Eleven of the top 12 Ravens in offensive snaps last year remain on Baltimore’s roster, with the exception being 17-game starting offensive lineman Patrick Mekari, who signed with Jacksonville in free agency.

Ten of the 12 leaders in defensive snaps also return, and safety Marcus Williams, one of the two who won’t (cornerback Brandon Stephens is the other), was a healthy scratch for the final month-plus of the 2024 season.

Most of the Ravens’ offseason departures were reserves or role players who were replaced by select free-agent signings and an 11-man draft class. Injuries are always a threat, and the Ravens already took a hit when defensive back Ar’Darius Washington tore his Achilles during a workout last month. Otherwise, at least on paper, the Ravens won’t start training camp next month with too many spots unaccounted for on their regular-season roster, never mind questions about their projected starters.

Just look at the wide receiver position, where the Ravens traditionally have a few jobs to win. Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and DeAndre Hopkins are entrenched as the top three with Tylan Wallace, a core special-teamer who played 275 offensive snaps last year, and 2024 fourth-round pick Devontez Walker, who’s looked like one of the team’s most improved players in the offseason workouts, behind them.


If the Ravens take a sixth receiver, it will likely be a punt returner, possibly sixth-round rookie LaJohntay Wester. That doesn’t mean Wester won’t ultimately contribute on offense, but his path to the 53-man roster is through a return role.

Cooper Rush is Lamar Jackson’s new backup, and the Ravens’ highly productive tight end group is intact from last year. As long as Keaton Mitchell is healthy, the Ravens are set with their top three running backs, too, and the only question would be if they keep a fourth.

Arguably, the team’s two biggest starting position battles this summer will be at left guard and inside linebacker. The favorites to win those spots began the 2024 season as starters.

Still, depth is critically important for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, and this week’s mandatory minicamp, which starts Tuesday, will provide the most extensive look yet at Baltimore’s roster. It will also preview some of the roster decisions that will need to be made later this summer.

Below are some of the more intriguing ones.

Starting left guard

The Ravens could have other younger linemen emerge as options, but it would be surprising if the Week 1 starter isn’t Vorhees. He started the opener last year before ultimately losing his job, partly due to an ankle injury. Given another opportunity in Week 18 against the Cleveland Browns, Vorhees looked like a different player, which was an encouraging sign for the team’s decision-makers.

Cleveland is entering his fifth season in Baltimore, and it seems clear the coaching staff doesn’t see him as an every-week starter or he would have gotten that opportunity by now. Also, Cleveland is subject to potential league discipline for his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence in February.

Third-round pick Emery Jones Jr. could become an option at some point, but he’s already missed a ton of important reps as he recovers from a shoulder injury. The Ravens have also maintained that they are initially focused on evaluating him at tackle, his natural position.

Reserve O-line spots

The Ravens typically carry nine or 10 offensive linemen, and this season figures to be no different. Operating under the assumption that the starting offensive line will be Ronnie Stanley, Vorhees, Tyler Linderbaum, Daniel Faalele and Roger Rosengarten, and that Jones will occupy one of the reserve roles, that leaves three or four spots to be filled.

Baltimore likes having an experienced swing tackle, so Noteboom, who has made 35 career starts, is close to a lock. Vinson and Dellinger are rookie Day 3 draft picks, so they’ll get every opportunity to earn a spot. The team seemed particularly excited about getting Dellinger in the seventh round. If Cleveland has to serve a suspension, that would create another opening.

Fifth outside linebacker

Keeping six outside linebackers would be prohibitive to the rest of the roster, so something has to give here. The Ravens return starters Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, who both had double-digit sacks last year, and Tavius Robinson, whom the coaches love. They then added second-round pick Mike Green, one of the better edge rushers in the draft.

It seems highly unlikely that they’d move on this early from Isaac, a third-round pick last year who barely played as a rookie because of injuries. Coach John Harbaugh spoke excitedly about him last week. That would leave Ojabo, a second-round pick in 2022 who has struggled to find his NFL footing, and Hamm, a local product who has stuck around the past two years, on the outside looking in.

Starting weak-side linebacker

Harbaugh said he fully expects Simpson to start alongside Roquan Smith on early downs, but that was before the Ravens used a fourth-round pick on Buchanan, an intriguing prospect. Still, Simpson remains the favorite. After losing his starting job late last season, Simpson worked hard this offseason and has shown he has an even better grasp of Baltimore’s defense. He essentially has a two-year head start on Buchanan, but the rookie has the tools and athleticism to flash early.

The Ravens likely won’t be in their base defense too often, so whoever wins this job may not play a ton of snaps.

Third, fourth cornerbacks

The Ravens love loading the field with defensive backs, meaning there should be snaps available for corners not named Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins. Awuzie played just eight games last year for the Tennessee Titans. The Ravens faced him for years in Cincinnati and have a lot of respect for his game. He was signed with the No. 3 cornerback role in mind. Tampa, though, is a guy the team is high on. The 2024 fourth-round pick barely got on the field because of injuries during his rookie season, but the Ravens love his size and length and expect him to contribute defensively this year.

Baltimore felt really good about getting both Kone and Longerbeam late on Day 3 of the draft, yet it would be a lot to ask for rookie sixth-round picks to secure an immediate role with a veteran group. Adding free agent Jaire Alexander would change the complexion of things at cornerback.

No. 3 safety

It’s possible the team’s No. 3 safety in September isn’t currently on the roster. There are quite a few free-agent safeties still available, including Justin Simmons, Julian Blackmon and Quandre Diggs. Washington’s injury — he will miss most, if not all, of the 2025 season — has left the Ravens thin at the position. It’s also possible they envision a natural corner, such as Awuzie or Armour-Davis, stepping into that role, particularly if Baltimore signs another cornerback in the coming weeks.

Of the in-house options, Kane may make the most sense. A core special-teamer last year, Kane looks to have leaned up this offseason and was around the football a good amount during OTAs. It would also be foolish to count out Brade, an undrafted free agent last year who looked the part when given opportunities to play in the preseason. Brade sustained an ankle injury last week, but he should be ready by training camp.

Kicker

Both rookie kickers had good days and bad days during OTAs, setting the stage for what will likely be the most scrutinized position battle of training camp. Loop, the sixth-round pick out of Arizona, will get every opportunity to win the job. He was the guy senior special teams coach and kicking guru Randy Brown wanted after an exhaustive evaluation of the draft-eligible kickers.

By all accounts, Loop was kicking really well before he missed 4 of 9 attempts — all from 50-plus yards — with owner Steve Bisciotti looking on at the final OTA last week. Meanwhile, Hoyland, an undrafted rookie out of Wyoming, made all six of his attempts a day earlier. Brown and the Ravens won’t overreact to one practice. Loop is still the favorite heading into training camp, but Hoyland seems intent on making this a legitimate competition.

Primary returners

Mitchell, who is much healthier and confident now than he was when returning from a significant injury last season, made clear last week that he wants the kick return job. Harbaugh also acknowledged that team officials noted the success of running backs under the new kickoff return rules last year. Using the explosive Mitchell on returns would be a good way for the Ravens to get the ball in his hands a few more times a game.

They drafted Wester in the sixth round out of Colorado because of his return ability. He averaged 12.0 yards per punt return and took two of his 23 returns over his final two college seasons back for touchdowns. A late-round rookie won’t have a long leash, so Wester is going to have to display good ball security and decision-making. If he falters, Wallace could be the contingency plan.