Ravens' Star DT Out for Season

Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike will miss the rest of the season with a neck injury, head coach John Harbaugh announced.

"Nnamdi is going to be out for the year. Broderick will be the four week IR."
Coach Harbaugh on injury statuses after Sunday's game: pic.twitter.com/EK3ZOsskqD
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 29, 2025

"Nnamdi's going to be out for the year, that's going to be a year-long IR (injured reserve)," Harbaugh told reporters.

Madubuike, 27, suffered a neck injury after the Ravens' Week 2 win over the Cleveland Browns and has not played since. The Ravens have been deliberately vague about the nature of Madubuike's injury - and they still are to an extent, as Harbaugh said questions about the injury would be best answered by him - but now it's clear that the injury is worse than they initially let on.

"Well, I would say I am concerned about it, but I'm not really in a position to comment on it right now," Harbaugh told reporters last week. "I haven't been given the 'OK' to comment on it at this point. So, [Madubuike] is not going to play this week. I can tell you that. We're going to have to see going forward when [the medical staff] knows what they need to know."

Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike. — Sep 29, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (92) along the sidelines during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The former third-round pick out of Texas A&M broke out in 2023, leading all NFL defensive tackles with 13 sacks and earning a four-year, $98 million extension the following offseason. Though his sack total dropped to just 6.5 in 2024, the fact that he took up so much attention in the middle allowed his teammates to get home very often. The Ravens had the second-most sacks in the league last season with 54.

Madubuike was also off to a great start this season, recording two sacks in as many games. The Ravens have just one sack in two games without him (and other key pass rushers as well), so his loss hurts just that much more. However, they have no choice but to press on.

"Just keep on going," edge rusher Odafe Oweh told reporters last week. "Obviously, like I said, he's a good player. We're going to need him, but you can't have that message to the guys that are working their tails off and trying to dominate. So, you have to keep on putting confidence into them, knowing that it's a 'Next Man Up' mentality. We'd be doing him a disservice if we were out here not playing hard, [not] trying to get to the QB or [not] trying to get more TFLs, all the things that he does. So, [it's a] 'Next Man Up' mentality, that's what you have to tell them."

For slightly better news, Harbaugh shared that fellow defensive tackle Broderick Washington's injury is not season-ending, but the sting of Madubuike's loss makes it tough to look at any silver linings.

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