The Ravens roster has undergone a flux of changes in the last five days. On Friday, the Ravens made the very uncharacteristic move of trading for Las Vegas Raiders EDGE Maxx Crosby, moving two first-round picks for the star from defender. Whether the moves are correlated or not, the Ravens were willing to let multiple key pieces walk in free agency on Monday including C Tyler Linderbaum, TE Isaiah Likely and TE Charlie Kolar, P Jordan Stout, plus S Ar’Darius Washington and S Alohi Gilman. Many of these players followed their former coach John Harbaugh to the New York Giants, while Linderbaum secured an absurd $27MM APY contract with the Raiders.
The loss of so many players has many wondering if this is related to Lamar Jackson not yet signing his extension, the trade for Crosby, or a general philosophy shift from the team and front office. Regardless, the Ravens still have major needs. The interior of their offensive line – despite the signing of G John Simpson – is still weak. Additionally, the Ravens are in a rare spot where they need tight ends with the departures of Likely and Kolar. On the defensive side, the defensive line still needs some more depth pieces along with the cornerback room.
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It’s not an insurmountable battle. The Ravens have been known to scoop up free agents later in the cycle that end up signing cheap deals, outperforming their contract, and not affecting the compensatory pick formula. One of the reasons the Ravens were willing to part with two first-round picks for Crosby was the fact that they were just awarded four compensatory picks in the 2026 draft, leaving them with 10 in total. Fortunately for Baltimore, this draft is deep at edge rusher and offensive line. With the draft capital they still have, don’t be surprised if the Ravens move back into the first or higher second round if a good lineman falls.
In the team’s end of year press conference, owner Steve Bisciotti made it known that the Ravens needed to make moves in the trenches. The offensive line play last year was poor and the Ravens had virtually zero ability to pressure the quarterback. The Ravens’ trade for Crosby and the potential return of Nnamdi Madubuike could shift the team’s defensive line from one of the worst in 2025, to one of the best in 2026. While losing Linderbaum was a major blow, there is no way the Ravens could justify giving him the contract he eventually received in Las Vegas. Fortunately, there are still many interior offensive lineman options available like Elgton Jenkins, Wyatt Teller, and Joel Bitonio.
As mentioned before, the Ravens have typically been able to target players late in the cycle and revive their careers. Chidobe Awuzie, Jadeveon Clowney, and Kyle Van Noy are a name a few recent examples. With free agency only through one day, I fully expect more moves from the Ravens to fortify their offensive and defensive line depth. However, their flexibility to do so still lies in the hands of their star quarterback. If Jackson doesn’t sign an extension by 4pm tomorrow, the Ravens will most likely restructure his contract, putting an extension on the back burner until next year. While things look bleak for an extension right now, it pales in comparison to the elongated saga we saw in their previous negotiations.
Top Remaining Free Agents:
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EDGE Trey Hendrickson, 31
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EDGE Jadeveon Clowney, 33
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EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson, 26
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