP hard. Assuming Jackson is healthy, there’s a good pathway for early success behind Doyle’s aptitude for offense. But he might have to scheme his way out of shortcomings in other areas of the roster, especially at tight end and receiver.

What storyline will you be following closely?

Shaffer: Will the Ravens’ 2026 camp follow the arc of the Chicago Bears’ 2025 camp? Declan Doyle spent last year learning under Bears coach Ben Johnson, whose attention to detail, verbose play calls and demanding install periods led to some ugly days for Chicago’s passing attack early in camp. And that was against a secondary less talented than the one in Baltimore.

Quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense eventually rounded into form by the preseason, but not before weeks of sky-is-falling rhetoric on local sports talk radio. Jackson’s veteran savvy should keep him from any prolonged slumps — the defense usually starts one step ahead of the offense in camp, anyway — but Doyle’s demands will be interesting to track.

Han: Can Jesse Minter get this defense, particularly the pass rush, back to the feared unit it once was? Last season, we heard over and over again about how the defense wanted to be the scariest in the league, but instead that title went to Houston and Seattle while the Ravens dwelled in mediocrity. They had the players, and they claimed they also had the coaching as they vehemently defended former coordinator Zach Orr. But something didn’t click.

Meanwhile, outside linebacker Odafe Oweh was traded to Minter’s Los Angeles Chargers midway through last season and saw his stats soar. One of the Ravens’ main issues last year was their pass rush. Without that pressure, everything else starts to fall apart. If Minter can unlock his pass rushers as he did Oweh, that will go a long ways to restoring the Ravens’ defensive identity.

Goon: Getting this rebuilt offensive line in sync is probably the biggest challenge of training camp. Doyle comes from Chicago, which had a really good line last year, and offensive line coach/run game coordinator Dwayne Ledford has a very compelling resume. But you cannot overlook that Tyler Linderbaum, who helped unlock the line in the best years of the Todd Monken era, leaves a gaping void at center that will be hard to fill.

The confidence in rookie Vega Ioane strikes a hopeful chord for this group, but there are likely to still be speed, strength and scheme adjustments. Ronnie Stanley needs to stay on the field. Roger Rosengarten needs to remind everyone why he seemed so promising in 2024. John Simpson would do well to reclaim some of the poise from his previous Ravens stint. And all of those guys need to compensate for whoever is starting at center, which is likely to be the line’s weakest point.

What’s the most compelling positional battle?

Shaffer: The cornerback competition will be intense. Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey are expected to start, but the depth chart after that seems up for grabs. Chidobe Awuzie is back, but he’s also 31. Bilhal Kone was on track to contribute as a rookie before tearing up his knee in the preseason last year. Keyon Martin fought his way onto the roster as an undrafted free agent. T.J. Tampa and Marquise Robinson impressed in the offseason. Rookie Chandler Rivers was considered a draft steal in the fifth round.

If the Ravens want to play with three safeties on the field and keep five safeties on their 53-man roster, there will be only so much space for the team’s corners.

Han: Wide receiver has been a sore point in Baltimore for some time. The Ravens have used first-round picks and signed big-name free agents, but they have yet to build a robust room. Rashod Bateman has been beset with injuries. Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins played smaller roles than expected, given the size of their stardom. Instead, tight ends have taken up a large share of the targets.

Zay Flowers has shown he’s here to stay, but beyond him, there are so many questions. Can Bateman bounce back? Can Devontez Walker seize an opportunity to contribute in his third year? Which of the two wide receivers they drafted will end up with a bigger role: Ja’Kobi Lane or Elijah Sarratt? Will wideouts have a bigger role under Doyle, or will tight ends still feature prominently?

Goon: I don’t know if it’s a “battle” as much as a position that requires someone to step up, but who is the chief pass rusher opposite Trey Hendrickson? At one point, it was assumed to be Mike Green, who really needs to make a heck of a sophomore leap. Zion Young’s aggression may help the rookie make an early impression, while Tavius Robinson could claw back from injury and make an impact.

It’s hard to know what Calais Campbell will bring given his very tough, very sad off-field tragedy. But assuming he’s able to come to camp and give the Ravens some snaps on the edge, this team will look to get the last bit of good football he’s got left.

Make a bold camp prediction.

Shaffer: Rookie Elijah Sarratt overtakes Devontez Walker for the WR3 job. Sarratt emerged as an unlikely star at James Madison and then Indiana under coach Curt Cignetti, whose demands on his offensive players are not unlike Declan Doyle’s: Be accountable, be explosive and be a nuisance as a blocker.

Sarratt doesn’t have elite athletic traits, but the fourth-round pick’s route-running savvy in college helped him separate, especially in the red zone. (He had a Football Bowl Subdivision-best 15 touchdowns total last season.) And at his listed 215 pounds, Sarratt could give the Ravens some size as a run-blocking wide receiver in the slot. Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Walker all have leaner frames, which can be a liability at times.

Han: Adam Randall is going to develop into a key player. When he was drafted, I wasn’t sure what to make of him. He was scouted and selected by owner Steve Bisciotti — and general manager Eric DeCosta’s son? He’s a running back, but he’s also a receiver? Whatever. He was just one of a handful of fifth-round picks.

But then I saw him on the field, heard him speak and felt out some sources around the league. And I think he could contribute to this team beyond having a special teams role. Randall has the physique of a freak athlete. He obviously knows how to catch and run routes, since he entered Clemson as a wide receiver. Now, he knows how to get downhill, too, from his season as a running back. And he’s clearly coachable, if Dabo Swinney tasked him with switching positions late in his college career. So he could continue to grow as both a runner and blocker. Doyle seems creative, and Randall seems like a guy who would make a creative coordinator start drawing up possibilities.

Goon: By the end of camp, Chandler Rivers will be higher on the depth chart than most of his veteran competition. If you watch Rivers’ college tape, it’s simply dynamite. He’s just 5 feet 9, but he’s always around the ball, breaking up passes or grabbing turnovers. It’s hard to teach the kind of instincts Rivers has shown in the past: He had 29 career passes defended at Duke, as well as 16 career tackles for loss despite his smaller size.

While Bilhal Kone and T.J. Tampa may be more coveted for their special teams contributions, and Chidobe Awuzie has veteran savvy, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Rivers push for a lot of time at nickel or even on the outside. Jesse Minter and Anthony Weaver love guys who can get their hands on the ball, and if Rivers can flash that in camp, it will be hard to keep him off the field.