Mink: Well, the Ravens checked off a huge item on the to-do list with Kyle Hamilton. General Manager Eric DeCosta said he was happy to get that one off his plate, but he still won't rest easy with several others in waiting.
Among those are quarterback Lamar Jackson, center Tyler Linderbaum, tight end Isaiah Likely, defensive tackle Travis Jones, outside linebacker Odafe Oweh, and more.
How many deals can DeCosta get done and what's the priority list? We don't know, but DeCosta made it clear Wednesday that it won't be everyone.
"Unfortunately, you're going to see some good players probably in the next couple years play for other teams," DeCosta said. "We've seen that. That's going to be something that continues."
The biggest domino is Jackson, whose salary cap hit is set to jump to $74.5 million the next two years. Obviously, the Ravens will prioritize keeping Jackson in Baltimore above all else, but who knows how those negotiations will play out. Both sides will keep things quiet until there's an extension to announce. The good news is DeCosta said the Ravens can still navigate around getting extensions done without having Jackson's next deal in place.
DeCosta brought up his first offseason as general manager in 2019, when the Ravens had to part ways with linebackers Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley, and Za'Darius Smith and safety Eric Weddle. DeCosta doesn't want to see that kind of purge again, but it remains to be seen how many losses the Ravens can avoid.
The more good players you have, the tougher it becomes to keep them all. As DeCosta said, it's a blessing and a curse. It's one that 31 other teams around the NFL would love to have.
Brown: If you mean which newcomers will the Ravens depend on the most, I made this harder on myself and chose my top 3 – Starks, Tyler Loop, and Mike Green.
If Starks is who the Ravens think he is, he'll start every game, play virtually every snap, and be the last line of defense largely responsible for eliminating big plays. That's why he was a first-round pick and the first safety selected in the draft.
Loop is going to face some clutch kicks as a rookie. What he does in those situations could determine whether the Ravens win the division and challenge for the No. 1 seed.
I have a hunch Green will be an impact rookie as a pass rusher. If he is, he'll add another impactful dimension to the defense and take some of the load off Kyle Van Noy and Oweh.
I'm not forgetting about DeAndre Hopkins or Jaire Alexander, two proven Pro Bowl caliber players. However, the Ravens have so many weapons that they don't have to depend on Hopkins to be a 1,000-yard receiver. They're also deep at cornerback and could decide not to make Alexander an every-down player to save some wear and tear on his knee during the season.
Chidobe Awuzie, Aeneas Pebbles, and punt returner LaJohntay Wester are three other newcomers I expect to see making their presence felt on a weekly basis.
Mink: Hamilton is awesome, but let's not get carried away. Ed Reed is the best safety the Ravens have ever had. He's a Hall of Famer. Even Hamilton said he has a long way to go to be compared to the all-time greats.
Let's also not get carried away on Starks. He's had an excellent summer, showing off his smarts, maturity, and playmaking skills. But the Ravens have seen some excellent rookie seasons over their history, including two AP Defensive Rookies of the Year in Peter Boulware (1997) and Terrell Suggs (2003). Hopefully, Starks can join that group.
A more legitimate debate would be whether Hamilton and Starks could become the best Ravens' safety duo in team history. There's already chatter that they could be the best in the league “very, very soon.”
Brown: Yes, Week 1 at Buffalo will be more important for the Ravens than most season openers.
The Bills are a Super Bowl contender expected to compete with Baltimore for best record in the AFC. Beating Buffalo would give the Ravens the tiebreaker should they finish with the same record as the Bills.
Baltimore has suffered two painful playoff losses at Buffalo since 2020, including last season. Should the Ravens face Buffalo again in the 2025 postseason, they'd rather do it at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Ravens also have a very challenging first six games before their bye in Week 7 – at Buffalo, the home opener against the Cleveland Browns, "Monday Night Football" at M&T Bank Stadium against the Detroit Lions, Week 4 at the Kansas City Chiefs, and home games against the Houston Texans (Week 5) and Los Angeles Rams (Week 6). Buffalo, Detroit, Kansas City, Houston, and the Rams were playoff teams in 2024. The Browns are an AFC North rival who will be led by former Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco in his emotional return to Baltimore.
The Ravens started 0-2 in 2024, and while they rallied to finish 12-5 and won the division, the slow start immediately made the season an uphill battle. Players and coaches have talked about the importance of avoiding another slow start. Winning at Buffalo in Week 1 won't change what happened in the playoffs, but it'd be a strong way to start a new campaign.
