Ravens 2026 Edge Assessment: Finally Put Their Money Where Their Mouth Is

Perhaps it was a lesson learned the hard way.

After years of scrimping and hoping and gaslighting their fans about the state of the Ravens group of edge rushers, general manager Eric DeCosta finally got real about the situation this offseason.

Mostly.

I mean, the part they tried to sell you about really, really, really, wanting to pair Maxx Crosby with Trey Hendrickson, well, that was pablum. But they are paying Hendrickson $30M a year for two years (guaranteed) to rush the quarterback for them, after years of trying to see how many middling guys under $10M they could collect to try to do the job.

"Nobody apprecates pass rush more than we do," DeCosta crowed at one point. Whatever. He certainly didn't to pay for it and his staff sure as hell couldn't develop it.

The irony may be that in new head coach Jesse Minter, they actually have a defensive play caller and schemer adept enough to manufacture pass rush through scheme. But after two disastrous seasons under prior coordinate Zach Orr, devoid of edge talent, it seems obvious the Ravens would have to change their ways this offseason.

But about that whole Crosby and Hendrickson thing. If DeCosta wants to prove people wrong, he could convince his owner to spring for Josh Sweat in trade or go back to Jadeveon Clowney for more edge insurance.

Could they still be a man short in this department? Well, if the past – really since Terrell Suggs was still in his prime – is any indicator of the future, they probably still are.

Key Contracts

Starters:

Hendrickson $31M cash ($15M cap): It’s essentially $60M for two years. At his age (32) coming off injury issues with the Bengals, it’s like getting under the franchise tag two years in a row; its real money but indicative of the soft market than led to the Ravens pivoting off Crosby with the math looking better with Hendickson.

Zion Young $5.4M cash ($2M cap): He is there to set the edge and use his power and core strength on early downs. Anything beyond that is great but I wouldn’t count on it. No evaluator we’ve discussed this prospect with on “The Daily Flock Show” is crowning him as a pass rusher (including more recently Charles Davis, linked below). He should be a pivotal part of the rotation, but the Ravens have failed repeatedly with this type of prospect.

Back-Ups:

Tavius Robinson $3.7M cash ($3.9M cap): He occasionally flashes some pass rush to tantalize you, but he’s mostly a similar profile to what can be expected from Young. Now in the final year of his rookie deal, he needs to stay healthy.

Mike Green $1.2M cash ($1.7M cap): Got asked to do way too much, especially on early downs, as a rookie, and that should change dramatically this season. A streamlined, designated pass rusher role is where they is headed and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is talking about a 10-sack year.

Others To Know:

Adisa Iasaac: It really better be go time for him. Entering the final year of his rookie deal after failing to make any impact at all to this point.

Prognosis For 2026 – Finally Legit

No real Super Bowl contender tries to run out a bunch of budget guys and blown draft picks on the edge and thinks it’s good enough. No one. Keep that in mind when they tell you they are all-in to win the Lombardi every year. And if Hendrickson succumbs to injury again, we’ll be looking at this group and saying it lacks sufficient individual brilliance to go deep in the playoffs.

Best way to do that is to try to keep Hendrickson on a pitch count and not having to always play the run. And, yeah, a Clowney type might really help with that. Regardless, this role for Green should fit him well and if no one in this group has more than five sacks, like no one here did last year, then heads should roll in the front office.

Prognosis For Beyond 2026 – Not Good Enough

I’m not buying Young as a pass rush threat til I see it. Could be that the end is near for Hendrickson? This team needs to start to building against worst-case scenarios and getting exponentially better in how it evaluates college pass rushers. You either spend $120M for three years of them in their prime when they do hit the market (or if you actually trade for one, like the Rams did with Myles Garrett) or you draft them in the first round, probably as high as possible.

They still haven’t had a youthful one around here who truly made an impact since those Suggs days we mentioned before. That’s a helluva blindspot to have in the modern game in the NFL, but DeCosta hasn’t come close to succeeding there yet.

Projections

In this scheme with these pieces around him, Hendrickson should be good for 12-15 sacks. That’s heady stuff in these parts. I could see Green with 8-10 himself, and this group of interior defenders will also be plenty good enough if Nnamdi Madubuike is back. This should be, without question, the most improved group on this roster. It almost has to be. And unless it is, the Ravens won’t be going very far in 2026.

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