Baltimore Ravens training camp will offer a telling tale for what 2026 could hold for many fringe roster candidates. Between 2025 disappointments, offseason depth signings, and undrafted rookies, most face a steep mountain to climb to impress the coaching staff.
There is one UDFA that already has a golden opportunity to force coaches to rethink the depth chart, though. Ethan Burke is immersed in a pass-rusher battle where he actually has a decent shot to win the fifth spot in that position room.
Recently, those odds might have slightly grown in Burke’s favor. Third-year pro Adisa Isaac has unfortunately started training camp on the PUP list, as he continues to deal with the elbow injury that forced him to miss the entire 2025 campaign. For Burke, though, that means more reps and a real chance to prove himself in the biggest moment of the offseason thus far.
Baltimore Ravens could see early emergence from UDFA Ethan Burke
The Ravens’ pass rush unit should look completely different this upcoming season. The front office shifted the landscape of the group with free-agent addition Trey Hendrickson, and second-rounder Zion Young brings the type of energy that the team missed last year. Returnees Mike Green and Tavius Robinson could make game-changing efforts with an improved supporting cast, too.
Still, Jesse Minter’s squad probably needs one more player in that room to round things out.
Adisa Isaac might hold the advantage, but you can only barely call it that. He’s been disappointing for a third-round pick, and injuries have relentlessly derailed his NFL career before it really ever got on the tracks. With Isaac’s elbow being a persisting issue entering training camp, Ethan Burke can use that as leverage to seize a 53-man roster spot.
Baltimore already put some slight belief into Burke when they signed him as an undrafted free agent after the 2026 NFL Draft. He signed for the fourth-highest guarantee of the team’s UDFAs at $20,000. Sure, that’s barely anything, but it does tell you about where he stands with the organization compared to other undrafted guys.
Burke comes to the pros after a solid collegiate career at Texas. He brings versatility to the defensive front, playing on the inside and outside as a Longhorn. He finished his four-year career there with 10.5 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss, including a sophomore showing, where he tallied single-season highs of 5.5 sacks and 9 tackles for loss.
In the grand scheme of things, though, Burke’s play as a pass rusher isn’t the driving factor here. It’s going to be how he performs on special teams. Fortunately, that’s good news for him—his 6-foot-6 frame helped him block three field goals in college, which clearly showcases some potential there.
All this to say, Burke remains a roster long-shot. However, the Ravens do tend to keep an undrafted rookie on their initial roster more often than not. That, paired with the current state of their team, puts Burke in a pretty good position in training camp.
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