Jeff Zrebiec Says Roquan Smith Is Ravens Player With Most at Stake in 2026
Even though inside linebacker Roquan Smith made the Pro Bowl for the fourth consecutive year in 2025, he has acknowledged that his performance wasn't up to his standard.
With Smith looking to return to form, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec named the five-time All-Pro as the Ravens player with the most at stake this season.
"He's coming off a season where the defense he leads struggled mightily and he finished without a sack or interception for the first time in his career," Zrebiec wrote. "His 130 tackles represented his lowest total since 2019, when he played just 12 games. Smith turns 30 in April. Cutting him next offseason would create $20 million in salary-cap savings. He needs a big year to silence the talk that he's on the decline."
New Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver was asked last month at OTAs if he thinks Smith can get back to playing at an elite level.
"The simple answer is, 'yes.' I see it every day," Weaver said. "He communicates, he captains our defense, gets guys aligned and is playing at an elite level [and] speed. There's some guys, when they operate, it almost looks like the game is in slow motion. When he's out there right now, I feel that way. So, I look forward to him shutting up some doubters."
NFL insiders also have little doubt that Smith is still one of the best at his position. In a recent ESPN survey of league executives, coaches, and scouts, Smith was voted the second-best off-ball linebacker, behind only the San Francisco 49ers' Fred Warner.
On Monday, Sports Illustrated placed Smith at No. 3 in its inside linebacker rankings, behind Warner and the Detroit Lions' Jack Campbell.
"The 2025 season was a bit of a down year for Smith as he dealt with a hamstring injury and the Ravens' defense underperformed as a whole, but look for him and the unit to rebound in [new Head Coach] Jesse Minter's scheme this year," SI's Eva Geitheim wrote. "Minter said during mandatory minicamp that he 'could not be more pleased' with what Smith has done this offseason and expects him to be one of the best linebackers in the league this season."
Hall of Famer Says Adding Center Ethan Pocic Is a 'Huge Win' for Ravens
Before the Ravens agreed to terms with veteran center Ethan Pocic on Friday, the position had been their biggest question mark after three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum departed in free agency, and Baltimore did not draft his replacement.
Pocic, who has started 97 games in his nine-year career with the Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks, becomes the likely front-runner for the starting center job.
Hall of Fame left tackle and NFL Network analyst Joe Thomas talked about what the Ravens are getting in Pocic during an appearance on the “Ryan Ripken Show.” Thomas, who has worked as an analyst on Browns preseason games, is very familiar with Pocic.
"He's everything you want in a center," Thomas said. "You have to be smart, you have to be able to think quickly, and that's exactly what Ethan can do. And then, he's a big guy. He's not a little center. What is he, 6-6, 315-320? So he can still move bodies in the run game.
"A guy like Ethan, who can move pretty well, he's smart, he's athletic, he's powerful. He's really a great center, and I think you guys got a real winner right there in the middle."
The Ravens wanted to sign Linderbaum to a contract extension this offseason, and General Manager Eric DeCosta said in February that they offered him a "market-setting deal." Linderbaum ended up obliterating the center market by signing a three-year, $81 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Considering that Pocic's deal is reportedly a one-year contract for $3 million with another $1.5 million in incentives, Thomas believes it worked out well for the Ravens.
"I love Linderbaum. I think he's a great center. I think he was probably not worth the contract he got," Thomas said. "So when you look at the swap that they made, being able to get Ethan Pocic on a much more attractive contract, I think it's a huge win, honestly, for the Ravens.
"I don't think that's a position that if I'm a team I want to pay $15-20 million for. So to be able to find a reliable veteran like Ethan, to me it's a huge win for the Ravens. So, I love that move."
Ravens Named Non-Playoff Team Most Likely to Reach Postseason This Year
Of the 18 teams that missed the playoffs last season, none are more poised to make a run this season than the Ravens, according to USA Today’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, who ranked the non-playoff teams from most to least likely to crash the postseason field.
"Jesse Minter might be just the figure needed to get the Ravens back on track after the franchise strayed from the path in several key stretches in recent seasons," Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote. "The self-inflicted wounds that became the hallmark of John Harbaugh's latter years became too much to bear for a roster with this many premium players. Minter, who cleaned up the Chargers' defense almost instantly with his emphasis on precision and communication, could help rid the unit of the missed tackles and communication breakdowns that became all too common in late-game meltdowns.
"First-time play-caller Declan Doyle might require some time before the offense finds its footing, but there's clearly more to get out of two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and a group that tumbled to the middle of the pack in 2025. With the AFC North essentially a toss-up, a more composed version of Baltimore should find itself back in the postseason field."
Speaking of the AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals, who have missed the playoffs three years in a row, were No. 4 in Middlehurst-Schwartz's rankings.
Bengals Hype 'White Bengal Stripe' Crowd Participation Event for New Year's Eve Game Versus Ravens
It wouldn't be surprising if the Ravens-Bengals Thursday night game on New Year's Eve in Cincinnati has playoff implications for both teams.
After playing in prime time in Baltimore the past four seasons, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow and company got their wish to host the Ravens under the lights this year, and the Bengals are going all out to make it a spectacle.
The Bengals announced Monday that "White Bengal Stripe" will debut that night at Paycor Stadium.
"White Bengal Stripe calls on Who Dey Nation to take an active role in bringing this moment to life, creating a coordinated stadium-wide white and black tiger stripe effect that blends the intensity of the White Bengal with the visual impact of Stripe The Jungle," according to the Bengals’ website. "Fans can check out the White Bengal Stripe Map to see which color their section will be wearing to the game."
It sure would be a shame if some purple soiled the black and white color scheme.
