Biggest Concerns Heading Into Training Camp

Time to Call The Repair Man to Prep For Super Bowl LXI

Training camp opens July 29 in Owings Mills — the Ravens’ first camp with a new head coach since 2008 — and while the purple Kool-Aid is flowing freely around the B’more, let’s pump the brakes and take an honest inventory. Four position groups are a bit needy. Here, we rank the concerns from “relax, it’s fine” to “somebody call the trainer’s room, my blood pressure spiked.”

4. Backup Running Back — Least Glaring

Look, when your RB1 is Derrick Henry, everything behind him can be filed under “in case of emergency, break open glass”. The Ravens have solid depth behind Henry despite losing Keaton Mitchell in free agency. Justice Hill remains Henry’s primary backup and third-down back, and Baltimore replaced Mitchell by drafting Clemson’s Adam Randall in the fifth round. Hill is fully healthy again after appearing in only 10 games in 2025, and Randall gives the new staff a toy — a converted receiver who was handpicked by owner Steve Bisciotti.

Is there a legitimate long-view concern? Sure. Henry is entering his age-32 season, and 55 years of running back data since the merger suggests serious regression is ahead. But that’s a 2027 problem. For 2026, this room is fine, provided of course that The King isn’t prematurely dethroned by Father Time.

HELP WANTED: Veteran Running Back

3. Cornerback

Some might argue that a team can never have enough corners. Ozzie Newsome would concur. But on paper, this positional grouping doesn’t feel needy. Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, and Chidobe Awuzie form the top trio, while rookie Chandler Rivers has a chance to push for slot snaps. Even T.J. Tampa feels like he could take that next step under the tutelage of Jesse Minter. Wiggins gives Baltimore length, speed, and upside on the outside, while Humphrey remains a physical, experienced defender capable of matching up in multiple spots — outside, inside, against bigger receivers or slot targets. Just keep him away from speed on the perimeter.

The real question is the depth chart’s soft underbelly: the nickel/reserve corner battle between Keyon Martin, Robert Longerbeam, Bilhal Kone, and rookie Chandler Rivers. That’s a camp battle worth watching from the berm at the Castle. Corners get hurt — they always do — but the top three here would help most defensive coordinators sleep at night.

2. Wide Receiver

Now we’re getting into “furrowed brow” territory. Zay Flowers is a legit alpha — his 1,211 receiving yards accounted for 36.9% of the Ravens’ total receiving yards last season, the second-highest share of any player in the league. That’s both a compliment to Zay and an indictment of everyone else, because no other Ravens wide receiver had more than 25 catches or 400 yards in 2025.

And what about Bateman? He’s coming off the worst season of his career — 19 receptions for 224 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games — though ESPN’s Dan Graziano reports the Ravens seem inclined to give him another shot in the new offense under coordinator Declan Doyle. Behind those two it’s a youth movement: Devontez Walker, LaJohntay Wester, and rookies Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt all vying for roles. Intriguing? Yes. Proven? Not remotely. And the front office knows it — the team’s own mailbag was still fielding questions about adding a veteran wide receiver even if it’s not Stefon Diggs just last week. When you’re one Zay hamstring away from opponents regularly stacking the box to stop Henry,. But it’s not THE BIGGEST concern.

1. Center — The Most Glaring Need

Here it is, folks. The big one. The doughnut hole in the middle of the offense. The Ravens lost Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum to the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency — one of the NFL’s best players at his position, on a three-year, $81 million contract that made him the league’s highest-paid at the position. And per the Baltimore Sun’s rundown of the current candidates, GM Eric DeCosta did not add a defacto leader at center on the depth chart. Even Jesse Minter admitted it’ll be “a major work in progress between now and September.”

The in-house options don’t exactly inspire confidence. ESPN identified this as the roster’s biggest hole, noting Corey Bullock, a 2024 UDFA, has played a grand total of 13 offensive snaps in the regular season, and Jovaughn Gwyn has played 11 snaps in three seasons with Atlanta. ESPN’s Mike Clay went further, tabbing interior offensive line as the Ravens’ biggest weakness — the same weakness the team has had the previous two seasons — pointing out that journeyman Danny Pinter, with 264 snaps played over the past three seasons, is the projected replacement. And ESPN’s Jamison Hensley put it bluntly back in the spring: “At this point, it really looks like the Ravens’ starting center is currently on another team’s roster.”

You want to run an uptempo attack with Lamar under center. Then the guy snapping him the ball and setting protections better not be a mystery box in Week 1. This is the position that decides whether this team is a contender or a cautionary tale.

The Bottom Line

Backup running back and corner are camp storylines. Receiver is a legitimate worry. Center is a problem — and with roughly $16.6 million in cap space still burning a hole in DeCosta’s pocket, don’t be shocked if the Week 1 starter arrives via the phone lines, not the practice fields.

Embrace the grind.

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/07/13/camp-notes/ravens-training-camp-2026/