The Ravens team that won 13 regular-season games and earned a trip to the AFC championship game is gone. In its place is an untested group, though led by many of the same top performers — Lamar Jackson, Roquan Smith, Kyle Hamilton, etc. Although the Ravens didn’t break the bank for free agents or make splashy trades, they added several pieces in the offseason who will need to play big roles in Baltimore’s revenge tour.
Here’s how the newcomers — and first-year starters — played in the team’s Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Free-agent signings
Short on salary cap space, general manager Eric DeCosta splurged on only one player — future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry — while making smaller signings around the margins. Thursday was our first look (outside of a practice setting) at what Henry can bring to the offense.
RB Derrick Henry (signed 2-year, $16 million deal): Henry didn’t wait long to get into the end zone, scoring on the first drive of his Ravens tenure. But offensive coordinator Todd Monken went away from Henry after that, and the 30-year-old received just 13 carries for 46 yards (3.5 average). On a night when Jackson did the heavy lifting in the run game, Henry was mostly a nonfactor.
OL Josh Jones (signed 1-year, $1.79 million deal): Jones, who signed with Baltimore after playing in Houston last season, should provide the Ravens with quality depth at tackle, but he was not utilized Thursday night.
ILB Chris Board (signed 1-year, $1.125 million deal): Returning to Baltimore after one year with the Detroit Lions and one with the New England Patriots, Board was added for his special teams abilities. The 29-year-old flashed them early, making a nice tackle on Kansas City returner Carson Steele on the Ravens’ first kickoff.
WR/KR/PR Deonte Harty (signed 1-year, $1.29 million deal): Harty wasn’t given much opportunity to show his juice in the return game. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker booted every one of his kickoffs into or out of the end zone. Harty gained just 3 yards on his only punt return of the night.
S Eddie Jackson (signed 1-year, $1.5 million deal): A two-time Pro Bowler in Chicago, Jackson was signed to be the third safety, an important role for a team that frequently mixes and matches with its secondary. The veteran finished with a pair of tackles in 22 defensive snaps.
RB John Kelly (signed 1-year, $1 million deal): Kelly was a practice-squad elevation as rookie Rasheen Ali hit injured reserve hours before the game. He appeared only on special teams and did not record a stat.
First-year starters
After their roster was plundered in free agency, the Ravens will be relying on young reserves to step into larger roles.
ILB Trenton Simpson (drafted in 2023): Simpson, a third-round pick a year ago, is replacing All-Pro Patrick Queen, who departed for the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency. The 23-year-old announced his presence early with a half-sack of Patrick Mahomes on the Chiefs’ opening drive. Simpson also broke up a would-be completion to Rashee Rice in the third quarter.
LG Andrew Vorhees (drafted in 2023): Vorhees spent his “redshirt” year in the weight room, and his power — a strength coming out of the University of Southern California — was on display this summer. But the Ravens offensive line had its hands full with All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones on Thursday night, and the guards in particular were exposed frequently. The “hiccups” DeCosta expected were apparent early and often, and this group will need time together.
RG Daniel Faalele (drafted in 2022): At 6-foot-8 and 380 pounds, Faalele is not your typical NFL guard. But he paved the way for Henry on the Ravens’ first score of the season. But, like Vorhees, he struggled with a more experienced Chiefs defensive front. The good news is Faalele, playing on a warm night in Kansas City, didn’t need to be relieved late in the game, which is something to monitor as the season goes along.
Rookies
A quiet preseason for the Ravens’ draft class has carried over into the start of the regular season, as five rookies were made inactive before the game. It’s a credit to the team’s depth that it has ready-made starters at almost every position, but at some point soon these first-year players will be called upon.
CB Nate Wiggins (drafted No. 30 overall): Given the Ravens’ impressive secondary depth, the former Clemson standout isn’t expected to get a ton of playing time this season, barring injuries. Wiggins didn’t see the field much in the first half but finished with 15 defensive snaps. Wiggins is very young for his draft class — he turned 21 on Aug. 28 — so Baltimore is comfortable slow-playing its top selection.
OT Roger Rosengarten (drafted No. 62 overall): The Ravens have high hopes for their second-round pick out of the University of Washington, but Rosengarten’s NFL career could not have started worse. Replacing veteran Patrick Mekari on the team’s third possession, Rosengarten allowed Chris Jones a free lane to Lamar Jackson, who fumbled on a strip sack. The Ravens’ coaching staff stuck with Rosengarten on the next possession, but the rookie never quite found his footing. When it mattered most, Baltimore went back to Mekari on the final drive of the game, a sign that Rosengarten isn’t quite ready to wrestle the job away. Rosengarten finished with 19 snaps to Mekari’s 55.
OLB Adisa Isaac (drafted No. 93 overall): Inactive. Isaac has been dealing with a hamstring injury and was ruled out Wednesday.
WR Devontez Walker (drafted No. 113 overall): Inactive. The North Carolina product had a quiet training camp and caught just one pass this preseason.
CB T.J. Tampa (drafted No. 130 overall): Inactive. Tampa missed much of training camp after having sports hernia surgery in the offseason and did not appear in the team’s three preseason games.
C Nick Samac (drafted No. 228 overall): Inactive. A seventh-round pick in April, Samac earned a spot on the initial 53-man roster with a strong training camp and preseason.
S Sanoussi Kane (drafted No. 250 overall): Used on special teams, he did not record a tackle.
S Beau Brade (undrafted): Inactive. The feel-good story from cutdown day was the odd man out in a deep Ravens secondary.
