One Major Starter Won’t Play for Ravens in Preseason Opener Saturday

Ravens head coach Jesse Minter spoke to the media to discuss his preseason plans. Who will or won't play on Saturday?

Jul 30, 2026; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) during practice at Under Armour Peformance Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Baltimore Ravens are beginning the preseason against the Philadelphia Eagles at home on Saturday. 

Fans that are expecting to see their favorite players suit up may be highly disappointed. Ravens head coach Jesse Minter spoke to the media on Tuesday and discussed the team’s potential absences come gameday. 

"I would say some established players [will] not [be] playing in this first game,” Minter said on Tuesday, per the team’s transcript. “[It's a] good opportunity for a lot of the guys. It's an individual basis, I would say, based on maybe some of the experience and how many snaps they've played and things like that. I do think there's value [playing during the preseason]. We will have three joint practices, which I view in high regard for the work that we'll be able to get there in a more controlled environment for specific positions especially. So, it's a little bit of an individual basis, for sure."

Quarterback Lamar Jackson hasn’t suited up for a preseason game since 2021. Jackson played one game, completing 3-of-4 passes for 29 yards and was sacked twice for a passer rating of 94.8. He’s only played eight preseason games in his career between the 2018-2019 seasons and 2021. Jackson was beginning to grasp a new offensive system under Greg Roman in 2019 and hasn’t had a change in offensive coordinators until this season.

So, is he going to play on Saturday? No, according to Minter.

"Yes, Lamar [Jackson] is not going to play,” Minter said with a laugh.

Baltimore’s two-time MVP-winning quarterback wasn’t the only starter to not participate in preseason games last year. Derrick Henry, Mark Andrews, Zay Flowers, Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten didn’t play in the 2025 preseason.

Returning defensive starters Marlon Humphrey, Kyle Hamilton, Chidobe Awuzie, Travis Jones, Roquan Smith, Nnamdi Madubuike and Nate Wiggins each did not play in the 2025 preseason. Madubuike, who suffered a season-ending neck injury last season and Wiggins, who suffered a knee injury in Tuesday’s practice, will most likely be long shots to play.

There have been major contributors that played in last year’s preseason. Malaki Starks, Mike Green, Trenton Simpson and Teddye Buchanan (knee) played last year. However, Buchanan’s knee injury suffered an ACL tear and LCL sprain against the Cincinnati Bengals in punt coverage on Dec. 14 last season. Buchanan is currently on the physically unable to perform list and is making good progress, according to Minter.

"I would say that [Teddye Buchanan] falls into that — the next week or two, I think he'll be making some real progress,” Minter said. “We'll start to look out there at times and have all the guys that may be available on September 13. This dude has been incredible in how he's attacked coming off the injury that he's come off of. And again, it's our job to make sure that when we put him into the football environment that he's ready and he doesn't have any setbacks off of that."

With a new coaching staff and new systems in place, players could play who haven’t gotten live repetitions in their respective coaches’ schemes.