How Many Future Hall of Famers Are on the Ravens' Roster?
There are three homegrown Ravens in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (left tackle Jonathan Ogden, middle linebacker Ray Lewis, and safety Ed Reed) and two who have been finalists and are likely to join them at some point (outside linebacker Terrell Suggs and guard Marshal Yanda).
Which players on the current roster – homegrown or not – have a realistic shot at earning a gold jacket?
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell identified candidates from all 32 teams and placed them into five categories based on how strong their Hall of Fame case is. Unsurprisingly, the two Ravens players Barnwell believes have already punched their ticket to Canton are quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry.
"As a two-time MVP, Jackson should have no trouble waltzing into the Hall of Fame as one of the league's most decorated players," Barnwell wrote. "He has been a full-time starter for only seven years, but remember that Terrell Davis made it into the Hall as a running back after what amounted to a four-year career as a starter, winning an MVP award along the way. Jackson hasn't had the sort of playoff success Davis enjoyed during his run with the Broncos, but that's the only hole you can poke in his résumé.
"Henry's peak wasn't quite as bright as Davis' four-year run atop the NFL, but you can make a pretty reasonable case that he was the best back in football over a six-year span between 2019 and 2024. King Henry averaged nearly 103 rushing yards per game over that span. The only other back within 25 yards of that total was Jonathan Taylor. Henry has rarely made a huge dent as a receiver, but his ability to sustain those Titans offenses on his own and consistently create big plays with his underappreciated acceleration is going to get him into the Hall."
Barnwell said safety Kyle Hamilton and inside linebacker Roquan Smith are both on a Hall of Fame path, especially Hamilton.
"Hamilton is in the middle of a three-year run as the best safety in the league, and given what new coach Jesse Minter did with Derwin James Jr. in Los Angeles, Hamilton might be able to reach even higher in 2026," Barnwell wrote. "The 25-year-old has a case as one of the most versatile players at any position in the NFL, full stop. Even in a league filled with incredible athletes, watching Hamilton play center field on one snap and take on offensive linemen to make a key tackle against the run on the next is a dizzying experience. Hamilton is making it to the Hall of Fame if he stays healthy."
Barnwell said defensive tackle Calais Campbell deserves to be enshrined, but he doesn't think the six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro will get in.
"I'd put Campbell in the Hall of Fame given his production at a position that is often difficult to measure, his versatility along the line of scrimmage, and the sheer length of time he has spent producing as a starting-caliber lineman," Barnwell wrote. "Campbell is not quite what he was at his peak, when he made six straight Pro Bowls and racked up 14.5 sacks for the 2017 Jaguars, but he was still beating linemen half his age and making plays for the Cardinals a year ago. Keep in mind that Campbell was on the Cardinals with Kurt Warner, who retired 17 years ago."
Pundit Predicts Ravens to Go on Playoff Run as No. 7 Seed
USA Today’s Nate Davis predicted the 2026 record for each team and how the playoffs will unfold.
Davis had the Ravens going 10-7 to finish second in the AFC North behind the Cincinnati Bengals (11-6) and make the playoffs as the No. 7 seed.
"Aside from backing out of March's trade for DE Maxx Crosby, the vibes have been pretty good here since the hiring of rookie HC Jesse Minter and his staff," Davis wrote. "Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson has been especially enthused about rookie coordinator Declan Doyle's offense. Still, with so many moving parts – including an all-new interior O-line – plus a trip to Brazil early in the season, it could take some time for this team to jell in what's almost always a highly-competitive division. Might help that schedule is backloaded, the Ravens' last four games all against AFC North foes."
If the postseason plays out the way Davis forecasted, it's going to be an exciting – but ultimately heartbreaking – time for Ravens fans.
Davis had the Ravens knocking off the second-seeded Denver Broncos in the Wild-Card Round and then beating the top-seeded Houston Texans in the Divisional Round. That set up a showdown with the third-seeded Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game, which he had the Bills winning.
Since the NFL playoffs expanded to seven teams per conference before the 2020-21 season, no No. 7 seed has ever made the conference title game. The only No. 7 seed to win a game were the Green Bay Packers in 2024, who defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card before losing to the second-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.
On a related note, FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd included the Ravens on his list of teams who will make the playoffs in 2026 after missing out last season.
"They've never missed back-to-back seasons since Lamar Jackson was their quarterback," Cowherd said on "The Herd."
Wait, didn't Cowherd say a few weeks ago that he was selling his stock in Jackson?
ESPN Pundit Evaluates Ravens' Decision to Extend Zay Flowers
A number of players have landed lucrative contract extensions recently, including wide receiver Zay Flowers, who signed a four-year deal reportedly worth $140 million.
ESPN’s Seth Walder looked at some of the latest contract extensions and evaluated each team's decision based on the player in question, the price,the rest of the team's roster, cap situation and time horizon to contention.
Regarding Flowers' extension, Walder wrote: "At $35 million per year, the Ravens invested heavily in the deal for Flowers, but I don't think the price is totally unreasonable. Flowers has been excellent through three seasons, averaging 2.4 yards per route run, including 2.8 last year. He consistently gets open, recording at least a 76 open score each season. And that ability to separate and give Lamar Jackson open targets is what the Ravens should be paying for.
"Flowers' APY puts him just behind Drake London's extension signed earlier this offseason and on par with Garrett Wilson's deal from a year ago if we adjust for salary cap inflation. The one part that surprises me is that the Ravens still had Flowers under contract for two more seasons (as opposed to one each for London and Chris Olave). That should have given Flowers less leverage, which is why I expected him to earn a million or two less per season. Still, at 25 he's a core part of the offense that the Ravens should want secured for years to come."
