Ravens Ranked Second-Most Complete NFL Team
As the Ravens look to get over the hump and into the Super Bowl this season, they have the roster to do it.
As OTAs have begun, NFL.com’s Eric Edholm sees the Ravens as the second-most complete NFL team, only behind the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
"The Ravens have remained remarkably consistent and successful under head coach John Harbaugh, with GM Eric DeCosta carrying on the team-building prowess of the vintage years under Ozzie Newsome," Edholm wrote. "Few franchises draft as well as the Ravens do, and though they seldom spend wildly in free agency, their hit rate is strong. That's how they've built -- and maintained -- a first-class roster."
Edholm went through all 32 NFL teams' rosters, graded each position group and weighed them based on positional importance. He scaled quarterbacks "far heavier than any other position," and gave credit to teams with defensive position grading.
"The defense took a step backward last season before hitting its stride down the stretch," Edholm wrote. "It wouldn't be stunning if the D was even more consistent this season with decent luck, injury-wise, and help from rookies Malaki Starks and Mike Green. Kyle Hamilton is the star of the defense, but the talent is well distributed, even if there are some questions about who'll earn the major pass-rush roles."
Edholm added the Ravens are ready for a push to the Lombardi Trophy this season.
"But with Jackson at the peak of his powers, Baltimore has very few major holes, and it could easily be the envy of all but a few NFL clubs," Edholm wrote. "Even with recent playoff failures fresh in our memories, the Ravens are equipped enough to go all the way this season."
Mina Kimes Names Chidobe Awuzie Ravens' X-Factor
While Baltimore's roster is stacked with household names, ESPN's Mina Kimes named cornerback Chidobe Awuzie as the team's X-Factor for 2025.
"My point is, the Ravens defense, you feel really good about most of this unit," Kimes said on "The Mina Kimes Show." "Awuzie or whoever if he doesn't play, is the clear 'weak link.' So, think about going against your Josh Allen's, your Patrick Mahomes', Joe Burrow's, that's who they're going to attack. And Awuzie was really injured last year. But for the majority of his career, he's been at minimum an above-average NFL corner. If you can just get average to above-average play out of him, the pass defense should be way better than they were in the beginning of last season."
Kimes gave credit to Marlon Humphrey and Hamilton and noted the addition of Starks. She also highlighted second-year cornerback Nate Wiggins.
"Partly the reason why I'm picking Awuzie is because – and I don't think I've talked about this enough -- Nate Wiggins was really good last year as a rookie," Kimes said. "He had some ups and downs, particularly at the beginning of the season and maybe that's kind of why his play in the second half of the season kind of slipped under the radar. But I thought by the end of the year, he looked incredibly comfortable, really good scheme fit. You see why. Shocking, right? The Ravens drafted him for a reason."
Roquan Smith Named a Bounce-Back Candidate?!
Though Roquan Smith earned his third consecutive first team All-Pro selection last season, PFF's Dalton Wasserman named Smith as his 2025 bounce-back candidate for the Ravens.
"The loss of Patrick Queen clearly affected Roquan Smith early last season, particularly in coverage," Wasserman wrote. "Through Week 10, Smith ranked outside the top 60 qualified linebackers in both overall and coverage grade."
The Ravens' defense struggled last season but found a turning point in the year after Week 10. From then on, the unit became one of the NFL's elite defenses, thanks in large part to Smith.
"Like the rest of Baltimore's coverage unit, he turned things around down the stretch, earning an excellent 81.8 coverage grade from Week 11 onward," Wasserman wrote. "If he can carry that momentum into 2025, Smith should return to the level of production he delivered during his first two seasons in Baltimore."
