CAMP NOTES: Potential Roster Moves

While taking in the sights and sounds of training camp and contemplating how to shape my next edition of Camp Notes, thoughts drifted to a few things that the Ravens are doing (or not) that are a bit puzzling. In no particular order, let’s dive into four areas of concern as the team preps for 2026’s first preseason game a week from today against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tighten Loop’s Leash

Tyler Loop had a fine rookie year. He connected on 30 of 34 field goals, an 88.2% clip that ranked fourth among rookie kickers over the past five seasons. Per Pro Football Reference, only one of those misses came from inside 50 yards.

But that one miss? It’s the only one anyone in Baltimore remembers. Wide right from 44 in Pittsburgh, handing the AFC North to the Steelers and ending the season at 8-9. Déjà vu! The feeling was frightening familiar. A fanbase that will forever be haunted by Billy Cundiff’s hooked 32-yard “attempt” in the final seconds of the 2011 AFC Championship Game added another horror story to an undesirable collection.

Ozzie Newsome didn’t send Cundiff a fruit basket nor a participation trophy. Instead he brought in an undrafted kid from Texas named Justin Tucker, and Tucker beat out Cundiff in training camp ahead of the 2012 Super Bowl season. THAT story had a happy ending — with confetti in New Orleans.

Yet here we are in 2026, and Loop is the only kicker on the roster. No veteran leg. No camp battle. Nothing. Jesse Minter said back in March, “You could certainly add another guy there,” then the front office did exactly zip.

This isn’t about burying a 24-year-old. It’s about finding out — before Week 18, not during it — whether the pressure gets to him. Iron sharpens iron. Loop should be forced to compete this summer.

Instead, we’ll find out in January if he can handle the pressure. Again.

Marlon’s Money Problem

I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Training camp hasn’t exactly been a highlight reel for Marlon Humphrey — unless you count the highlights made at his expense. Rookie Ja’Kobi Lane electrified the crowd during camp by extending for a 30-yard catch over the middle, elevating over Humphrey and Malaki Starks. That came just after the third-round pick made a leaping grab over Marlon on just the second day of camp. Meanwhile, Nate Wiggins has settled in as part of the top of the cornerback pecking order. The Castle’s alpha corner is now the guy getting posterized by a rookie. And the rookie showed All Pro swagger afterwards. Imagine that!

As if that’s not enough, here comes the real rub — money. Humphrey carries a $26.3 million cap hit in 2026, the final year of his deal, per RSR’s Brian McFarland, which represents the second-highest cap charge among all NFL cornerbacks. Top-of-market money. Bottom-of-barrel returns.

The analytics are brutal. PFF handed Marlon a 50.1 overall grade in 2025 — 105th among 114 qualified corners — with a 43.8 coverage grade that ranked 112th. He allowed 67 receptions, the most of any corner in the league, surrendered 817 yards, and posted a 90.9 passer rating allowed. Corners earning less, like Trevon Diggs and Marshon Lattimore, delivered superior coverage production.

In fairness, his 78.9 run-defense grade ranked 9th at the position, and he led the team in picks for a second straight year. The dog still bites at times. But he also gets caught sniffing hind parts. Marlon says he’s finally pain-free after letting an injury linger through last camp. He’d better be. At his price, “pain-free” needs to become “problem-free” — fast.

Ja’Kobi Lane GOES UPpic.twitter.com/tI1sz7YvBy

— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) July 30, 2026

Another Veteran Receiver

Admittedly the Ravens’ receiver room is intriguing, albeit green. Zay Flowers is the separator, the YAC merchant who turns slants into chunk plays. Rashod Bateman stretches the field as the vertical X. And rookie Ja’Kobi Lane, the 6-4 jump-ball specialist from USC, gives the offense the red-zone fade threat it sorely lacked while scoring touchdowns on just 47.5% of trips last season. Lane has been the talk of training camp, too.

So, what’s missing? A savvy chain-mover Lamar can trust on third-and-6 in January.

The shelves have thinned. Stefon Diggs just landed in Washington on a one-year deal worth up to $12 million. Tyreek Hill remains unsigned with no timetable for return from a dislocated knee and multiple torn ligaments. Hard pass.

That leaves Keenan Allen, and frankly, he’s the fit. Even at 34, Allen caught 81 balls on a team-high 122 targets for 777 yards last season while playing all 17 games, and he remains one of the best route runners in football with elite hands. For a contender wanting a steady, experienced third or fourth option, he checks every box. He’s logged more high-leverage snaps than the rest of this room combined. With Diggs setting the market at up to $12M and Allen two years older, a one-year deal in the high single digits gets it done — chump change against the cap for a team chasing a Lombardi – a team that could use an insurance policy, particularly if 2026 Bateman looks a lot like 2025 Bateman and the rookies underachieve.

Tight End Room or Empty Room?

Sometimes the truth hurts yet it can’t be ignored. The Ravens are betting big on a declining Mark Andrews and a bunch of maybes.

The numbers don’t lie. Per Pro Football Focus, Andrews graded out at 64.4 in 2025 — 26th among 37 qualified tight ends — with a receiving grade that ranked 31st, a far cry from the guy PFF ranked No. 3 at the position heading into 2024. His 422 yards in 2025 were a career low. Camp hasn’t quieted the doubters — Andrews dropped a few passes on Day 1 — though OC Declan Doyle says he’s “been really impressed,” calling Andrews one of the offense’s hardest workers.

No one ever questions Andrews’ work ethic. But the game day results fall short of his pay grade.

Behind Mark? Faith and fumes. Isaiah Likely bolted for the Giants, Charlie Kolar for the Chargers, and the veteran addition was Durham Smythe — four catches last year. Rookies Matt Hibner and Josh Cuevas are being asked to pick up the slack. That’s a big ask!

The bargain bin still has names — and price tags. Jonnu Smith, cut by Pittsburgh in a move that saved $7 million, was set to earn $7 million in 2026; in August, figure half that. Zach Ertz played 2025 on a one-year, $6.25 million deal with $5.59 million guaranteed, per Spotrac — at 35, he’s a $3 million flier now. Darren Waller took one year, $2 million plus $3 million in incentives from Miami last summer; that’s the template again.

For $3-4 million, DeCosta gets his insurance policy. For nothing, he buys hope. And hope is what we had on January 4, 2026 before the 2025 season came crashing down.

Word is the phones at The Castle work just fine.

Maybe, it’s time to use them.

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/08/08/camp-notes/ravens-training-camp-update/