The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2026 season with one of the NFL’s most stable and star‑driven offensive cores. Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Zay Flowers form the backbone of a unit that blends explosiveness, physicality, and efficiency, giving Baltimore a clear statistical identity heading into the new campaign.
Will that be enough to take them over the hump with a new OC and HC in their first year calling the shots? In Seattle, head coach Mike Macdonald, former defensive coordinator for the Ravens, did it in his 2nd year with the Seahawks and got them a Super Bowl, but maybe Jesse Minter can rewrite history with a more established offensive core and defensive pieces to work with.
Ravens Offensive Cornerstones: Jackson and Henry
Lamar Jackson remains the centerpiece of the offense, and the Ravens expect a full rebound after his injury‑affected 2025 season.
Jackson’s 2024 MVP campaign with 4,172 passing yards, 41 total touchdowns, and a 119.6 passer rating remains the gold standard for modern dual‑threat quarterback play.
Even in a shortened 2025 season, he produced 2,549 yards and 21 touchdowns in 13 games, maintaining elite efficiency with a 103.8 rating. His rushing output dipped from 915 yards in 2024 to 349 in 2025, but Baltimore views that decline as circumstantial rather than permanent.
With a new offensive coordinator under Declan Doyle and a fully healthy offseason, Jackson projects to return to MVP‑caliber form. Team models place him around 3,900–4,200 passing yards, 28–33 passing touchdowns, and 600–750 rushing yards. If he stays healthy, Jackson should once again be one of the league’s most productive and dynamic quarterbacks.
Derrick Henry enters his age‑32 season as one of the NFL’s most intriguing projection cases. Despite heavy mileage, Henry has remained remarkably productive, posting 1,921 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in 2024, followed by 1,595 yards and 16 scores in 2025. His two‑year efficiency with 5.6 yards per carry shows he still possesses the power and burst to anchor a run‑centric offense.
Baltimore plans to slightly reduce his workload to preserve his effectiveness late in the season, but Henry remains a high‑volume centerpiece. Projections place him around 1,300–1,450 rushing yards and 10–12 touchdowns, with 150–200 receiving yards as the Ravens expand their screen game. While age‑related regression is inevitable, Henry’s physical profile and Baltimore’s offensive structure point toward another season of top‑tier production.
Bounceback for Bateman, Andrews? Flowers on the Rise in Baltimore?
Rashod Bateman enters the 2026 season as one of the Baltimore Ravens’ most intriguing bounce‑back candidates.
After flashes of high‑end route running and separation ability early in his career, injuries and inconsistent usage kept him from becoming the true WR1 many expected. With a healthier offseason, a more stable role in the passing structure, and continued chemistry with Lamar Jackson, Bateman has a real chance to reassert himself as a reliable intermediate and red‑zone threat. His ability to win clean releases and operate in timing‑based concepts gives Baltimore a dimension it lacked at times in 2025, and a breakout year would dramatically elevate the offense’s balance.
Mark Andrews remains the heartbeat of Baltimore’s passing game, and 2026 sets up as a prime rebound season for the All‑Pro tight end.
After battling injuries and sharing targets with emerging weapons, Andrews is positioned to reclaim his role as Jackson’s most trusted chain‑mover and mismatch creator. His dominance against zone coverage, physicality at the catch point, and red‑zone efficiency make him the stabilizing force in critical moments. A fully healthy Andrews not only boosts Baltimore’s third‑down reliability but also opens up the field for the rest of the receiving corps, giving the Ravens a more complete and unpredictable offensive identity heading into 2026.
Zay Flowers continues his ascent as Baltimore’s premier wideout. After posting 74 receptions for 1,059 yards in 2024, Flowers elevated his game in 2025 with 86 catches for 1,211 yards while commanding a 28% target share. His route efficiency and separation metrics place him among the league’s emerging elite.
With Mark Andrews returning fully healthy, Flowers should see fewer double teams and more opportunities for explosive plays. Projections place him between 1,150–1,300 yards and 6–8 touchdowns, with a realistic chance to break into the top‑10 receiver tier if Baltimore leans further into its passing game.
Defensive Outlook: Pressure, Turnovers, and Hamilton’s Rise
Baltimore’s defense, long the franchise’s calling card, enters 2026–2027 with a blend of continuity and strategic evolution. The Ravens finished top‑five in scoring defense in both 2024 and 2025, but offseason departures and schematic tweaks suggest a shift toward a more pressure‑heavy approach.
Kyle Hamilton has emerged as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, anchoring a unit that blends versatility with physicality. With added speed on the edges and a deeper rotation in the secondary, Baltimore projects to remain a top‑10 defense with Jesse Minter calling the shots with the help of defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
Expected outputs include:
- Team sacks: 42–48
- Interceptions: 14–17
- Points allowed: 19–21 per game
Baltimore’s defense in 2024 ranked as one of the NFL’s stronger units, finishing ninth in scoring defense by allowing 361 points, or 21.2 per game. The Ravens excelled in run defense, holding opponents to just 3.55 yards per carry, and their pass rush produced 53 sacks with consistent pressure throughout the season.
Although the pass defense surrendered 4,468 yards and struggled in fourth‑quarter situations, giving up 1,313 yards in that period, the overall unit remained efficient on third downs and in the red zone, helping Baltimore secure a 12–5 record and a playoff victory.
The 2025 defense, however, experienced a sharp decline, allowing 398 points at 23.4 per game and finishing 18th in the league.
Through the first five weeks, Baltimore ranked last in scoring defense, giving up 35.4 points per game, and bottom‑two in nearly every major category. They allowed 732 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 1,351 passing yards, and 13 passing touchdowns during that early stretch.
While Roquan Smith’s 130 tackles and Kyle Hamilton’s 105 tackles provided stability, the defense struggled across the board, particularly in run defense, pass coverage, third‑down efficiency, and pass‑rush consistency, resulting in one of the most dramatic year‑to‑year defensive regressions in the NFL.
While not as dominant as the peak 2023 unit, this defense remains more than capable of supporting a championship run, and hopes for 2025 not to happen again and at least get close to 2024 or earlier numbers on defense.
The Big Picture: A Complete, Contending Roster
Taken together, the Ravens’ 2026–2027 statistical outlook paints a picture of a team built on star‑driven stability. Jackson’s return to MVP‑level production, Henry’s sustained power, and Flowers’ continued rise give Baltimore one of the AFC’s most balanced offensive cores. If the defense maintains its top‑tier efficiency, the Ravens enter the season not just as contenders but as one of the league’s most complete teams.
