Ravens Confident in Benched LB Returning to Starting Lineup

With the confirmation of the season-ending torn ACL suffered by fourth-round rookie Teddye Buchanan following the Baltimore Ravens Week 15 shutout of the Cincinnati Bengals, there will be a different yet familiar new starting inside linebacker next to All Pro veteran Roquan Smith for the remainder of the season.

"It sucks anytime you see your guy go down, somebody you go to war with every day and truly just a good dude," Smith said postgame. "It's giving me chills thinking about it, and just knowing what [Buchanan] stands for, knowing all that he's gone through. So, when you just see that, it just sucks. Obviously, it's an unforgiving business, and we know that. We signed up for that, and it just sucks, but I know it's a minor setback for him."

When the team selected Trenton Simpson in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Clemson at No. 86 overall, it was to be the eventual successor to 2020 first-round pick Patrick Queen, whose fifth-year option they declined to pick up.

The former ACC standout predominantly played on special teams as a rookie before seeing extended action in the regular season finale that year, with several starters resting, including Queen, who had received Second Team All Pro and Pro Bowl honors. He showed some promising flashes in that snapshot of extensive playing time, which had many within and outside of the organization very high on him heading into a sophomore campaign in 2024 that saw him earn and hold the top WILL linebacker spot for the first 13 weeks but get benched following the team's Week 14 bye.

After opening the 2025 season in a two-man rotation with Buchanan that lasted just one week, Simpson lost his starting job for the second year in a row as the mid-round rookie started and played the lion's share of snaps at WILL for the past 13 games prior to going down. Now, the third-year pro finds himself with a sudden opportunity to reclaim the spot he was brought in to fill and solidify following Queen's defection to the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency.

Ravens don't expect any dropoff

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Teddye Buchanan (40) tackles Cincinnati Bengals running back Gary Brightwell (32) in Week 13. — Nov 27, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Teddye Buchanan (40) tackles Cincinnati Bengals running back Gary Brightwell (32) during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Buchanan was having a very solid rookie season that included being the team's second-leading tackler through the first 14 games with 93 total tackles, including 49 solos and 5 for a loss. He also recorded a pair of quarterback hits, half a sack, a forced fumble, a pass breakup and was robbed of his first career interception in Week 14.

When he went down late in the first quarter of this past week's game while on special teams covering the Ravens' second punt of the game, Simpson was the next man up. He carried over strong practice habits to the game and impressed his coaches with his performance, which has them confident that he can fill in more than admirably on a full-time basis.

"Trent Simpson will take that role," head coach John Harbaugh said. "Trent had a really good game. He played well and has been practicing great. Every time he's been playing, he's been playing well, too. So, I expect Trent to come in there and just build on what Teddye's been doing so far, and also what Trent's been doing."

When Simpson lost his starting spot to Buchanan after the season-opener, he wasn't relegated to an exclusively special teams role like he was following last year's late-season benching. Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr came up with creative ways to deploy and utilize his dynamic skillset and athleticism, which included playing on the edge in the SAM outside linebacker role, where he got a chance play the run, drop back in coverage and rush the passer.

Despite having started just three of the 14 games he has appeared in this season, Simpson has managed to record 46 total tackles, including 20 solos and 2 for a loss, 1.5 sacks, 4 quarterback hits and a pass breakup.

"I think he's done really well," Harbaugh said. "He played good against the run and played good against the pass in the reps he's had. I am really not worried about it at all."

Given the timing of this unfortunate setback, Buchanan will likely be out of commission until the start of next training camp while he recovers from surgery and rehabilitates his injured. This provides Simpson with the chance to prove himself for the rest of this season, but also all spring and summer to be the leading candidate to start next to Smith heading into the final year of his rookie contract in 2026.

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