Summer Series: Baltimore Ravens

By: Josh Frey-Sam

How should we be looking at the Baltimore Ravens’ offence — led by a 30-year-old with no prior play-calling experience — this season?

We got some answers from beat writer Ken McKusik, who is 1057 The Fan's film study analyst in Baltimore.

Below are a few takeaways that I had from our conversation, but if you want to hear everything Ken said, then listen to the audio above.

The differences you’re expecting in this Declan Doyle-led offence?

Takeaway: Frankly, Ken couldn’t give us a concrete answer on what to expect, as Doyle has never actually called plays in the NFL before. He’s a disciple of Sean Payton and Ben Johnson, though, which could give us some idea of what to expect. One thing that’s noteworthy is that the Ravens won’t have a fullback on the roster for the first time in a very long time, which is a major change considering that it frees up the offence to have an extra receiving threat on the field.

Ken said there could be more timing throws installed, like what Drew Brees had in New Orleans, but overall, the off-script plays that Lamar Jackson has patented will still be a big part of the offence.

Will there be a change in the way the Ravens deploy Derrick Henry?

Takeaway: Simply put, no. Henry is one of those rare athletes who stand the test of Father Time, so Ken foresees that Henry will maintain his elite usage.

What was notable, however, was that he singled out rookie fifth-rounder Adam Randall as potentially being the Ravens’ handcuff to own this season. Because Justice Hill is more of a receiving back, Randall will likely be the guy to fill in on early downs should Henry miss time.

Randall is going undrafted in redrafts and might be on your dynasty league’s waiver wire currently. He is worth a stash.

How much more confident are you in this year’s offensive line than last year’s? 

Takeaway: The Ravens struggled mightily up front last season, which was a big reason why the offence took a step backward. The main concern currently is at right guard and center. John Simpson came in as a free agent to fill right guard, and the starting center is still undetermined. The under-the-radar pick up was offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, and that is who Ken believes is the critical piece to whether the Ravens’ offensive line rebounds in 2026.

The injection of talent alone suggests the Ravens should be better up front, but how much better will depend on how much Ledford can get out of the weak links.

We should still see Henry post good numbers, and Lamar get back to what we’re used to seeing as a high-end QB.

How secure are Rashod Bateman and Devontez Walker as the WR2 and WR3, in your mind? Could Jakobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt prove to be big contributors? 

Takeaway: Rashod Bateman and Devontez Walker are the locked-in No. 2 and No. 3 WR, respectively, right now, and it seems like it would take a lot for that to change.

Jakobi Lane has been a standout in the off-season, showing off his elite catch radius, while Sarratt is a smooth route runner. Ken said Lane has a place in the Ravens’ offence this year — he could see somewhere in the range of 25 targets this year — and could be a guy who makes a few plays outside of the numbers, but we can expect Bateman and Walker to work alongside Zay Flowers until injuries force a change.

Is there a sleeper that no one is talking about?

Takeaway: This was interesting. Ken pointed to fourth-round rookie TE Matthew Hibner as being a guy who could fill the Isiah Likely role right out of the gate and potentially blossom into a trustworthy pass-catching option.

He also went on to say he wouldn’t bet on Mark Andrews having a huge bounce-back season this year — at least he’s not hopeful after a down year last season.

While Hibner wouldn’t overthrow Andrews as the primary pass-catching tight end, we know that Declan Doyle comes from a pair of playcallers who have affinities for tight ends.

Perhaps Hibner could be a silent acquisition right now that pays dividends in 2027.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh