Ravens post-NFL Draft depth chart: Crowded at OLB, depth still needed along both lines

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The Baltimore Ravens’ roster is never set. The finishing touches were put on an 11-man draft class on Saturday. In another day or two, as many as 21 undrafted rookie free agents will officially join the organization after they pass their physicals and sign their deals.

There are typically a few back-end roster moves following the annual rookie minicamp, which runs Friday through Sunday, as the team makes room for a few of the tryout guys who impressed during the workouts. Then, there will be the inevitable veteran signings that will happen sporadically up through the start of training camp in late July.

Moments after the conclusion of the draft, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta acknowledged that the team needed to add a run-stuffing nose tackle in the coming weeks. That almost certainly won’t be the only addition. The Ravens have had success in recent years finding productive veterans on the cheap late in the offseason. DeCosta probably will take a few more swings this year.

Still, the crux of the roster is in place. With the draft in the rearview, it feels like the right time to look at an updated depth chart. Undrafted rookies are not included because the team hasn’t officially announced this year’s college free-agent class, and there are usually some tweaks up to the start of minicamp.

Quarterback

Starter: Lamar Jackson
Top backup: Cooper Rush
Depth: Devin Leary

The Ravens pondered taking a quarterback a few times when they were on the clock on Day 3 of the draft, but they never pulled the trigger. Since Jackson doesn’t traditionally play in the preseason, Baltimore will need to add a No. 4 quarterback who can serve as a camp arm and a potential mop-up guy. Otherwise, the Ravens are set here with free-agent signing Rush backing up Jackson. Leary, a sixth-round pick last year, will need a strong preseason to convince the Ravens to carry three quarterbacks on their regular-season roster.

Running back

Starter: Derrick Henry
Top backup: Justice Hill
Depth: Keaton Mitchell, Rasheen Ali

Other than padding the back end of the roster with a few undrafted free agents, the Ravens are likely done here. Henry and Hill return as a dynamic one-two punch. Another offseason removed from a major knee injury, Mitchell would give Baltimore another big-play threat if he’s closer to full strength. A fifth-round pick last year, Ali will start camp on the roster bubble if Henry, Hill and Mitchell are healthy.

Wide receiver

Starters: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, DeAndre Hopkins
Top backups: Tylan Wallace, Devontez Walker
Depth: LaJohntay Wester, Keith Kirkwood, Anthony Miller, Dayton Wade, Malik Cunningham

Baltimore has room to add a more accomplished veteran to compete with Wallace, Walker and others for the No. 4 wide receiver role, but that would take away opportunities from a younger pass catcher. If the team envisions Wester, a rookie sixth-round pick, handling punt return duties, there wouldn’t be room for anybody else to enter the mix.

The Ravens love Wallace on special teams, and he’s made plays on offense when given opportunities. It seems unlikely they’d give up on Walker, a developmental receiver whom they took in the fourth round last year, this early. The trio of Flowers in the slot and Bateman and Hopkins on the outside will log the majority of snaps.

DeAndre Hopkins joins a Ravens receiver room that includes Zay Flowers, who made his first Pro Bowl last year, and Rashod Bateman, who finished with nine TD receptions in 2024. (Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)

Tight end/fullback

Starters: Mark Andrews, Patrick Ricard
Top backup: Isaiah Likely
Depth: Charlie Kolar, Zaire Mitchell-Paden

Assuming Andrews returns, and DeCosta said last week that’s the expectation, there will be no changes with this group beyond the addition of a camp body or two to join Mitchell-Paden. Likely played 60 percent of Baltimore’s offensive snaps last year. That number should go up in 2025. Andrews played 61 percent, down considerably over the previous four seasons. The selfless Kolar is a solid No. 3. Every year, there is discussion about limiting Ricard’s snaps — and every year the Ravens show they are a better team when he’s on the field.

Offensive tackle

Starters: Ronnie Stanley, Roger Rosengarten
Top backups: Carson Vinson, Emery Jones Jr.
Depth: To be determined

The Ravens feel good about bringing back starters Stanley and Rosengarten. Yet, they shouldn’t be content with their tackle depth. Jones and Vinson, third- and fifth-round picks, respectively, may develop into solid NFL players, but the swing tackle role is extremely important and difficult for guys learning on the job. The Ravens should add a veteran tackle, whether it’s George Fant, who visited Baltimore earlier this month, or someone else.

Guard

Starters: Andrew Vorhees, Daniel Faalele
Top backups: Ben Cleveland, Garrett Dellinger
Depth: Corey Bullock

Unless the Ravens bring in a veteran late in the offseason, it appears that Vorhees and Faalele will be the team’s Week 1 starting guards for a second straight season. The Ravens haven’t given Cleveland an opportunity to start in the past, and Dellinger is a seventh-round rookie. There will be a few undrafted interior offensive linemen added, but a case could be made for the signing of another veteran, particularly if Cleveland faces league discipline after his February arrest for suspicion of DUI.

Center

Starter: Tyler Linderbaum
Top backup: Nick Samac
Depth: Darrian Dalcourt

Cleveland and a few others will cross-train at center. If the Ravens are comfortable with one or two other options, Samac’s roster spot could be in jeopardy. A seventh-round pick last year, Samac was inactive for all 19 games as a rookie.

11 picks later ✔️ pic.twitter.com/yLRlZJF0sf

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 26, 2025

Interior defensive line

Starters: Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, Broderick Washington
Top backups: Aeneas Peebles, C.J. Ravenell
Depth: CJ Okoye, Adedayo Odeleye

Arguably, the Ravens’ biggest draft surprise was that they only selected one interior defensive lineman from a really deep position class, and that player was Peebles, an undersized sixth-round pick with pass-rush ability.

The Ravens will lean heavily on Madubuike and Jones. Washington has played plenty of important snaps for them over the years. DeCosta already acknowledged that a nose tackle will be added to replace the retired Michael Pierce. There’s room for another veteran defensive end, too.

Outside linebacker

Starters: Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh
Top backups: Mike Green, Tavius Robinson
Depth: David Ojabo, Adisa Isaac, Malik Hamm

This will be a fun position to monitor throughout training camp. There will be roles to be won, and at least in the case of Ojabo and Hamm, they’ll be tasked with finding a way to make the team. It’s going to be tough for Baltimore to keep more than five outside linebackers. Van Noy and Oweh are returning after double-digit sack seasons.

Robinson has made himself into a solid rotational guy. Green, who was a second-round pick, was one of the top edge rushers in the draft. He’ll get opportunities to make an immediate impact. The wild card is Isaac, a 2024 third-round pick who played just four games as a rookie.

Inside linebacker

Starters: Roquan Smith, Trenton Simpson
Top backup: Teddye Buchanan
Depth: Jacob Hummel, William Kwenkeu

This is one of the Ravens’ thinnest position groups after losing Malik Harrison, Chris Board and Kristian Welch in free agency. Buchanan could ultimately compete with Simpson, who started 13 games last year but was benched in December, for the starting job. The Ravens lack veteran depth. Hummel is more of a special teams player, having played just 117 defensive snaps in three seasons. Kwenkeu has played just 13 career defensive snaps.

Cornerback

Starters: Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, Chidobe Awuzie
Top backups: T.J. Tampa, Jalyn Armour-Davis
Depth: Bilhal Kone, Robert Longerbeam

With the ability to use Wiggins and Awuzie on the outside and Humphrey or one of their safeties in the slot, the Ravens feel good about their cornerback group. The question is, how much do they trust young players to fill in behind them? Tampa, a fourth-round pick who struggled to stay healthy last year, is the most likely corner to step into an elevated role.

The Ravens wouldn’t hesitate to play Armour-Davis, but he needs to be healthy — and that’s been an elusive pursuit. Kone and Longerbeam will face a learning curve as rookie sixth-round picks. If the Ravens want another veteran, free agent Rasul Douglas would make sense.

Safety

Starters: Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks
Top backup: Ar’Darius Washington
Depth: Sanoussi Kane, Beau Brade

The Ravens typically make rookies, including first-round picks, earn their way up the depth chart. That feels pointless here. They got Starks to be a key part of this defense from the jump, and his presence should allow Hamilton, the two-time All-Pro, to move around. The Ravens have embraced three-safety looks in the past, so Washington, whose insertion into the starting lineup helped steady the pass defense last year, will get plenty of time. Kane and Brade will have to make the team on special teams, but they represent quality depth.

Specialists

Kicking battery: Justin Tucker (kicker), Jordan Stout (punter), Nick Moore (long snapper)
Depth: Tyler Loop (kicker)

DeCosta claimed after the draft that he hadn’t thought of how the addition of Loop, a sixth-round pick, impacted Tucker’s status. He surely has. Loop is either a contingency plan for Tucker, who is currently the subject of an NFL investigation and could be disciplined, or he’s his heir apparent.

The Ravens say they are going to wait out the investigation before making a decision on Tucker’s future. If Loop kicks well in the offseason workouts, it would make it easier for them to start fresh. The Ravens may bring in another punter, kicker and long snapper to get them through camp.

(Top photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)

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