Top 10 Healthy Ravens Veterans Not As Special A List As You Might Think

The sportsbooks fancy the Ravens to win as many games as anyone in the NFL. And while those numbers might change some – HYPER ON BOOKS – after the schedule is released, the bulk of the offseason transaction period is behind us.

I have a hard time getting my head around winning 12 games in a stout AFC with a novice head coach and offensive coordinator, but stranger things have happened. Like the missing the playoffs entirely last year. But I learned a long time ago to weigh these projections based on the number of prime, blue chip players on a depth chart; that means age matters and recent/current injury history really matters. Which means when I start ranking Ravens veteran players, who have NFL experience, I can’t put Nnamdi Madubuike on it with him just having potentially career-saving neck surgery.

And as I mulled this list and scratched things out and wore a pencil out, and settled on this list, it did strike me how many of this group are far closer to the ed of their careers than their prime and how many naturally are near the end of their contract as well. No list is perfect and all are subjective, but this exercise made me believe that the 2024 and 2025 draft classes better take major collective leaps this season, and that the schedule makers betting be really kind to the Ravens, because it would be very difficult for me to believe this roster will be the last one left standing.

Here’s my top 10 best current, healthy Ravens players (not rookies, though Vega Ioane might be top five six if included):

Top Five

1) Lamar Jackson – Not going to belabor this point, but durability will be watched closely as he approaches age 30 and the use of the wheels was already being curtailed last year it seemed –

2) Kyle Hamilton – Does he have a DPOY in his future at some point? Jesse Minter running this defense now should benefit him as much as anyone.

3) Derrick Henry – I have major concerns about him being close to the dynamic force he’s been entering his age 32 season but he’s been the ultimate unicorn to this point (can they keep him to 250 touches?).

4) Trey Hendrickson – If kept off his feet more on early downs it bodes even better for him. Natural pass rush ability the Ravens haven’t had in a decade. This is such a void, his presence pushes him up the list.

5) Zay Flowers – Touchdown production at his size might never be ideal, but he kept this offense afloat in 2025 and is the best receiver pick the Ravens have ever made (low bar, but he clears it my margin).

No. 6-10

6) Ronnie Stanley – Maybe he should he higher, but he came back to the team on the cheap without even looking at the open market 13 months ago, which speaks volumes about his injury past and football mortality. But a well above average left tackle again last year.

7) Calais Campbell – Sorry, but for the volume of snaps he played in Arizona, and getting a 11% pressure rate rushing as a DT, and his continued versatility and with Madubuike’s return in doubt, this was a huge sign.

8) Travis Jones – If he is able to slide back into that Robbin role than Batman, then the production/snap could hike. But this is a winning interior defender and they were is painfully short supply around here in 2025.

9) Chidobe Awuzie – Amazing value signing for the Ravens. He was their best corner last season and I’m not even sure how close it was. Is he a starting outside corner right now, with Marlon Humphrey now slot-only? Take salary and draft-status out of it, he was their best corner last season and it wasn't all that close, though his reps needs to be regulated.

10) Nate Wiggins – Needs to bounce back from a second half of the season where he got picked on a ton, but is a gifted athlete with natural cover skills who should be able to get his hands on the football even more in this scheme. I'm grading on a curve here and also probably reaching some.

Conclusion

I’m sorry, that’s not an overwhelming list.

Madubuike, even at 2024 levels, would be second on this list for me (the importance of his position) which would bump everyone down. It stands to reason that Ioane is quickly their best offensive lineman and Malaki Starks (2025 first-round pick) becomes much more of a ballhawk in year two and with a legit DC calling plays now and Mike Green surges ahead in a more stylized pass-rush only role.

But I tried to keep the projection to a minimum and half the above list is over the age of 30 (several way above age 30) and I’m just not overwhelmed by what’s left after the free agency purge. How about you?

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