News & Notes: Nnamdi Madubuike's Debut…

Nnamdi Madubuike won’t be running out of the tunnel for the Ravens’ home opener against the New Orleans Saints.

Madubuike (neck) and linebacker Teddye Buchanan (knee) have been ruled out for Sunday’s game at M&T Bank Stadium after being limited practice participants all week. They have yet to log a full practice since their injuries.

Considering the Ravens did not place Madubuike or Buchanan on injured reserve to start the year, the expectation is he they will make their debuts next week in Rio de Janeiro versus the Cowboys or the following week in Baltimore against the Tennessee Titans.

Baltimore’s defensive front shined in the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts and will get even stronger when they return to action.

Considering Madubuike suffered his neck injury in Week 2 of last season, he will have missed at least one full season as he worked his way back.

LaJohntay Wester Ready to Mimic Zay Flowers if Needed

Long before he became a Raven, LaJohntay Wester studied Zay Flowers’ game. He still does to this day.

With Flowers doubtful to play because of the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 1, Wester could be asked to step into his role. Rashod Bateman will be the Ravens’ top wide receiver, but Wester is the most similar to Flowers.

“Zay has a lot more experience than me as of right now, but other than that, I feel like I can mimic a lot of what he’s doing on the field,” Wester said Friday.

“This is something that me and Zay talked about throughout the whole offseason, just being ready. Zay always told me, like, ‘It’s gonna happen sooner or later. We’re going to use you.’ So I was just being ready for that.”

Wester stood out in the Ravens’ preseason, leading the team with five catches and two receiving touchdowns in Minnesota. He’s accustomed to handling a high volume, as he is Florida Atlantic’s career record holder for receptions (252).

There have been questions about the Ravens’ wide receiver depth, but with Flowers likely sidelined and rookie Ja’Kobi Lane (wrist) on injured reserve, it will be tested.

“We take a lot of pride in that because that’s been the talk of the town since the offseason, how our receiver unit looks and this and that,” Wester said. “So this is a great week to go out there and prove that we’ve got a lot of guys, a lot of guys that could really go in our room and we’re just going to keep reloading it.”

Carson Vinson Is One of Ravens’ Most Improved Players

If Ronnie Stanley (toe) can’t play Sunday, the Ravens will turn to second-year offensive tackle Carson Vinson to make his first career start against the Saints.

While Stanley is a proven veteran with two Pro Bowl nods, the Ravens have confidence in Vinson after what they’ve seen this summer.

Last year, the Ravens drafted Vinson in the fifth round out of Alabama A&M; he was the only player drafted from a historically Black college and university (HBCU) in 2025. He was a 6-foot-7 developmental prospect with a nasty playing demeanor that the Ravens felt like they could mold. Vinson played just seven offensive snaps his rookie season.

Then came a new coaching staff and scheme. Vinson had to prove himself again, and he beat out undrafted offensive tackle Diego Pounds, who was traded to Kansas City, and other challengers to win the backup offensive tackle spot.

“I think he is one of our most improved players,” Head Coach Jesse Minter said. “His play style is exactly how we want to play. He is very physical, he plays really aggressively, and again, I think he has just really, really improved.”

Vinson played seven offensive snaps in jumbo-type packages in the Ravens’ season opener in Indianapolis, and Minter said he “did a really good job.”

Vinson put in a lot of work in the weight room this offseason and said he put on 15-20 pounds of muscle while trimming his body fat.

“It’s really all just little things when you get to this level, like hand placement in my sets and how square I am,” Vinson said. “So just a combination of just working hard, lifting here at the facility, and just getting stronger, and my processing speeding up.

“I know who I am and I know what I prepared myself for. I’m just ready for whenever my name is called.”

Ravens Focused on Eliminating Pre-Snap Penalties

The Ravens were penalized 10 times in their season opener. Three were before the snap – false starts on tight end Mark Andrews and Stanley, and an illegal shift.

Minter said there’s a bit of a “cost of doing business” with some of the holding penalties and others in Week 1 when you’re at game speed for the first time, especially “with the play style that you are trying to play.”

“It’s the pre-snap ones to me that we continue to harp on; we continue to focus on,” Minter said. “We harp on it a lot, and hopefully it’s just another one that now that we are at home, it kind of flips, right?”

Whereas the Ravens offense should be able to operate cleaner with less crowd noise, Baltimore’s defense will have to be good watching the ball with M&T Bank Stadium expected to be loud for the “White Noise” home opener.

🔎 Get better search results for Ravens content by adding BaltimoreRavens.com to your Google Source Preferences.