The Baltimore Ravens feel destined to right their wrongs in 2026. After their unbelievably bad 2025 season, the organization knew things had to change, and their offseason overhaul has the group headed directly on a path to success… hopefully.
Of course, the Ravens will have to back up the talk. I mean, we sat in a similar situation last year with an immeasurable amount of praise for the roster ahead of 2025. This time feels way different, though. Whether it be the hiring of Jesse Minter or the signing of Trey Hendrickson, there was just so much more aggressiveness this offseason that screams playoff team.
And even without all the splash additions, there’s plenty of young stars eager to blossom and prove their worth this season. Here are three players who could set the NFL world on fire in 2026.
3 underrated Ravens destined to steal the show in 2026
Malaki Starks
Is Malaki Starks an under-the-radar player? Not entirely. However, when you play in the same secondary as Kyle Hamilton, you’re going to be overshadowed. He also wasn’t too productive in his rookie year. He was a fine contributor, but he wasn’t a flashy playmaker, and that could have him flying under some people’s radars ahead of the regular season.
If you’re sleeping on Starks, you'd better wake up. He's a breakout star waiting to emerge.
Starks is going to be a key cog in a defensive system that will be miles better this year. He goes from a questionable Zach Orr-coached defense to a top-tier Jesse Minter defense. Getting to play free safety under one of the best defensive minds that the NFL has to offer will help Starks soar in 2026.
Simply put, everything is there for Starks to take a major second-year leap. The 2025 first-round pick has an incredible IQ and ability, and those playmaking traits that he flashed since his freshman year at Georgia should pop up way more consistently on this new-look defense. Maybe we see him double his interceptions from two to four.
Teddye Buchanan
Teddye Buchanan stole the show in his rookie year. He was really a breath of fresh air on the disastrous unit that was Baltimore’s 2025 defense. He wasn’t free from error by any means, but it was obvious that he was a hidden gem of a fourth-round pick.
Unfortunately, Buchanan’s rookie campaign ended prematurely due to an ACL tear he suffered in Week 15 while trying to make a play on special teams (because, for some reason, you have your starters playing punt coverage). Fortunately, he is expected to be back and ready for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season. After beginning last year as a backup linebacker, the 23-year-old will have the opportunity to get things started on the right foot as an immediate starter.
The phrase, “set the world on fire,” perfectly describes what Buchanan could do. He plays with a different kind of energy that is difficult for any player to match. He’s simply a lunatic on the field, and that’s a dazzling compliment. He’s got the twitch and speed to make plays even when slightly out of position, and as we saw in 2025, he’s an absolute force when he’s zeroing in to make a tackle.
Buchanan will continue to learn from Roquan Smith, as well. And when you have a mentor like that, and you’re already playing at the level that Buchanan’s been playing it, he could grow into a game-wrecker in the middle of Jesse Minter’s defense.
Adam Randall
I’m going to call my shot here. He’s just a rookie, but it’s hard to ignore the hype around fifth-round pick Adam Randall entering 2026.
On paper, he looks like an extremely fun player. He’s 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, and runs a 4.5 40-yard dash. The 21-year-old gets to learn from Derrick Henry, too. Yeah, he’s being given a golden opportunity to develop into a fearsome running back.
While Randall’s new to the position, as he switched from wide receiver to running back in his senior year at Clemson, there’s a strong chance we see him in action early on. With that experience as a wideout, he can do damage in every facet of the offense, and he also has potential as a returner. It’s the return game that I think Randall truly makes his job in 2026.
No matter how much production we see from Randall this year, by the end of it, people are going to be talking about him. As Steve Bisciotti said when he drafted him:
"I believe we just got you a year earlier than everybody else is going to find out how good you are.”
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