The Baltimore Ravens have questions almost everywhere you look entering 2026. Don’t get me wrong, they have a playoff-caliber team, but after an off-putting 2025 campaign, things need to change.
If you had to put the spotlight on one player in particular, Tyler Loop might be under the most pressure. But the truth is, another special teams issue may also have gone unsolved this offseason.
With the release of the Ravens’ first unofficial depth chart for the 2026 regular season, Rasheen Ali seems set to be the kick returner once again. He was…fine in that role in the last go-around; however, with kick returns evolving into an X-factor for putting points on the board, Baltimore needs more.
Can Ali give them that? I’m not entirely sure.
Baltimore Ravens need more from Rasheen Ali in 2026
Over a week ago, Rasheen Ali was talked about as a cut candidate. Injuries and nothing more than average play throughout training camp and preseason didn’t exactly put him in good standing with the fanbase. Still, he snuck his way onto the roster and looks to have an important role on special teams.
Much of Baltimore’s fanbase hoped it’d be LaJohntay Wester or Adam Randall lining up to return kickoffs. Instead, Wester appears as the second man in the kick-returning pecking order, and Randall was placed on IR with “something” and will miss at least the first four weeks of the season.
That may give Ali the segue to prove some people wrong, and his coaches right for believing in him. And he has the speed and explosiveness to do that. That’s how he wins, and it makes him a nuisance to bring down in the open field when he hits the hole.
Unfortunately, Ali hasn’t been able to hit the hole with consistency through his first two NFL seasons. As a kick returner, he’s taken 34 returns for 870 yards, averaging 25.6 yards per return. Those are below-average numbers—a Super Bowl-contending team like the Ravens needs above-average numbers.
If Ali wants to stick in that role, his production will need to reach another level. It’s one of those positions teams shouldn’t fear making an early change if they see the need. Several names could return kicks if Ali disappoints once again.
Wester should be pressuring Ali already. He’s acted as an electric current at times as a punt returner, and while kicks are different, that ability should translate.
Randall’s eventual return from injury will put another set of legs pushing for Ali’s spot. Obviously he has a lot to learn, but the organization viewed him as a kick return option when they drafted him in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He’ll be pressuring Ali, too.
Baltimore’s special teams as a whole need to improve in 2026, but when it comes to kick returning, that might be one of the most lackluster areas. Something needs to give.
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