After coming off a strong 2024-2025 regular season campaign, the Baltimore Ravens suffered playoff heartbreak again last season. With Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry coming off monster seasons, the Ravens have had an interesting offseason. Let’s jump right into their offseason moves!
Ravens’ 2024-2025 Season Recap
This franchise suffered the same fate as the past three seasons, another playoff loss. They were defeated by Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills 27-25 in the Divisional Round. Did Mark Andrews drop a wide-open two-point conversion? Yes, however, that’s not why they lost. It’s not the first drop of water, it’s not the last drop of water, it’s all the drops of water in between. With all the regular-season success this franchise has had, they are on the list of teams where, if not now, when will they get over the hump?
Offseason Losses
This team didn’t lose much in the offseason. They gained more than they lost. The two notable departures for the Ravens were DB Brandon Stephens, OG Patrick Mekari, and longtime kicker Justin Tucker. Stephens and Mekari weren’t household names.
Still, their snap count told a different story. Stephens played on 94.41% of the defensive snaps, the most on the team. Mekari played on 89.91% of the offensive snaps. With both being lost in free agency, how will the rushing attack of Baltimore, which finished 1st in rushing yards per game at 187.6 be affected.
Offseason Acquisitions
Let’s look at what they gained. One of their biggest “splash” deals was signing wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to a one-year deal. Coming off an 80-catch, 610-yard campaign, we saw his numbers rise when he went to the Kansas City Chiefs last season. The 5x Pro Bowler has only one thing missing from his potential Hall of Fame resume: a Super Bowl.
The Ravens also signed two cornerbacks to help with their 31st-ranked defense against the pass last season, Chidobe Awuzie and Jaire Alexander. Awuzie is coming off a down season, only playing in eight games and starting in seven for the Tennessee Titans.
In terms of their draft, they were excellent. Baltimore selected Malaki Starks out of UGA with their first pick. I am extremely high on Starks. One of the best “plug and play” players in last year’s draft. He is also one of the most “Raven-esque” selections. Of course, a player who played in the SEC under Kirby Smart falls to the Ravens. Mike Green is another interesting pick in the second round. He led the NCAA in sacks last season and has the potential to be a key rotational edge rusher for this defense.
Re-signings
When you have an excellent framework for a team, you try to keep it together. The Ravens re-signed key contributors OT Ronnie Stanley, LB Kyle Van Noy, WR Tylan Wallace, OL Ben Cleveland, & FB Patrick Ricard. All of their re-signed players have been solid to above average for this franchise. Ricard has been one of the best fullbacks for years, in a league that has almost abolished the position. It’s interesting to see if Van Noy, who is coming off a career season, can replicate the impact he had last year.
My Opinions of Baltimore’s Offseason
This might be one of the last few seasons of this iteration of the team and franchise. This roster as a whole isn’t getting any younger. I don’t love their receiving core, but they’ve never had a great one. It’s interesting because Baltimore has a top-three QB, a top-three RB, a top-three ILB, a top-five safety, and a top-eight DT. This team has playmakers at every level. Let’s see if they can finally put it all together.
Final Thoughts
I believe they have had a good, not great, offseason. Nothing eye-popping, but nothing dreadful. This is purely about their offseason moves and not their schedule; that’s a conversation for a different day. If you want a letter grade, it would be a B+: above-average, but nothing special, as mentioned earlier.
As always, thank you so much for checking out my recap and review of the Baltimore Ravens’ offseason moves! Be sure to check out our other amazing content here at New Leaf News! We hope you’re enjoying your day, and we look forward to seeing you all again soon.
