With training camps open, list season has mercifully ended.
One of the most significant developments in this year’s collection of slow-time one-through-whatever efforts to differentiate players was the ridiculous placement of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in the NFL Network players-only list of the top 100 players in the league.
Jackson finished at No. 69, down 67 spots from 2025.
Jackson was asked about the placement on the NFLN list during his first press conference of training camp on Wednesday.
“It is what it is,” Jackson said. “You know, I play football. I don’t care about rankings.”
That’s the right attitude. The rankings don’t mean anything. They’re something for the media to write and talk about and for the fans to react to.
Still, it’s an opportunity to fashion a legitimate chip on the shoulder for the season to come. But Jackson doesn’t seem to be motivated by actual or perceived slights.
He goes about his business. And, in relation to the rest of the league, there’s no way 68 other players go about their business better than him.
Ravens Clips
Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike is ready to get back on the field for the Ravens.
Madubuike missed most of last season with a neck injury that led to questions about his playing future, but reports throughout the offseason were optimistic about his chances of returning. Word over the weekend was that Madubuike has been fully cleared, but he was placed on the physically unable to perform list to start training camp.
The stay was a short one as the Ravens announced that Madubuike has been activated on Wednesday. That clears him to start practicing with the team and clears a path for him to return to his spot on the defensive line in Baltimore.
Madubuike made back-to-back Pro Bowls and was a second-team All-Pro selection in his last two full seasons, so that prospect is a pleasant one for the Ravens as they move toward the 2026 season.
Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike injured his neck in Week 2 last season and has not seen the field since. He will begin training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list, but Madubuike has come a long way after 10 months of uncertainty over whether he would ever return.
Jeff Zrebiec of TheAthletic.com reports that independent doctors have cleared Madubuike to return and the two-time Pro Bowler could practice as soon as next week.
Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta had expressed optimism earlier this month, saying “everything looks to be pointed in the right direction” in Madubuike’s return.
The Ravens also placed nose tackles Travis Jones (pectoral) and John Jenkins (undisclosed), linebacker Teddye Buchanan (knee), outside linebacker Adisa Isaac (elbow) and cornerback Bilhal Kone (knee) on the active/PUP list. Jones, who led the team with five sacks last year, is working his way back from surgery, per Zrebiec.
Center Corey Bullock will start camp on the non-football illness list.
Wide receiver Chris Moore is back in Baltimore.
The NFL’s daily transaction report shows that Moore worked out for the Ravens on Friday and multiple reports say that he is signing on for a second tour of duty with the team. Moore was a 2016 fourth-round pick and spent his first five seasons with the AFC North club.
Moore had 47 catches for 511 yards and four touchdowns during that stint. He spent time with the Texans, Titans and Cardinals before playing in 14 games for the Commanders last season. He had 11 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown.
The Ravens worked out wideouts Sterling Shepard, Dante Pettis, and Casey Washington along with Moore. Offensive tackles Hakeem Adenjii and Geron Christian also worked out while quarterback William Atkins handled the throwing during the tryout.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s ranking in the NFL Network list of the league’s top 100 players caught the eye of head coach Jesse Minter.
Jackson is ranked 69th on the list, which is compiled by a vote of players. Jackson was No. 2 on 2025’s list and the two-time MVP’s drop was noticed by plenty of other people as well.
During an appearance on the team’s The Lounge podcast, Minter said that he had an “interesting back and forth” with the quarterback about a ranking that he feels is at odds with how things actually look on the field.
“Look, there may not even be one other player in the league better than Lamar, yet alone 68 players in the league better than Lamar,” Minter said. “When you have one year where he dealt with a little bit of injury and the team [missed the playoffs], certain players they hold onto that and certain players they give them the benefit of the doubt. This guy is a multi-MVP winner, has transcended the quarterback position. He knows how I feel about him. I guess I don’t put too much stock into what the list looks like.”
Minter said he doesn’t think Jackson puts much stock into the rankings either and suggested the quarterback just focus on being himself because he has “proven over time that the best version is the best player in the league.” If he makes the case for that again in 2026, Minter’s first season in Baltimore should play out pretty well.
After failing to win a chance at training camp to secure a spot as one of Lamar Jackson’s backups, former Ravens quarterback Diego Pavia has entered the NFL’s waiver system.
If unclaimed, what’s next?
He could choose to wait for another NFL opportunity. Injuries could open a door for Pavia to participate in a training camp as an extra arm, which would in turn give him an opportunity to earn a 53-man roster spot or a position on a practice squad.
If there’s no NFL interest, Pavia could go to the CFL. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers hold his negotiating rights, and they’ve made it clear that they are interested.
The UFL apparently has interest, too — if the social-media team has its finger on the pulse of the league’s priorities. The league retweeted the announcement of Pavia’s waiver by the Ravens with the eyes emoji.
Then there’s college football. While he doesn’t fit within the NCAA’s new eligibility rule (he turned 20 the year before his four-year college career began), Pavia could try to sue for another season. He played two years of junior-college football before commencing a four-season NCAA career in four years.
With every NCAA rule currently subject to an antitrust challenge, Pavia could give it a shot. Of course, the fact that he signed a contract with the Ravens would make it harder. But he didn’t get a signing bonus or a game check; at most, he received the standard per diem for his offseason work.
It doesn’t hurt to try, and it wouldn’t be ridiculously expensive (in theory) to hire a lawyer to file the paperwork and roll the dice.
Surely, someone would be interested. Pavia finished second in the 2025 Heisman Trophy voting. It’s a path to getting more game experience — and to getting paid more than he’d receive in the CFL or the UFL.
With training camp approaching, the Ravens had five quarterbacks on the 90-man roster.
They now have four.
Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Ravens have waived rookie quarterback Diego Pavia.
Undrafted in April, Pavia signed with the Ravens. The contract contained no signing bonus or guarantees.
Pavia finished the offseason program with the Ravens. He’ll now be subject to the waivers system. If not claimed, he’ll become a free agent again.
Remaining on the roster for the Ravens are quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley, Skylar Thompson, and Joe Fagnano.
The NFL Players Association released its annual Rising Stars list on Tuesday and the first overall pick of this year’s draft is one of the players at the top.
Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza is No. 1 on the list of the 10 rookies that the NFLPA projects to be future members of the Top 50 list of licensed player product sales. There is also a list of 10 players with NFL experience who have not been on the Top 50 and it is topped by Saints quarterback Tyler Shough.
Mendoza is followed on the list by Cowboys safety Caleb Downs, Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love, Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate, Eagles wide receiver Makai Lemon, Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles, Saints wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, Giants linebacker Arvell Reese, Ravens wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane, and Buccaneers edge rusher Rueben Bain.
The list of veteran players also includes Bears tight end Colston Loveland, Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker, Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, Dolphins running back De’Von Achane, Bills running back James Cook, and Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta had a positive update about linebacker Teddye Buchanan last week.
Buchanan tore his ACL in a December game last season and DeCosta was asked during an interview on 105.7 The Fan about his outlook for the coming season. DeCosta declined to offer any specifics when it came to a timeline, but made it sound like Buchanan has made a lot of progress since having surgery.
“I think you’ll see Teddye sooner than later. He has done a great job, I mean top 1 percent of rehabs that I’ve seen in my time here. . . . Very optimistic about Teddye,” DeCosta said.
Buchanan was a fourth-round pick last year and started 13 of the 14 games he played before his injury. He had 93 tackles, five tackles for loss, a half-sack, and a forced fumble in those appearances.
Last summer, the Ravens signed wide receiver Rashod Bateman to a three-year, $36.75 million contract extension. They did not get their money’s worth, as Bateman struggled through an ankle injury and finished with a career-low 224 receiving yards.
But Ravens General Manager Eric Decosta says he does not regret his investment. DeCosta said he’s expecting big things from Bateman in new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s offense, and that 2026 is going to represent a fresh start for Bateman.
“He’s a phenomenal athlete. Great route-runner. Rashod, it’s right there in front of him. He’s shown flashes of being a real problem for other teams,” DeCosta said on 105.7 The Fan. “His mindset is good. I’m really, really excited to see how he does this year with Declan in this offense. Everybody’s excited about him. He’s got a lot of opportunities this year. Last year was just kind of a lost season in some ways, but that’s no indication of the type of player that we think he is and how he can help us. I love the guy. I know he’s probably his biggest critic, but he’s a playmaker, and I expect him to have a great year this year. I’m excited about him and I can’t wait to see how he looks in this offense.”
If the Ravens can get Bateman back to producing like he did in 2024, when he had career-highs of 756 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, that would bring back an explosive element in Baltimore’s new offense.
