Baltimore Ravens training camp includes several genuine position battles heading into the 2026 season, with competitions at wide receiver, center, and both linebacker spots all worth tracking for fantasy managers.
What’s Actually Settled on Baltimore’s Roster
Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman are set at the top of the receiver depth chart. Roquan Smith remains entrenched at inside linebacker, and most of the skill-position starters are locked in heading into camp.
But more is genuinely open than it might first appear. Baltimore needs a new starting center after Tyler Linderbaum left for the Raiders in free agency, an outside linebacker to pair with new free-agent signing Trey Hendrickson, and a weakside linebacker next to Smith. Under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, Baltimore is also expected to use more 11 personnel, which makes the No. 3 receiver role more prominent than it has been since Lamar Jackson became the team’s full-time starter.
Ja’Kobi Lane Is Emerging as the No. 3 Receiver Favorite
Devontez Walker and rookies Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt entered camp as the top three candidates for the third receiver role. Baltimore did not add or re-sign a veteran wideout this offseason, leaving the competition to a young, largely unproven group.
Through the first week of padded practices, Lane has separated himself as the early frontrunner. The third-round pick out of USC has been the standout of camp, highlighted by a leaping 30-yard catch and a long touchdown against cornerback T.J. Tampa in one-on-one drills.
Walker still brings the most experience of the group, with four touchdowns on just seven career catches, and remains squarely in the mix. For fantasy managers, Lane’s early camp buzz makes him the name to prioritize monitoring as Baltimore moves into preseason games.
Center Battle Carries Real Starting-Job Stakes
Baltimore’s center competition is a genuine starting battle, not a depth story. Veteran Ethan Pocic, signed just days before training camp opened, is working to win the job over Danny Pinter, who spent most of the offseason program with the first team.
Pocic brings far more experience with 97 career starts to Pinter’s 10, but he’s also still working back from a torn Achilles suffered in December. How quickly he regains mobility and chemistry with Jackson and the rest of the line could决定 who wins the job by the start of the regular season.
Weakside Linebacker and Edge Battles Round Out Defense
Fourth-year linebacker Trenton Simpson and second-year defender Teddye Buchanan are competing for the starting weakside job next to Smith. Buchanan is working back from a season-ending knee injury, while Simpson has been taking additional first-team reps early in camp.
Baltimore also needs a starter opposite Hendrickson at outside linebacker, with Mike Green, Tavius Robinson, and Zion Young all in the mix. Robinson brings the most experience with 14 starts over the past two seasons, but the coaching staff has been impressed with the physicality of both second-round picks.
The winners of both linebacker competitions will be important names to track for IDP managers as Baltimore’s defensive personnel usage becomes clearer through the preseason.
Other Depth Competitions to Watch
On the interior defensive line, veteran Broderick Washington, C.J. Okoye, Aeneas Peebles, and rookie Rayshaun Benny are competing for what could be limited remaining spots behind Nnamdi Madubuike, Calais Campbell, Travis Jones, and John Jenkins.
In the secondary, T.J. Tampa could challenge or rotate with veteran Chidobe Awuzie for the No. 3 perimeter cornerback role when Marlon Humphrey plays in the slot. Robert Longerbeam, Chandler Rivers, and Keyon Martin are among the candidates for the top backup nickel role behind Humphrey.
The Ravens opened training camp on July 29, and the first preseason games, beginning the week of Aug. 13, should bring sharper clarity to all of these competitions before Baltimore finalizes its roster.
