In the midst of an extremely disappointing season, the tensions have been rising around the Baltimore Ravens. While they still have a shot at the playoffs entering Week 18, the 2025 campaign has been a forgettable one.
General Manager Eric DeCosta has been regarded as one of the best GMs in the NFL for years. The Ravens always seem to put together strong rosters. Even in down years like this one, they still find themselves contending for the postseason. Still, this year’s roster blew up in several areas.
In 2025, Baltimore has fallen short on the offensive line and nearly the entire defense. The offensive line is failing to protect quarterback Lamar Jackson, the pass rush has failed to show up consistently, and the leaky secondary has given up way too many chunk plays. Throughout 2025, the Ravens leaned heavily on their rookie class to contribute significantly in some pressing areas. Year one was certainly not an outstanding one for those rookies, but the group showed progress nonetheless.
Ravens’ rookies show promise for the future
ESPN’s Ben Solak constructed a list of the All-Rookie teams through 17 weeks. Not a single Raven made the first-team at their respective positions, but two made the second-team: safety Malaki Starks and linebacker Teddye Buchanan. Solak wrote:
“Buchanan wrested the starting job from incumbent Trenton Simpson early in the season and proved an impactful coverage player…Buchanan could struggle against the league's more complex running games, but he was playing faster as the season went on, and his ability to cover ground in space minimized easy yardage for opposing offenses.”
“Starks would be a first-teamer in many other seasons. A true center fielder, he doesn't see the ball often but tracks it well and addresses it at the highest point. He doesn't experience mental lapses as often as expected for a rookie, especially in the Ravens' tricky defense.”
It’s great to see Starks and Buchanan get their recognition. Sure, Baltimore already had star power at those positions, but the defense was a nightmare for the most part. Starks added ballhawking and intelligent play, as Solak mentioned, and Buchanan was a sure-fire tackler next to star linebacker Roquan Smith.
The rookie class could’ve looked far more productive if second-rounder Mike Green and third-rounder Emery Jones Jr. took the strides fans were hoping for. Each was relatively quiet for most of the year, but they showed glimpses of greatness and starting-level talent in the second half.
In Green’s case, he has only tallied 3.5 sacks through 17 weeks, but that does rank tied for second on the team. He also had 22 pressures over his last eight games, including four games with four or more pressures during that stretch. His 32 total pressures for the season also rank second on the team.
For Jones, he has seen limited playing after a labrum injury set him back in training camp, but he has gotten involved more in the last month since returning. Head Coach John Harbaugh has mentioned he is still not ready to take over a starting job, but after missing a whole preseason's worth of activities and half of the regular season, that's not a shock. If he can continue to progress and take advantage of the opportunities, the Ravens could have a starting offensive guard for the future.