Ravens LB Ready After Battling Injuries

After missing each of his first two seasons, one Baltimore Ravens linebacker hopes to have a strong showing in training camp.

Lafayette defensive lineman Malik Hamm strips the ball from Delaware quarterback Pat Kehoe and keeps the Hens from finishing a drive deep in Leopard territory late in the second quarter at Delaware Stadium. | WILLIAM BRETZGER, The News Journal

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Malik Hamm is technically entering his third year in the NFL, but he hasn't even had the chance to truly get off the ground.

Hamm, who joined the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Lafayette in 2023, has yet to suit up for even a single regular season game due to back-to-back season-ending knee injuries. The first came in the preseason finale against the Washington Commanders in 2023, while the second came during training camp in 2024.

It's been a rough start to his career to say the least, but Hamm hasn't let it bring him down.

“I’ve just been leaning on my teammates and just thinking positively. I feel like that’s the biggest thing, don’t let the negative thoughts [enter] your head,” Hamm said last week on "Glenn Clark Radio." “Keep focusing on the positive things that’s happening, and eventually, you know, you’re going to look up and you’re going to be right where you want to be.

“You get to learn from guys like Roquan [Smith and] … Kyle Van Noy, you get to learn what the NFL is like. What it takes to be good, what’s the right way and the wrong way to do things. So, of course, you know with time I got all that experience, and you could just let it show on the field. That’s all that really matters.”

Hamm, 24, is now fully healthy and ready for training camp later this month. Rest assured, he's going to give it everything he's got as he competes for a roster spot.

“Once you get on the field, you’ve got to go balls to the wall. That’s just how we operate with the Ravens,” Hamm said. “But you definitely do [have] to take your time in terms of knowing that you can’t be impatient in the opportunity that you’ve got. You’ve just got to let it come to you. And when it does come, that’s when you got to go balls to the wall.”

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