OTL: Biggest Preseason Takeaways

The Ravens wrapped up their preseason this past Friday with a dominant 41-3 win over the Washington Commanders. It was a perfect 3-0 finish for Jesse Minter and company, as he joined Joe Brady (Bills) as the only newly-hired head coach to finish undefeated this preseason. With the season just a little over a week away, let’s take a look at some of the biggest takeaways from Baltimore’s three exhibition games.

Minter’s Defense is Legit

The Ravens defense was far and away their strongest link during the preseason. Baltimore’s defense surrendered just 13 points across three contests, including two games in which they allowed just three points. It’s a breath of fresh air for fans, who watched the Ravens defense finish as one of the worst in the league last year. The Ravens saw opposing offenses combine for 90 pass attempts during the preseason, allowing a 60% completion percentage and 472 total passing yards. In two games, the Ravens held quarterbacks to under 125 total passing yards: Eagles (92) and Commanders (109).

It’s a drastic improvement following a 2025 in which the Ravens finished tied for 2nd in the league for most passing yards allowed per game (247.9).

Getting after the quarterback was another point of emphasis this offseason in Baltimore. The front office obviously brought in Trey Hendrickson to help fix that problem, but Hendrickson was never expected to appear in the preseason. In those three games, however, Minter’s defense managed to rack up nine sacks, including five in their win over the Vikings. It’s obviously just exhibition games, but it’s another obvious improvement from a season ago, when the Ravens registered just 30 sacks.

These are obviously results that, at the end of the day, won’t mean much to the regular season. However, it’s a step in the right direction, and a much-needed one at that.

Indianapolis will be the first true test and opportunity to get a real look at this unit.

Do the Ravens have a Running Back Problem?

The Ravens have, without a doubt, one of the top running backs in the league, and one that’s arguably a first-ballot Hall of Famer. However, behind their workhorse Derrick Henry, things get a little questionable. Baltimore will begin Week 1 with a running back room consisting of Henry, Justice Hill, and Rasheen Ali following Adam Randall’s trip to the IR. In six seasons (he missed 2021 with an Achilles tear), Hill has yet to surpass 500 yards on the ground, with his closest being in 2023, when he finished with 456. Ali has yet to appear in an entire 17-game season. Hill isn’t a scrub by any means, but in a new system under Declan Doyle, how much value does he truly carry?

In three preseason games this year, Ali finished with just 28 yards on nine carries, while rookie Randall totaled 71 yards on 17 carries in two games. Under Ben Johnson and Doyle last season, the Bears finished the year with two 800+ yard rushers on offense, D’Andre Swift (1,217) and Kyle Monangai (846). Monangai served as the Bears’ RB2 in his rookie season and still totaled 190 carries, 90 more than Justice Hill’s career high in 2023. Hill’s value as a third-down back is justified, but entering year 8 and just two months away from turning 29, how much of an impact does he bring to the Ravens backfield?

I’m not saying it’s a position of worry for the Ravens, but if they plan on making Henry last till January and February, they’re going to need the supporting cast to produce.

The Culture Change is Evident

I think the biggest question I had going into the season, outside of roster topics, was how much of a culture change we’d see under Minter. The Ravens have a plethora of established stars and personalities on their roster, something you’d expect from a contending team. From what seems like the start of OTA’s, the Ravens coaching staff and players have shown what looks to be a whole new attitude, both on and off the field. It’s a team that appears to be on a mission towards one goal, with the coaching staff on the same page. The players have raved about communication and full transparency about the new system, with the coaching staff complementing such statements with praises of their own. The practice structure has changed, and it feels like the healthiest the Ravens have been to enter a season in quite some time.

They’ve got the leadership, the star power, and what appears to be the coaching staff to make a run. The energy was different in Owings Mills this summer, and now we sit just over a week away from seeing it transition to the gridiron.

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