The Baltimore Ravens have many questions to answer in the coming months. With a new coaching staff led by Jesse Minter on board, roster battles are bound to get more heated. Many players have a clean slate now.
It’s very refreshing to see the Minter era start to take off, and it’ll be interesting to see how he picks his first 53-man roster as a head coach. Obviously, those decisions are months away, but with OTAs underway, a critical stretch of the offseason has begun. That’s especially true for the cornerback room.
Baltimore is stacked with corners. They’re going to have to make some unbelievably tough decisions, and after a standout week at OTAs, Robert Longerbeam is throwing his hat in the ring to make life a lot harder for coaches and staffers.
Baltimore Ravens have tough decisions awaiting them in the secondary
Longerbeam is coming into 2026 as a second-year player, but in reality, it’s really his rookie campaign. He lost all of last season due to a torn patella tendon that he suffered in training camp. Now, he'll trying to get his NFL career off the ground in year two, and he has started with a bang.
According to the editorial director for BaltimoreRavens.com, Ryan Mink, Longerbeam has been one of his top 10 standouts from OTAs thus far. Mink wrote:
“Longerbeam notched an interception when he stepped in front of Mark Andrews. The 2025 sixth-round pick missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury but has returned to the field this summer.”
Sources have mentioned that Longerbeam has gotten extra reps with other defensive backs being absent from the voluntary OTA sessions, too, and there’s no doubt that he’s been making the most of it.
Longerbeam probably needed this quick start more than anyone. Not only because it’s his first taste of action since last year’s training camp, but because he’s one of many corners fighting to make the team as a depth option.
For Longerbeam, the competition could get even tighter for him, as he’s an undersized corner who will likely be fighting for reps in the slot. Sure, he played on the outside at Rutgers, but at 5-foot-11, a move to the inside feels pretty close to a sure thing at the NFL level. Longerbeam has his work cut out for him if that’s the case.
Marlon Humphrey will likely continue to hold it down in the starting nickel spot, and behind him, it’s a dogfight. There’s some real young talent there. In addition to Longerbeam, there’s 2025 undrafted rookie Keyon Martin and 2026 fifth-round pick Chandler Rivers. And although Martin and Rivers might be young and unproven, they may already have the leg up on Longerbeam.
Martin made the team last year and was a steady contributor on special teams while also getting defensive snaps at points across his rookie campaign. As for Rivers, he’s been getting a lot of attention. Many believe him to be one of the steals of this year’s draft.
Clearly, Longerbeam will have to be firing on all cylinders from now on and through the preseason. It's a harsh reality, but that's just the 25-year-old will have to do if he wants to make the active roster. If he continues this electric start, he’s going to force the front office to make some uncomfortable calls. Unfortunately, there’s simply way too much talent to keep in the secondary. There's not enough room for everyone.
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