Late for Work: Ravens' Camaraderie 'Is…

Ravens’ Camaraderie ‘Is in Outer Space’

With two preseason games and a couple of joint practices in the books, we can see how the Ravens have progressed on the field. Intangibles such as team chemistry, meanwhile, are more difficult to measure.

But some recent social media videos of team gatherings away from the field suggest the positive vibes surrounding the team are off the charts.

“After a pair of joint practices in Minnesota, one of which [cornerback] Marlon Humphrey described as ‘electric,’ as he could remember, Ravens staffers organized a team dinner,” The Baltimore Sun’s Sam Cohn wrote. “All we know from that night is that the camaraderie amongst this group is in outer space.

“[Wide receiver] Ja’Kobi Lane stood on a countertop shirtless rapping Kodak Black, which Lamar Jackson posted to his Instagram. Then someone handed Head Coach Jesse Minter the mic because the rookie coach can’t escape rookie duties. His karaoke song of choice: ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem. And the entire team joined in, bar for bar rapping about mom’s spaghetti.”

A number of Ravens players, including Jackson, have spoken this offseason about the positive energy of the new coaching staff.

“The Ravens’ players say the positive vibes stem from Minter’s encouraging words,” ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote. “When there is a mistake, he is known to put his arm around the player to address the correction and then urge him to move on to the next snap. In discussing the changes under Minter, some in the organization have noticed less anxiety around the team.”

Like every team, the Ravens will experience adversity during the season, but forging bonds now should have them well-prepared to persevere when things get tough.

“Minter has never felt that he has to revamp the Ravens’ culture. He wants to put his stamp on the team,” Hensley wrote. “His vision is to create an atmosphere in which everyone is striving for the best version of themselves. He acknowledges it’s a cliché, but it can work if the players buy into it.”

Ravens Reporters Grade Jackson’s Training Camp Performance

The Baltimore Banner polled 21 Ravens reporters for their thoughts on various developments at training camp.

Among the questions asked was how the reporters would grade Jackson’s camp performance. A ‘”B” grade won the poll with eight votes. Jackson also got five “A-” grades, three “A’s” and one “A+.”

“From the outside, it appears Jackson has bought in,” The Baltimore Banner’s Giana Han wrote. “He and [Offensive Coordinator Declan] Doyle speak highly of each other. Quarterbacks Coach Israel Woolfork said Jackson has taken to the coaching staff’s adjustment to his footwork. And Minter and teammates say Jackson seems way ahead of the schedule when it comes to understanding the new offense.

“Jackson’s been testing himself against his own defense, but since he doesn’t play in the preseason, he didn’t get to go against another team until this week’s joint practices against the Vikings. He and the offense struggled. But they’re also still working out the wrinkles in a completely new system. Jackson will have one more joint practice Wednesday against the Washington Commanders before the season begins.”

Cornerback Keyon Martin was named the most pleasant surprise not named Ja’Kobi Lane.

“The talk of the town has been rookie wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane, which is why he was not an option for this question,” Han wrote. “Cornerback Keyon Martin has pushed himself into the conversation with his nose for the ball this camp. He made the team as an undrafted rookie last season, and he’s proving he has more to offer.”

Martin led the way with five votes. Ten other players received at least one vote.

Why Ravens Are Among Teams Most Likely to Improve in 2026

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell included the Ravens among the five teams most likely to improve this season, and Minter is one of the main reasons he believes Baltimore will bounce back after going  8-9 last year.

Barnwell said the defense’s subpar performance factored heavily in Baltimore having a disappointing season. Enter Minter.

“The most important addition might be new coach Jesse Minter,” Barnwell wrote. “Minter worked wonders with the Chargers, getting more out of cornerbacks such as Tarheeb Still, Benjamin St-Juste and Donte Jackson than anyone could have expected. He revitalized the career of Derwin James Jr., which bodes well for star Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, who is already playing at a high level. Minter also coaxed a great half-season out of Odafe Oweh, and if the Ravens can similarly manipulate protections and use exotic pressures to create one-on-ones and unblocked rushers, it’ll get the pass rush back on track. I’m optimistic.”

Barnwell also cited Jackson battling injuries and the Ravens’ bad luck in close games as reasons the Ravens did not meet expectations last season.

“Life will be easier in 2026,” Barnwell wrote. “The Ravens project to face the league’s fifth-easiest schedule, as their season begins with five of the first six contests against teams that [ESPN’s Football Power Index] expects to post losing records in the Colts, Saints, Titans, Falcons and Browns. Things get much more difficult from that point forward, but if the Ravens do get off to their now-habitual slow start on defense, they should still be able to pull out some victories against overmatched competition.

“Their ceiling might depend on whether their expensive core of veteran talent — Jackson, Trey Hendrickson,  Nnamdi Madubuike, Roquan Smith, Ronnie Stanley, Marlon Humphrey and Zay Flowers – can stay on the field for the vast majority of the campaign. As long as everyone is available for most of the year, the Ravens should be back on track to compete at the top of the AFC in 2026.”

The Biggest Question for Doyle This Season

While Minter is tasked with turning around the defense, Doyle was hired to revamp an offense that finished in the middle of the pack in total yards last season.

The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz and Diante Lee said the biggest question for Doyle this season will be how he approaches the Ravens’ running game. They pointed to running back Derrick Henry’s Tennessee Titans teams of the late 2010s and early 2020s as a potential model for Baltimore’s offense.

“Tennessee pounded the football and opened up space over the middle for downfield shots off play-action. And it did it mostly from under center, rather than from the shotgun,” Ruiz and Lee wrote. “Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who enjoyed a career resurgence with Henry in the backfield, wasn’t much of a runner or scrambler, so that will be a major difference. But with Lamar Jackson creeping toward his 30s, the Ravens will likely want to cut back on his designed runs.

“If Doyle can build a dominant run game that isn’t dependent on Jackson’s exceptional run threat, teams will be lining up to make him the youngest head coach in NFL history.”

Chandler Rivers Earns an ‘A-‘ Against Vikings

NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter graded several rookies’ performances in Week 2 of the preseason, and cornerback Chandler Rivers earned an “A-“.

“Rivers’ performance against the Vikings showed why I projected the fifth-round pick as a potential starter for the Ravens in Year 1,” Reuter wrote. “The nickelback broke up a third-and-13 pass at the end of the first quarter by fighting with the receiver at the catch point and disrupted a third-down play midway through the fourth by reading the route and quarterback. Rivers’ headiness and aggressive nature showed when chopping down a running back after the catch late in the first half to keep him in bounds.

“He failed to recognize a receiver rub on a third-down play late in the third quarter but, luckily for him, the quarterback did not see his man running open over the middle. Rivers didn’t beat lineman blocks as a blitzer but fought through a running back to share a quarterback sack early in the second half.”

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