The Ravens have reached the midpoint of the 2025 season searching for consistency.
It hasn’t been the dominant first half many expected from a team built around established stars and veteran leadership, and for most of their first eight games, the offense has sputtered, and the defense -- once a point of consistency -- has struggled to find rhythm across all three levels.
Still, amid the uneven play, a few standouts have emerged and given the Ravens reasons for optimism moving forward now at 3-5. From defensive anchors to ascending rookies, Baltimore’s midseason awards shine a light on the players defining their season -- for better and for worse.
Ravens 2025 Midseason Awards
Team MVP: Kyle Hamilton
The Ravens’ season hasn’t gone as planned, but one constant amid the inconsistency has been Kyle Hamilton.
Normally, this award would likely go to Lamar Jackson or Derrick Henry, but with the offense struggling and the defense sputtering at times, Hamilton has been the glue holding it all together.
He’s the ultimate Swiss Army knife in a game full of attempted replicates. Whether it’s fitting the run, closing space in coverage, or matching up against elite playmakers, Hamilton changes the math for opposing offenses.
His combination of length, range, and physicality makes him one of the best defenders in football, period.
Most Impressive Draft Pick So Far: Malaki Starks
Taken 27th overall out of the NFL pipeline that is Georgia, Starks has shown steady improvement each week.
A former triple-option quarterback in high school, Starks sees the game from a unique perspective -- anticipating offensive movement before it happens. While his explosiveness often puts him in a spot to make a play on the football, early in the campaign Starks was often over running plays or diving at ankles. Since, he's cleaned up in that facet as the season’s gone on, and his presence in the middle of the field complements Hamilton perfectly.
The Ravens envision the two as long-term anchors on the back end of their defense, and through the first half of his rookie season, Starks looks every bit the part.
Additionally, fourth-round pick Teddye Buchanan deserves recognition as Baltimore’s best value from this year’s draft. The linebacker out of Cal has been a steady, physical presence in the middle of the defense, flashing instincts and motor that fit perfectly in the Ravens’ defensive culture.
Buchanan’s football IQ and tackling consistency have earned him more snaps as the season’s progressed, and he’s become one of the few bright spots in an otherwise uneven front seven.
It's not easy to play the second level as a rookie in the NFL, but Buchanan has done a fine job.
Most Disappointing: David Ojabo
For a team that has long prided itself on developing pass rushers, Ojabo’s career trajectory has been frustrating.
Drafted in the second round back in 2022, the former Michigan standout entered the league with immense upside but hasn’t been able to stay healthy, or productive. Now in his fourth season, Ojabo has yet to record more than two sacks in a year and continues to struggle with consistency and durability.
At 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, he still looks the part, but the flashes have been too infrequent to justify a major role both now, or in the future.