3 Free Agents the Ravens NEED to Sign Before Week 1

The Baltimore Ravens will suit up one more time this preseason for a home game against the Commanders before undertaking the always tough task of trimming down their active roster to 53 players as we inch towards the regular season.

However, it may well be that not all of those 53 players chosen to run out on the field for the Week 1 clash at Indianapolis are currently on the Ravens’ roster. Baltimore could still add a few names via free agent signings or possibly even a trade.

Here are three free agents still without a team that the Ravens should consider bringing on board before the start of the 2026 NFL regular season:

Jabrill Peppers, safety

At 30 years old, Peppers is the perfect definition of a one-year rental. A nine year vet with plenty of AFC North experience, Peppers could provide some flexibility to the safety group where Jaylinn Hawkins and Malaki Starks are expected to play back deep whenever Kyle Hamilton stays closer to the line of scrimmage in big nickel packages.

The current depth behind Hawkins and Starks is made up of journeyman K’Von Wallace, plus UDFAs Keondre Jackson (2025) and Silas Walters (2026). An injury to either Hawkins or Starks could force the Ravens to keep Hamilton deep permanently, limiting his playmaking ability.

Peppers is coming off a one-year deal in Pittsburgh where he started two out of the 14 games he played in after arriving somewhat late to the team, so he knows the drill. Before that, he was unexpectedly released from New England after two very good seasons in 2023 and 2024.

Peppers might not be a starter anymore, but he could provide quality depth for the veteran minimum. Not bad for a guy who has logged snaps almost everywhere on the defensive side: in the box, back deep, in the slot and even on the perimeter.

Will Hernandez, guard

The Ravens’ interior line took a hit when center/guard Danny Pinter landed recently on the IR. Even if Baltimore seems covered at the center position with late signee Ethan Pocic -- who’s coming back from a torn Achilles’ suffered back in December -- it seems like a good idea to add another body to the rotation.

With questions surrounding just how effective Pocic could be after such a serious injury, especially early on, and legitimate doubts regarding how well projected starting left guard John Simpson can perform, a guy like Hernandez makes total sense.

Yes, he’s coming off two straight seasons on IR, but having a guy with 98 NFL starts at guard on the bench just in case sounds like good insurance. Especially given how shallow depth is in the interior of Baltimore’s offensive line after Pinter’s injury.

Taysom Hill, tight end

OK, so hear me out. Hill has already announced he’s not coming back to the Saints. The Ravens’ depth behind an aging Mark Andrews looks suspect, even after adding Durham Smythe in free agency and Matt Hibner and Josh Cuevas on the last day of this year’s draft.

Again, this would be a one-year rental max, but why not reunite Hill with the Ravens’ new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, who served as an offensive assistant for the Saints for four years before heading out to Denver to coach tight ends?

Baltimore will line up under center a lot more under Doyle this year, and multiple tight end sets should be a big part of the equation. Besides, the Ravens don’t have enough proven wide receivers to spread out wide on every down to begin with. A flexible chess piece capable of lining up at different spots could make sense for Lamar Jackson’s arsenal, in 2026.

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