As the Baltimore Ravens enter the 2025 NFL season, much of their roster remains the same. They are bringing in another strong rookie class, and most of their starters from last year’s campaign are returning with revenge on their minds. However, one key position is seeing the first shift in over a decade.
Before the 2025 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens had never drafted a kicker in their 29-year history. That ended in the sixth round of April’s event when they selected Arizona kicker Tyler Loop with the 186th overall pick.
Baltimore’s history has seen mainly two kickers take the field: Matt Stover and Justin Tucker. Both kickers suited up in purple for 13 seasons. After the team parted ways with Tucker back in May, it was clear the rookie Loop was set to be their next kicker. Although it has been nearly four months since the move, it still feels weird.
Seeing a new kicker might be Baltimore’s weirdest storyline of 2025
Ravens fans should have no worries about Loop’s performance in 2025. He capped off a dominant preseason with a 61-yard field goal that could have been good from 65-plus in Baltimore’s Week 3 win over the Washington Commanders.
Justin Tucker’s stats in recent years also showed that the Ravens needed a new kicker. He missed six kicks in 2022, five in 2023, and eight in 2024. He also significantly regressed from distance, missing from 50-plus more often than not, with a 44.75% success rate from that range on 16 attempts.
This move should be a promising step forward for the franchise's future. Still, it will take some getting used to seeing #33 kicking the ball through the uprights rather than #9. Loop has high expectations to live up to, but after Tucker’s abysmal 2024 campaign, the pressure from the fanbase should be light in the initial wake of his rookie season.
The 24-year-old appears to be making a seamless transition to the NFL through training camp and preseason. He is already showcasing a booming leg, a factor the Ravens have not had in recent years. He is also quickly becoming a fan favorite.
The rookie’s regular season debut comes in a pressure-packed environment in Buffalo on Sunday Night Football, and the stakes are significantly amplified from what Loop has experienced thus far. If he falters this year and the Ravens' kicking situation is thrown for a loop out of the gates, then it would be strange to see the team go through an uncertain kicking situation for the first time in over 10 years.