NFL offseason power rankings: No. 7 Baltimore Ravens had a tough season and got a makeover

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For all of the problems the Baltimore Ravens had last season, it seemed like it was still going to result in an AFC North title.

Lamar Jackson, whose season had been sidetracked by injury, got the Ravens in position for kicker Tyler Loop to attempt a field goal to knock out the Steelers and put the Ravens in the playoffs. And any team with Jackson would have been a dangerous opponent in the postseason. Loop, a rookie, was 30-of-33 on field-goal attempts at that point, and he hadn’t missed inside of 50 yards. This attempt was from 44 yards out.

Loop missed wide right on the final play of the NFL’s regular season. That was perfectly fitting for what was a tremendously frustrating Ravens season.

It’s impossible to know what might have happened if Loop hit that field goal. But he missed, and the Ravens’ franchise took a dramatic right turn afterward.

John Harbaugh was fired after 18 tremendous seasons as Baltimore’s head coach. He was replaced by Jesse Minter, a hot name after some great work for John’s brother, Jim Harbaugh, as he ran the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense.

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Change can be good. But it’s a gamble to move on from a likely Pro Football Hall of Fame coach, especially with urgency (and angst) growing around Jackson, an all-time great quarterback who still hasn’t made a Super Bowl. But the Ravens felt the need to shake things up, particularly after a season in which the goal of getting to a Super Bowl with Jackson seemed to be getting further away.

When Jackson was winning two MVPs (and should have won a third in 2024), it was mostly smooth. Last season, after Jackson missed time with a hamstring injury and there was a significant dip in his play after he returned, a Baltimore Sun story eviscerated Jackson, saying he would fall asleep in team meetings, stay up late playing video games and that his relationship with John Harbaugh had become strained.

The two sides would deny the claims in the story, but there was a reason those details were leaked to longtime Sun columnist Mike Preston. The marriage between an all-time great player and the Ravens franchise might be fraying. That story is a sign that this season is a critical turning point in Jackson’s time with the Ravens, especially since the two sides haven’t worked out an extension. Jackson is signed through the 2027 season.

That puts Minter, Jackson and everyone else on the spot. Everything with the Ravens dipped last season. They were an average team across the board, which was reflected in its 8-9 record. They were just 6-7 in Jackson’s starts, so they can’t completely pin it on the games Jackson missed.

It’s still easy to buy into a rebound. Whatever disrespect has come Jackson’s way this offseason, he’s still capable of being the most dominant player in the NFL. Minter is considered a defensive wizard, perhaps becoming to Baltimore what Mike Macdonald has been to the Seahawks, and Minter will have edge rusher Trey Hendrickson to work with.

If Jackson stays healthy, Derrick Henry has yet another big season at age 32 and Minter elevates the defense immediately (and new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle brings some fresh ideas as he replaces Todd Monken), the Ravens can reclaim their status as one of the NFL’s best teams.

And if Baltimore doesn’t bounce back? Get ready for what might become an even more chaotic Ravens offseason.

Offseason grade

The Maxx Crosby saga will be remembered for a long time. The Ravens made a huge trade with the Raiders for Crosby, agreeing to send two first-round picks to Las Vegas for one of the NFL’s top defensive players, then nixed the trade due to concerns about Crosby’s knee. The debate over whether the Ravens’ actions were underhanded has been had many times.

The final result, with the Ravens pivoting to free agent Trey Hendrickson and keeping their two first-round picks, resulted in a lesser player but over the long term will probably be better for Baltimore. And Hendrickson, who got a four-year, $112 million deal, will be an impact player off the edge for the Ravens.

The rest of the Ravens’ offseason wasn’t quiet either. Center Tyler Linderbaum left for the Raiders in what was a record deal at the position. Tight end Isaiah Likely, defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones, tight end Charlie Kolar and safety Alohi Gilman also left for big deals elsewhere.

Baltimore signed guard John Simpson, safety Jaylinn Hawkins, defensive lineman Calais Campbell and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie to deals worth at least $5 million per season. The draft was solid, with guard Olaivavega Ioane in the first round and edge defender Zion Young in the second.

The Ravens lost some good players, but also added some too. Hendrickson obviously helps the grade, assuming he’s still a top pass rusher at age 32.

Grade: B-

Quarterback report

Lamar Jackson, who won MVP in 2023 and should have won in 2024, was at an MVP level through his first three games last season. He had 722 passing yards, nine touchdowns, no interceptions, a great 141.8 passer rating and 118 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. In game four, Jackson injured his hamstring.

Jackson missed three games and when he came back, he wasn’t the same. After his return he played in nine games and had 1,680 yards, 11 touchdowns, six interceptions, a 91.5 passer rating and just 183 yards and one touchdowns rushing.

For some reason, many have ignored that Jackson was the best quarterback in football from the start of the 2023 season through three games last season, and have spent the offseason offering weird takes like Bo Nix is better than Jackson. It seems hard to believe that Jackson, at age 29, has dropped so far that the NFL’s ranking of him as the 69th best player in the league is remotely sane. But once again in his career, Jackson seemingly has to prove himself.

Odds breakdown

From Yahoo’s Ben Fawkes: “Baltimore (-115) is one of only two odds-on divisional favorites, ahead of Cincinnati (+195) to win the AFC North. Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers still are on what should be a potent offense, but former head coach John Harbaugh took a couple free agents with him to the New York Giants. Signing Trey Hendrickson after the failed Maxx Crosby trade will help the pass rush, but will it be enough?

“Tied for the league’s highest win total (11.5) and favored in 14 games, Baltimore also has the second-best odds of any NFL team to make the postseason (-400). I think new head coach Jesse Minter improves this defense and Baltimore wins the AFC North in what seems like a two-team race.”

Yahoo’s fantasy take

From Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: “Zay Flowers was a miracle worker last year, checking in as the WR7 despite Lamar Jackson’s clunky season (four missed games, and a notable drop in efficiency — though he was still a plus quarterback). Flowers also fashioned his lofty rank despite an ordinary six touchdowns. Flowers is merely the WR14 in early Yahoo drafts, which means you can likely draft him at his floor. And he still might rocket to the moon, if Jackson stays healthy and/or clicks with new OC Declan Doyle. Flowers makes my proactive pick list.”

Stat to remember

Derrick Henry has 2,662 career carries, which is tops among active players. Josh Jacobs is way behind in second at 1,840. The workload Henry has had would have pushed most mortal backs to early retirement.

Henry just keeps on pushing forward. At age 31 last season, Henry had 1,595 yards and 16 touchdowns while averaging a healthy 5.2 yards per carry. Given the concerns about wear and tear for backs in the modern NFL, it’s absurd what Henry continues to do. But most modern backs aren’t 252 pounds like Henry.

At some point Henry will slow down, but predicting it seems foolish. He is an outlier in today’s game, better suited for an era in which running back committees didn’t exist. We’d worry about any other back who will be 32 and has 1,261 carries over the last four seasons, but Henry is different.

Burning question: What will Jesse Minter’s defense look like?

It’s easy to compare Minter and Mike Macdonald, another defensive-minded head coach who won last season’s Super Bowl. Minter and Macdonald were assistants together on the Ravens staff from 2017-20.

Minter will play a lot of zone defense with split safeties, and he relies on the pass rush getting to the quarterback without blitzing often. That’s why adding Trey Hendrickson, a stellar pass rusher, was huge for the defense. Those philosophies mirror what Macdonald is doing in Seattle.

Minter has the stamp of approval from one of the NFL’s brightest offensive coaches, Rams head coach Sean McVay.

“These guys [Macdonald and Minter] are at the forefront of a lot of the cool things that are going on,” McVay said on the “Daily Flock Show,” via SI.com. “And everybody wants to get into the scheme, but there’s a style of play that their defenses play with — it’s tough, it’s physical, all 11 tackle, it’s sound.

“They pick and choose their spots to (blitz) and there’s a clear cut philosophy that is a pain in the you know what to go against.”

Macdonald’s scheme took a season before it fully took hold in Seattle, and maybe there’s a year of transition in Baltimore. But the Ravens have the talent to make a big improvement, with Hendrickson, a good cornerback trio of Nate Wiggins, Marlon Humphrey and new addition Chidobe Awuzie, elite safety Kyle Hamilton and top-end linebacker Roquan Smith. Defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike’s status is up in the air due to a neck injury, but if he can return it would be a huge boon. How quickly a talented defense adapts to Minter’s scheme is one of the biggest stories to track early this season.

Best-case scenario

Lamar Jackson will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he’s done, and it seems obvious that a hamstring injury was the culprit in his dip in play last season. In his final three games, with a little more health, he had a 125.9 passer rating. It’s not hard to imagine Jackson being the best quarterback in the NFL again, as he was in 2023 and 2024 when he was first-team All-Pro. If that happens, the Ravens will be right back among the best teams in the NFL.

That assumes Jesse Minter’s defense is better than it was under former coordinator Zach Orr, and that seems like a safe bet. If Minter’s scheme clicks right away and hits big, as well as new coordinator Declan Doyle being a good hire on the offensive side, there’s no reason Baltimore can’t win a Super Bowl if Jackson is healthy. Just because Jackson hasn’t made it that far doesn’t mean he can’t do it.

Nightmare scenario

Dual-threat quarterbacks don’t always age well. Matthew Stafford can win his first MVP at age 37, but quarterbacks who are also elite runners generally have a shorter prime. It seems weird to think Lamar Jackson is closer to the end than we believe, but Cam Newton aged quickly in his late 20s. Jackson has had some seasons go sideways due to injury, and maybe that will annually be part of his story going forward.

The Ravens’ offense outside of Jackson has some questions. Zay Flowers is good but there aren’t many viable No. 2 receiver options to go with him. Mark Andrews and Derrick Henry have age questions. If Jackson’s play is more like his second half last season or he’s dealing with more injuries, the offense could be far worse than expected.

And while Jesse Minter was an exciting hire, maybe it takes a year for his scheme to take hold. Baltimore went 8-9 last season and we can’t discount their 2026 season playing out in a similar way. If that happens, and Jackson hasn’t signed an extension by the end of the season, there is going to be plenty of speculation about his future next offseason.

The crystal ball says

Sportsbooks are practically ignoring last season for the Ravens. Baltimore is tied for the second-best Super Bowl odds at DraftKings and FanDuel, behind only the Rams. Using that as a measure, having them at No. 7 on this list is a bit low. There are legitimate questions after last season’s failure.

However, I think Lamar Jackson will be an MVP candidate again and Jesse Minter will be an immediate asset to the defense, and the Ravens win the AFC North. While it would be great for the Ravens to make a Super Bowl, just to dash some of the nonsense narratives about Jackson, I don’t think this is the season it happens.

There are too many questions about some of the offensive depth and whether Minter can be a superstar in year one to get them to the top of the AFC. But if the Ravens get into the playoffs, Jackson always gives them the chance for a deep run.