Sports Physical Therapist Doctor Offers Encouraging Outlook for Nnamdi Madubuike
Optimism and excitement are typically abound at the start of training camp, but the Ravens' first day of camp was especially positive, as two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike passed his physical and returned to the practice field.
Madubuike had been sidelined since suffering a neck injury in Week 2 last season that ultimately required surgery and raised questions about his football future.
Head Coach Jesse Minter stressed that "it's still a process to get ready to play football" and the Ravens will take their time with Madubuike, but "everybody has a good feeling about where he's at and where he's headed."
Before the injury, Madubuike was among the best in the league at his position. He was a second-team All-Pro and received Defensive Player of the Year votes in 2023, when he had a career-high 13 sacks.
Is getting back to that level realistic?
Dr. Yonni Rosenblatt, the founder and owner of True Sports Physical Therapy, offered his opinion on the “Ryan Ripken Show.” Keep in mind that Rosenblatt is basing his opinion not on Madubuike's medical reports, but simply on his experience and observations.
"I will say post-operatively there is a chance, and a good chance based upon the way he looked going into a surgery like this, that he comes out all the way on the other end being able to produce the same amount of numbers from 2023," Dr. Rosenblatt said. "I have not seen a neck look like Madabuike's, period. And I'm saying that from a muscular standpoint, from how stout he is as a human."
This much seems certain: If Madubuike can come anywhere close to his best self, the Ravens will have a formidable front seven.
Ravens Players Who Have a Lot at Stake Entering Training Camp
The Baltimore Sun’s Josh Tolentino named the 10 Ravens players with the most at stake entering training camp. Here's a look at three from his list:
WR Rashod Bateman
"Bateman, a 2021 first-round draft pick out of Minnesota, is the team's most talented route runner, but that ability has yet to translate into sustained production. Entering his sixth season, he needs to play with urgency and finally become a dependable threat in an offense that Declan Doyle expects to regularly generate explosive gains."
OLB Tavius Robinson
"Robinson enters the final year of his rookie contract with the clearest opportunity of his career. He recorded 4.5 sacks last season while missing a chunk of the season with his broken foot injury. Baltimore's reconstructed edge-rush room, with Zion Young and Trey Hendrickson joining the fold, should allow Robinson to learn a larger role in Head Coach Jesse Minter's defense. A sizable payday is waiting for Robinson if that improvement — and a surplus of sacks — arrives. There is also plenty of competition if it does not."
OLB Adisa Isaac
"Isaac, a 2024 third-round pick out of Penn State, has barely had a chance to establish himself. Injuries disrupted his rookie year, while a dislocated elbow requiring surgery derailed his second season. Isaac has logged just 32 defensive snaps and 46 special teams snaps across four career games. He begins training camp on the physically unable to perform list."
Vega Ioane, Ryan Eckley Make Preseason All-Rookie Team
NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice projected the 2026 All-Rookie Team, and two Ravens were included:
G Vega Ioane (Round 1, No. 14 overall)
"One of the cleanest prospects in this draft cycle, Ioane was universally regarded as the top interior offensive lineman in the class. He's a Day 1 starter at right guard in Baltimore's rebuilt interior, and the rugged road grader will fuel a run game that has finished top three in every season since Lamar Jackson joined the party in 2018, with the Ravens comfortably pacing the league in ground gains during four of those eight campaigns. Everyone spent months mocking Vega to Baltimore -- and then the pairing actually came to fruition in April -- because it was an obvious marriage of draft value and team need. Now, it's time to see the fruits of our collective matchmaking. I anticipate harmony."
P Ryan Eckley (Round 6, No. 211)
"Four years ago, after the retirement of longtime punter Sam Koch, the Ravens drafted Jordan Stout to fill the role. After struggling with consistency for a few years, Stout earned first-team All-Pro honors last season … but then followed John Harbaugh to the Giants in March, becoming the highest-paid punter in league history. A month later, Baltimore took the first punter in this year's draft. Eckley led the FBS with an average of 48.5 yards per punt in 2025, and he's already made an impression on Ravens Special Teams Coordinator Anthony Levine Sr."
Another Ravens rookie who is worthy of attention is Young, who was selected in the second round (No. 45). FOX Sports’ Rob Rang named Young the best schematic fit from Baltimore's draft class.
"Young was the perfect draft-day response for anyone wondering if the Ravens would lose their rugged identity with Jesse Minter taking over as head coach for John Harbaugh," Rang wrote. "Young may not be the bendiest rusher of this class, but he plays with the passion and violence that has long personified this franchise."
Browns 'Strongly Considering' Signing Former Raven Jadeveon Clowney
Edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney is one of the biggest names still on the free-agent market, and there has been speculation about whether the Ravens might be interested in a reunion.
However, Clowney could be returning to another AFC North team. The Cleveland Browns reportedly brought Clowney in for a visit at training camp on Wednesday and are "strongly considering" signing him.
"The possible reunion proves that you can go home again even after you've seemingly burned a bridge," Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot wrote. "Clowney, 33, left the Browns on bad terms after the 2022 season when he criticized the club in a one-on-one interview with cleveland.com for seemingly giving Myles Garrett more favorable matchups to pad his sack totals. The story didn't sit well with the Browns and with Garrett and his family, to whom Clowney later apologized.
"But now that Garrett has been traded to the Rams for fellow edge rusher Jared Verse and three draft picks, Clowney can walk back in the door and try to help ease the loss of the player that hastened Clowney's exit in the first place."
Clowney, who matched his career-high of 9.5 sacks in his lone season in Baltimore in 2023, would be reunited with Browns Head Coach Todd Monken, who was the Ravens' offensive coordinator at the time.
Clowney was productive with the Dallas Cowboys last season, recording 8.5 sacks in 13 games.
The Ravens have a good mix of veterans and young players at outside linebacker in Hendrickson, Robinson, Mike Green, and Young, but adding another veteran wouldn't be a surprise.
Quick Hits
- The Ravens' Legends Suites were named one of The Padded Seat’s top three international experiences of the past year.
