Ravens training camp superlatives: Biggest wild card, most scrutinized player and more

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After six long weeks (and a couple of head-scratching NFL rankings), Ravens training camp is almost here.

Rookies are expected to report by Friday and veterans by Tuesday. The team’s first open practice will be Wednesday in Owings Mills. Hot takes about the 2026 season will follow shortly.

With 90 players on the Ravens’ training camp roster and a remade coaching staff guiding them to Week 1, there’s plenty worth paying attention to. Here are nine camp superlatives that should set the stage for the preseason.

Best position battles: Starting center and starting inside linebacker

There’s plenty in common here. Both favorites are coming off season-ending December injuries: The newly signed Ethan Pocic tore his Achilles tendon, and Teddye Buchanan tore his ACL. Both jobs will have at least one steady neighbor to rely on: Left guard John Simpson is a durable veteran starter, and Roquan Smith is a four-time Pro Bowl inside linebacker. And both competitions will be easier to assess once the preseason starts: Interior line play can be challenging for reporters to evaluate in camp, and Buchanan won’t get many “live” tackling opportunities in practice. (Depending on his recovery, he might not play in the preseason at all.) If either Pocic or Buchanan is slow to find his pre-injury form, Week 1 snaps could be up for grabs. Ravens officials have expressed confidence in center Danny Pinter, another offseason signing, and the versatile Trenton Simpson should be ready entering a pivotal contract year.

Biggest mystery: DL Nnamdi Madubuike

After offseason neck surgery, Madubuike is “pointed in the right direction,” general manager Eric DeCosta said this month. Just how close he is to practicing in pads, or playing in a game, remains unclear. Madubuike, 28, hasn’t spoken to reporters since he suffered a season-ending neck injury in September that cast doubt on his professional future. The Ravens should have the depth up front to compete without Madubuike, but his return to Pro Bowl form would level up the defense. Madubuike had two sacks and 10 pressures in just two games last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Biggest wild card: CB Marlon Humphrey

Humphrey had the worst season of his career last year, a stunning feat for a cornerback who finished with more interceptions (four) than touchdowns surrendered (three). Humphrey allowed a career-high 909 yards when targeted in coverage, according to PFF, and struggled with his tackling (16.5% missed-tackle rate). His peculiar social media presence didn’t win over many fans this offseason, and his $15.3 million base salary for 2026 isn’t any more endearing. But Humphrey turned 30 only weeks ago, and he’s only two years removed from an All-Pro season. A strong camp would be a good first step toward showing that 2025 was a fluke.

Most important coaching job: OC Declan Doyle

As head coach, Jesse Minter has the most responsibility and faces the most pressure of any staff member. But it’s Doyle who’s responsible for rebuilding the offense around quarterback Lamar Jackson’s ever-evolving game. Doyle needs more from an offensive line that underwhelmed last season and then lost its top starter, center Tyler Linderbaum, in free agency. Doyle needs more from wide receiver Rashod Bateman and tight end Mark Andrews, both of whom finished 2025 with career lows in receiving yards. And he needs more from Jackson, whose accuracy was erratic at times last season, his on-target rate on unpressured drop-backs (72.6%) approaching a career low, according to Sports Info Solutions. Doyle arrived in Baltimore with glowing recommendations, but this is his first offseason working with an offense he can call his own.

Most scrutinized player: K Tyler Loop

Every missed field goal in training camp will launch a thousand tweets. Every perfect summer practice will be overlooked because of what happened last winter. Loop said all the right things in June about moving on from the Ravens’ season-ending Week 18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but his missed 44-yarder casts a daunting shadow over his camp. If Loop struggles, will the Ravens bring in veteran competition, as fans have clamored for? Or will the team trust in his potential and in senior special teams coach Randy Brown, knowing that even Justin Tucker had rough stretches?

Most intriguing rookie: WR Ja’Kobi Lane

Lane has already heard the praise. De’Andre Hopkins called him a “playmaker.” Dez Bryant, another former Ravens wide receiver, called the third-round pick the “steal of the draft.” Now it’s time for production. Lane was relatively quiet through the Ravens’ offseason workouts as he learned their playbook and adjusted to NFL playing conditions. But he has the build and confidence of a prototypical “X” receiver, a spot the Ravens have struggled to fill since Jackson’s arrival. Minter has said the Ravens may need Lane or fellow rookie wide receiver Elijah Sarratt to step up. Lane, a 6-foot-4 target with huge hands and a knack for drawing pass interference penalties, could at least help in the red zone. First, though, he’ll need to earn Jackson’s trust.

Most under-the-radar player: CB T.J. Tampa

Tampa didn’t get a lot of media attention during offseason workouts. And for good reason: Ravens quarterbacks didn’t often test him in team drills. Even more impressive, many of his reps came after he stepped in for sidelined starters Nate Wiggins and Humphrey. Tampa’s defensive impact through two seasons in Baltimore has been minimal (just 165 defensive snaps), and he doesn’t have a clear path to a role in the secondary. But he was considered a Day 2 talent when he fell to the Ravens in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, and Minter should know how to optimize his skill set. His Chargers defense helped the similarly sized Cam Hart emerge as a solid starting corner over his two years in Los Angeles.

Most important reserve: OT Carson Vinson

Vinson was a raw prospect when the Ravens drafted him in the fifth round last year, and he struggled early in his first training camp. But former offensive line coach George Warhop believed in the Alabama A&M product’s potential. Sure enough, the 6-foot-7, 320-pound Vinson quietly overtook Joe Noteboom as the Ravens’ top swing tackle last season, earning activations for their final seven games. He did well enough to keep the front office from investing in a veteran option behind starters Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten or spending an early pick on a tackle. If fellow 2025 pick Emery Jones Jr., a tackle at LSU, ends up inside, Vinson could be needed this season to keep Jackson upright. DeCosta is a believer; he’s said he expects Vinson to take another step forward in 2026.

Most in need of a clean slate: OLB Adisa Isaac

The Ravens typically keep five outside linebackers on their 53-man roster, and there’s space for one this year behind Trey Hendrickson, Tavius Robinson, Mike Green and Zion Young. But can Isaac stay healthy long enough to claim it? And have his injury woes over his first two years in Baltimore hurt his development enough to throw the competition wide open? A third-round pick in 2024, Isaac missed most of his rookie year because of a hamstring injury he suffered during the predraft process. He missed all of last season with a preseason elbow injury, then sat out most of the Ravens’ open practices this summer. The clock is ticking on Isaac’s time in Baltimore.