To put it lightly, there has never been an offseason quite like this one in the history of the Baltimore Ravens.
Following a season in which the Ravens started as Super Bowl favorites and ended with them missing the playoffs, there have been top-to-bottom changes.
That included firing Super Bowl champion head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons — and watching him immediately hired by the New York Giants — as well as bringing back former assistant Jesse Minter as Baltimore’s new head coach.
That was just the tip of the iceberg. All of which led to the Ravens, after several twists and turns, becoming the oddsmaker’s favorite to have the NFL’s highest win total in 2026.
“Ravens’ win total set at over/under 11.5, best in NFL,” Pro Football Talk wrote on its official X account.
Ravens-Raiders Trade Drama Grabs Headlines
The biggest story of the NFL offseason has been a deal that didn’t even happen — the blockbuster trade between the Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders that would have brought Baltimore NFL All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
The Ravens sent 2 1st round picks to the Raiders for Crosby, but just 4 days after the trade — and almost 2 days after free agency opened — the Ravens said a failed physical and Crosby’s surgically-repaired knee caused them to back out.
Instead, the Ravens got an elite edge rusher for less money than they were going to pay for Crosby and were able to keep their 1st round picks after signing free agent Trey Hendrickson to a 4-year, $112 million contract.
Hendrickson had consecutive seasons with 17.5 sacks in 2023 and 2024.
Ravens Roster Picked Over in Free Agency
Backing out of the Crosby trade put the Ravens on the back foot — as did what seemed like a never-ending exodus of players off the roster in free agency.
In total, the Ravens lost 12 players to free agency, which included 7 full-time starters led by 3-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, who became the NFL’s highest-paid interior offensive lineman with a 4-year, $81 million contract from the Las Vegas Raiders.
On defense, the Ravens lost safety Alohi Gilman to the Kansas City Chiefs, but replaced him quickly with New England Patriots safety Jalynn Hawkins on a 2-year, $10 million contract. After those losses, it’s hard to think the Ravens can’t just replace what was lost in the upcoming 2026 NFL draft.
Ravens Predicted to Add OL Help in 1st Round
Baltimore’s defense seems like it’s pretty much set after the additions of Hendrickson and Hawkins. You can’t say the same for the offense.
The biggest weakness for the Ravens in 2025 was a porous offensive line that contributed in a big way to 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson missing 4 games due to a variety of injuries.
That’s why ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. predicts the Ravens will use their 2026 1st round pick (No. 14 overall) on 6-foot-6, 311-pound Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano.
“Fano’s athletic profile is designed for move-based blocking schemes where he can pull, reach and climb while beating opponents to the spot with quickness/feel for hitting landmarks on time,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. “He gives good effort as a downhill blocker, but issues with pad level and core strength lead to him being overtaken as the rep progresses. Fano’s level of NFL success might be tied to scheme fit and individual matchups.”
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