The Ravens are entering the 2025 offseason with multiple major roster needs and a tight salary cap. Here are the biggest questions facing general manager Eric DeCosta
The Ravens are entering the 2025 offseason with the same primary task as the last few: retaining key players while adding enough talent to put the roster over the top next season. Unlike the last four years, general manager Eric DeCosta isn’t dealing with a major trade request or long-term contract extension. Instead, he has to find ways to upgrade the roster with a tight cap situation and yet another late first-round pick. Here are the three biggest questions he must answer this offseason.
Who will play left tackle for the Ravens in 2025?
The Ravens do not currently have a left tackle with significant college or NFL experience under contract for 2025. Not great! Barring a surprising move elsewhere on the roster, this is Baltimore’s biggest need heading into the offseason.
Option 1: Ronnie Stanley
Stanley took a pay cut last March and rebuilt his value with a solid 2024 season. Crucially, he started all 19 games (including the postseason) and held up in pass protection throughout the year. Stanley still isn’t at his pre-injury level of dominance, but his floor of reliable play at left tackle is extremely hard to find. Re-signing him is the clearest path forward for the Ravens.
Option 2: Veteran FA Signing
Stanley isn’t the only left tackle set to hit free agency. Alaric Jackson has quietly been very effective for the Rams over the last two years. The 26-year-old could hold down the starting LT gig in Baltimore for a few years. The remaining options, however, have a mix of age, health, and talent concerns. Any option would likely be a stopgap as the Ravens continue to search for a long-term answer.
Option 3: Roger Rosengarten
DeCosta already mentioned Rosengarten’s potential to flip to the left side during his end-of-season press conference. The 2024 second-rounder was entrusted to protect the blind side of left-handed QB Michael Penix Jr. at Washington, but he barely has any experience at left tackle. He’d have another season of growing pains while the Ravens try to find yet another right tackle. It’s risky, but remains an option if the LT market is too hot.
(Unlikely) Option 4: First-Round Pick
The Ravens have the 27th overall pick in the draft and DeCosta has a well-documented aversion to trading up. Finding starting-caliber left tackle talent is near-impossible out of the top 20 picks, so don’t count on Baltimore entrusting Lamar Jackson’s blind side to a rookie.
How will Baltimore stay under the salary cap?
At the moment, the Ravens are projected to have just under $6 million in cap space this offseason, per OverTheCap. With cap adjustments and a potential RFA tag for Ar’Darius Washington, the team could be $2.28 million over the 2025 cap when the new league year starts. according to Brian McFarland of Russell Street Report. That will force them to make some roster moves before free agency to make any additions (and sign their incoming rookie class).
Option 1: Derrick Henry Extension
Henry is entering the final year of his contract after a successful debut season in Baltimore. He currently has a $12.9 million cap hit, but the Ravens could save $6.2 million with an extension. The veteran running back will want a (well-deserved) raise on his $9 million APY, but the team can still structure the contract to minimize the cap burden in 2025 and 2026.
Option 2: Mark Andrews Trade/Cut/Extension
The Ravens have multiple ways to handle their star tight end, but one thing is clear: his $16.9 million cap hit is untenable. An extension would save $7.9 million if the team wants to keep Andrews in Baltimore, but doing so may hinder their ability to keep Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar in the future. If the team wants to move on, they’ll look for Day 2 draft compensation in a trade but would likely settle for an early Day 3 pick to clear $11 million from the cap with $5.9 million in dead money. Cutting Andrews outright would save the same amount, but that would be a surprise given his pedigree.
Option 3: Odafe Oweh Extension
Oweh is currently slated for the sixth-highest cap hit on the team at $13.25 million. That’s not a bad price for a double-digit sack producer, but an extension could save $9.7 million while keeping him around for the future. However, Oweh is coming off a career year with an exploding edge market and will be demanding a sizable salary. The Ravens may want him to prove his production in 2025 before committing long-term money.
Option 4: Other Restructures/Cuts
The Ravens may prefer the first three options, but they all require agreement with another party. If negotiations stall, Baltimore has a few other levers they can unilaterally pull to clear cap space. Restructuring the contracts of Lamar Jackson, Marlon Humphrey, Roquan Smith, and Nnamdi Madubuike are all on the table for significant cap savings. (Extensions for Jackson and Humphrey are expensive, but proactive options as well.) The Ravens don’t have many potential cap casualties; the clearest candidate is cornerback Arthur Maulet, who would save $2.25 million if released.
Who will make up the starting secondary?
At the moment, the Ravens only have one set starter for their 2025 secondary: boundary corner Nate Wiggins. Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton will certainly start, but it’s unclear if they will stay in their 2024 roles. Washington will be easy to retain with an RFA tag (or multi-year extension), but Brandon Stephens appears headed for free agency. Depending on how Zach Orr wants to configure his defense, the Ravens could need a new boundary cornerback, safety, or both in 2025.
Option 1: Veteran FA Signing
The Ravens tend to address their immediate needs through free agency, making a veteran DB signing likely this offseason. Their cap situation will make it tough to compete at the top of the safety or cornerback markets, but DeCosta has consistently found value in recent offseasons. Kendall Fuller wouldn’t count against the compensatory pick formula after being cut by the Dolphins, and Geno Stone could be in a similar situation after a rough debut in Cincinnati.
Option 2: T.J. Tampa
Originally pegged as a Day 2 pick in 2024, Tampa fell to the Ravens in the fourth round. He struggled with injuries as a rookie, but showed clear development on special teams. It would be a leap to pencil him in as a Week 1 starter on the outside, but he should have a chance to compete for the job. Moving Tampa into Stephens’ vacated spot would allow Orr to retain the secondary structure that led to so much success at the end of last season.
Option 3: Day 1/2 Draft Pick
Drafting cornerbacks with back-to-back first round picks would be a minor surprise, but don’t rule it out. Few things are more valuable than cost-controlled talent at one of the game’s most important positions. Safety is a little more complicated with no clear first-round talents outside of Georgia’s Malaki Starks. Day 2 might be the sweet spot to find a prospect with enough coverage chops to play a rotational role as a rookie.