The Baltimore Ravens have a stacked team going into 2025. Much of that talent resides on the defensive side after they focused on reloading the unit in the offseason. Newcomers include free agent signing Jaire Alexander and rookies Malaki Starks and Mike Green. The group has so much potential this upcoming season, though they might not stop adding.
The team’s pass rush is not the most flashy. They have two double-digit sacks artists, Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, and Green should generate some extra juice off the edge. However, there was a lack of consistency in 2024, and New York Giants pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux has been a hot name in trade talks.
Joey Petersen of Ravens Rundown recently discussed the possibility of trading for Thibodeaux and how it could affect Baltimore’s defense.
“I think that they could [trade for Thibodeaux]. I don’t think that they will,” Petersen said. “I feel like they feel like they’re good at the edge rusher position. If they do trade for him, I think it’ll be somewhere close to the trade deadline.”
Kayvon Thibodeaux is not the answer
The Ravens' problems on the edge might not even exist in 2025. Green could help them take significant strides this year, and trading for Thibodeaux would be unnecessary. He also would not add anything. He has had problems with consistency, logging an inconsistent amount of pressure on a week-to-week basis.
Van Noy’s and Oweh’s contracts come to an end after 2025. That would leave Green and Tavius Robinson as the only factors on the edge. The Giants picked up Thibodeaux’s fifth-year option, so it could make sense to bring in the 24-year-old. With an extra year on his contract and potential still through the roof, it could be a risky bet for Eric DeCosta to take. But his contract could put Baltimore in trouble for 2026’s free agency period.
DeCosta is going to have to get out his checkbook once 2025 comes to an end. The team's 2026 unrestricted free agents include tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, Van Noy and Oweh, defensive tackle Travis Jones, center Tyler Linderbaum, and plenty of depth options. Thibodeaux’s option takes a $14.751 million hit on the team’s 2026 cap space, which would significantly hurt their chances of keeping their stars heading into the following year.
While the former Oregon standout could make the Ravens' pass rush unit lethal, there are too many bodies in the room for it to make sense. Van Noy is playing the best ball of his career, Oweh looks like a new man in camp, and Green is out to prove himself. That does not even include Robinson, who sounds like a potential breakout star this season.
The talent is intriguing, but there is already so much talent. DeCosta would also likely have to move one of his coveted draft picks, so the likelihood that Thibodeaux becomes a Raven is not high, and the team should stay away.