Feb. 20, 2026, 3:21 p.m. ET
Eric DeCosta recently joined “The Inner Circle” podcast and was asked how he balances the demanding schedule that comes with being general manager of the Baltimore Ravens. DeCosta said he relies on organization and detailed daily planning — but it’s his unusual weekend routine that really helps him stay ahead.
“Well, on the weekends, I have an unusual way on the weekends. So, I go to bed early on Friday night, and I try to get into the office at 3:00 a.m. And I like to work on Saturday mornings. There’s nobody here. So, I can work from about 3:30, 4:00 in the morning till about 10:00 a.m., and then go home, and my kids are just waking up. And so, for me, I can steal like 6 hours of tape watching on Saturday mornings. And if I’m up for it, I’ll do the same thing on Sunday morning. So I can steal like 12 hours over the course of a weekend when I’m not being bothered, when it’s just me here in the office, just watching tape. A lot of getting ready for the draft is literally just watching the players and ranking players. And the only way to do it is just by watching the players. You can’t cheat the system. You got to go through it. You got to grind on these guys. Um, so that’s a big part of what I do. And then you’ve got to enable your staff. And I have a great scouting staff. A lot of us have been together for 15 or 20 years. And I’ve got to trust those guys that they’re going to be the best at what they do”.
For DeCosta, there’s no shortcut to building a championship roster. While fans only see the finished product on Sundays, the real work starts long before that, often in the quiet hours of a weekend morning with nothing but game tape and a scouting report. It’s a reminder that the grind never really stops, especially for a general manager determined to keep the Ravens in contention year after year.
Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.