The Baltimore Ravens’ season is going off the rails. We barely got to see this team fully healthy in 2026, and with Lamar Jackson heading to IR and potentially missing the rest of the year, this 4-4 squad will be on life support.
Amid this turmoil, Eric DeCosta is getting a ton of the blame. The offensive line he tried to build failed from the get-go, and it got all three quarterbacks injured in Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. On defense, the unit hasn’t been good enough for a consistent stretch.
DeCosta can’t shoulder all the blame, though. Sure, he made bad deals over the past year, but that happens in this business. Some of that blame has to land on the players, and other problems just come down to bad luck.
Here’s why Eric DeCosta isn’t the root cause of Baltimore's season going sideways.
Eric DeCosta did a decent job of building what should’ve been a competitive roster
On paper, the Ravens appeared to have a decent offseason. They hired an excellent coaching staff; the leading trio of Jesse Minter, Declan Doyle, and Anthony Weaver brought a lot of hope for the present and future, and that hope is still there. And while the roster endured several big losses, they did well with what they were dealt.
That’s not the problem everyone is looking at in 2026, though. It’s still the offensive line, which has fans (rightfully) up in arms.
The biggest loss was obviously Tyler Linderbaum. Unfortunately, he was never going to return to Charm City. Eric DeCosta made relentless efforts to retain him, but he signed a three-year, $81 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.
You can’t make sense of matching that deal if you’re DeCosta.
In his place, Baltimore signed three centers: Danny Pinter, Jovaughn Gwyn, and Ethan Pocic. All got injured, which may have been a blessing in disguise, as it led them to a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for Cam Jurgens.
Jurgens had a strong performance in his Ravens debut, and if not for being held several times in Week 8, he probably would’ve had a better showing. And at 27, with his contract running through 2029, it’s trending toward being a good move by DeCosta.
Another great offensive line move? Vega Ioane. Baltimore drafted him in the first round in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the rookie has looked phenomenal.
You might want to bash DeCosta for how he builds an offensive line, but he made those efforts in 2026.
Now, there were some blunders. DeCosta is far from perfect, and he deserves SOME blame.
Starting with John Simpson, that free-agent signing has been a total bust. Three years, $30 million for him is a complete waste of money. The thought was there; the player was a misfire.
Extending Mark Andrews was never a smart decision, and Isaiah Likely blossoming with the New York Giants makes everything look so much worse. Admittedly, we don’t know how things played out behind closed doors, and reports signaled Likely wanted a bigger role.
Regardless, handing Andrews a three-year, $39.3 million contract extension was always a questionable move.
The roster-building wasn’t impeccable. Still, DeCosta made encouraging additions, as Hendrickson, Jurgens, and Ioane are set to be huge parts of this team’s future.
Injuries haven’t let the offensive line take shape
Eric DeCosta can’t control injuries, and the Ravens are getting hit with countless of them.
Again, most of the troubles reside on the offensive line. That’s where most injuries have come from. There’s been a new starting combination pretty much every single week.
We have barely seen a fully healthy unit in action with Cam Jurgens on the team. Jurgens is bringing stability at center, but just as he made his team debut in Week 7, Vega Ioane suffered a sprained MCL late in the first quarter.
Center injuries earlier in the season also caused Ioane to move to center for a few games, putting backup guards Emery Jones Jr. and Andrew Vorhees in starting roles. They played about as well as you’d expect from a backup.
Even Ronnie Stanley has dealt with a toe injury for most of the 2026 campaign, which caused him to miss Baltimore’s Week 3 contest against the Dallas Cowboys.
Simply put, there’s been no continuity on the offensive line.
You can’t say DeCosta didn’t try to build a strong offensive front. He made big investments.
- Ronnie Stanley: longest-tenured Raven
- John Simpson: signed a three-year, $30 million contract
- Cam Jurgens: acquired for a 2028 second-round pick and 2027 fifth-round pick
- Vega Ioane: first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft
- Roger Rosengarten: second-round pick in 2024 NFL Draft
I understand being upset with Simpson — that was a miscalculated decision. The rest, though? Be upset with the players; DeCosta made the effort.
Expensive contracts aren’t giving the Baltimore Ravens their money’s worth
Then there are your big-money players who are disappointing in 2026. Specifically, Marlon Humphrey and Roquan Smith haven’t lived up to what the Ravens are paying them.
When Eric DeCosta extended Humphrey and Smith, they were at the top of their game. They were considered among the best at their positions, and they undoubtedly deserved those extensions.
Unfortunately, it’s all trended in the wrong direction since.
Humphrey isn’t playing up to standard. He’s under a five-year, $97.5 million contract, and he’s posting more negative than positive results. Coverage breakdowns, missed tackles, and an inability to break up passes - the veteran corner seems to make every mistake possible.
Smith is playing better, but not at the pace that deserves a $100 million deal anymore. He looked tremendous in Week 8. Some of the same issues have bitten him, though, and he doesn’t like the same fiery player who flies to football, makes statement tackles in the open field, and amps up his teammates.
Between those two guys, their cap hits are holding Baltimore hostage at nearly $60 million. You can't be a fierce playoff contender when two of your four highest-paid players aren’t living up to their contracts.
I’m not saying Eric DeCosta is a flawless general manager. However, he isn’t a bad one.
Add us as a preferred source on Google