While the Ravens’ Nnamdi Madubuike began training camp on the PUP List, it sounds like his time there will be short. Sidelined since suffering a severe neck injury in Week 2 last season, he is now well and truly nearing return. According to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, he has taken the next crucial step that sets up his return to practice.
Zrebiec reports that Madubuike has received medical clearance to return to football work by independent doctors, citing sources. Without that clearance, he would be unable to work out with the team. And he should be out there sooner rather than later.
“If all goes well, the expectation is that Madubuike will be activated from the PUP list as early as next week and begin practice”, he wrote over the weekend, so that means in this case, “next week” is this week. Expect him on the field in the next few days.
That’s big for the Ravens, of course, but also big for football. Nnamdi Madubuike was a chasmic missing piece in the defense of one of the most notable perennial contenders in the NFL. It’s probably not exaggeration to suggest his absence cost them at least one game. And they only missed the playoffs by one game, my math telling me that makes a big difference.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Madubuike broke out in 2023 with a 13-sack season. Having already been on the rise, he took his game to another level in Year 4. The 2024 season saw much the same, even with slightly less splash. Even last year, he recorded two sacks in the two games in which he played prior to his injury.
And it’s no coincidence that the Ravens’ defense had a terrible season. Particularly concerning pass rush, with no threat in the middle of the defense, they only recorded 30 sacks all season.
Madubuike’s neck injury was serious enough that there seemed to be questions about him ever playing football again. Ravens coaches and executives were very hesitant to discuss his situation, but the tone has increasingly grown more upbeat. Now it appears we are on the doorstep of putting all of that behind us.
Following his breakout season in 2023, the Ravens signed Nnamdi Madubuike to a four-year, $98 million contract extension. Prior to his injury, he had shown enough consistency over a three-plus-year period to indicate it was a shrewd investment. And if he can return to form, he solidifies the Ravens as a dynamic threat once again. Especially under new defensive-minded HC Jessie Minter, this could be the most balanced Ravens team in years.