Baltimore will hold seven OTA sessions and a mandatory mininicamp before training camp and we’re looking at six early position battles to watch

Baltimore’s roster has few holes, and competition will be fierce for several key positions that will start to take shape during OTAs, mandatory mini-camp, and eventually training camp in late July.

The Ravens are amid a Super Bowl window and feel confident after signing Derrick Henry to a contract extension. General manager Eric DeCosta added depth to a much-improved defense and will debut a new kicker for the first time in over a decade.

Baltimore will hold seven OTA sessions and a mandatory minicamp before training camp, and we’re looking at six early position battles to watch.

3rd RB spot

There are only so many carries with Derrick Henry and Justice Hill on the roster, but Keaton Mitchell is a home run hitter. Mitchell will look to get back to full speed after missing much of the season recovering from a knee injury that ended his 2023 campaign, and he’ll compete with second-year running back Rasheen Ali for snaps.

Inside linebacker spot

Roquan Smith is the unquestioned leader of the Ravens‘ defense, but he’ll need a running back at the linebacker spot. With Malik Harrison and Chris Board departing in free agency, John Harbaugh confirmed that Trenton Simpson would be first up in the battle at linebacker. Simpson was productive over Baltimore’s first 11 games, logging 65 tackles (34 solo), but he was a liability in the passing game. Simpson was entirely out of the Ravens‘ inside-linebacker rotation following the Week 14 bye, and he was limited to special teams during Baltimore’s two-game postseason run. Simpson finished the 2024 regular season with 73 tackles (40 solo), including 1.5 sacks, four pass defenses, and one fumble recovery across 17 games. He’ll battle special-teams standout Jacob Hummel and fourth-round pick Teddye Buchanan.

Kicker

Baltimore released star kicker Justin Tucker after weeks of scrutiny. The Ravens selected Tyler Loop in the sixth round of the NFL draft, and signed undrafted free agent kicker John Hoyland following a tryout during the team’s rookie mini camp. These two players will battle to replace a legend and future Hall of Famer.

Third safety spot

Baltimore likes to employ a third safety in their base defense, allowing Kyle Hamilton to be a Swiss army knife in Zach Orr’s versatile scheme. Ar’Darius Washington fit that role until he suffered a torn Achilles during a recent workout. Beau Brade and Sanoussi Kane will battle for that role.

Kane is a thumper who also stood out on defense in the preseason. According to Pro Football Focus, he did not allow a single reception on 30 coverage snaps, produced a coverage grade of 73.4, and recorded a forced incompletion and a tackle for loss. Last summer, Brade made the Ravens’ 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie free agent after starring at River Hill High School and the University of Maryland. In the games he appeared in, Brade was mainly relegated to special teams roles and only saw the field on defense late in the fourth quarter of games where victory was well in hand. Braden recorded just three total tackles, including just one solo, and played 207 snaps on special teams compared to just 11 on defense. He was inactive for both playoff games.

Left guard

Patrick Mekari took his talents to Jacksonville, leaving a void at left guard. Vorhees was the initial starter at left guard in 2024 before suffering an injury and getting benched in favor of Mekari for Weeks 4 and 5, before the move was made permanent. The former USC star should get the nod heading into training camp. He’ll battle sixth-round pick, Garrett Dellinger, and Ben Cleveland.

Third edge rusher

Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh are the unquestioned starters, but the Ravens are hoping second-round pick Mike Green can assume a role from Day 1. He’ll battle Adisa Isaac, Tavius Robinson, and David Ojabo for snaps if not. Things can only go up for Ojabo after he played in 13 games last season. He has four sacks in his first three seasons, and it’s now or never for the former Michigan pass rusher. A 2024 third-round pick, Adisa Isaac saw action in four games and played 32 defensive snaps, as his NFL debut was delayed by a hamstring issue, which sidelined him for the Ravens‘ first two games. Tavius Robinson has improved dramatically, and the former Ole Miss pass rusher had 3.5 sacks and 12 QB hits in a reserve role last season.