Ravens Will Feature Five Team Captains All Season Under Rookie Coach Jesse Minter

The Ravens have changed in drastic ways with longtime coach John Harbaugh now gone for over half a year, and the team’s captaincy and overall leadership are another indication of such.

Rookie head coach Jesse Minter unveiled the Ravens’ new captains Thursday, after the last practice for the team until next Tuesday, with five players set to wear a captain’s designation on their uniform this season and another five who will be part of the leadership council acting as representatives for the locker room and a sounding board for Minter and the other coaches.

Minter said he put it to a vote and that there was pretty clear delineation in the tally of the top five, and the next five. The Ravens’ captains for 2026 are: quarterback Lamar Jackson, running back Derrick Henry, linebacker Roquan Smith, defensive lineman Calais Campbell and safety Ky;e Hamilton. Of that group, only Hamilton essentially has a contract beyond this season, which speaks to the Super-Bowl-or-bust nature of this roster, which is running the highest payroll of owner Steve Bisciotti’s tenure.

“I think it is the biggest honor when your teammates vote you to be the leaders, to be the captains,” Minter said. “So, I love the fact that those guys were all picked. They all got a very high percentage of the votes from the whole team.”

No Real Surprises

The next five vote getters were also named to the leadership board, if you will: EDGE Trey Hendrickson, tight end Mark Andrews, tackle Ronnie Stanley, receiver Zay Flower and long-snapper Nick Moore. The group cuts across positions and includes some younger veterans, and Minter sounded as if he wants to be in regular communication with this group. The players voted on the captains this week.; Hendrickson is the only real newcomer, as Campbell played here in the past before leaving and coming back a few months back.

“I really just felt like we did have a pretty veteran team with what I felt like may be established leaders,” Minter said, “and I want those guys to feel the responsibility of having a 'C' on their chest and being a team captain. So, I think there is a lot to it. But again, just excited.

“We have a great group of guys. There is a lot more outside of those 10. There are a lot of young guys I think that are on the come [up] for the future. But again, really excited about those five guys."

The Ravens play at the Colts in Week 1 on the road before hosting the Saints in Minter’s first home game and then going to Brazil to face the Cowboys. The Ravens carry Super Bowl expectations but this a brand-new staff and the offensive is totally reinventing itself and there are issues about the interior offensive and defensive lines heading into the season.

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