The Baltimore Ravens have been contenders in the AFC every season with Lamar Jackson as their QB except one, when they missed the playoffs in 2020-2021.

Beyond that, the Ravens have made the postseason six out of the seven seasons since 2018, but they haven’t found a way to get over the hump and reach a Super Bowl in a competitive AFC that has been owned by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Still, even beyond the Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills have knocked the Ravens out of the playoffs twice and the Cincinnati Bengals beat them in the 2022 wildcard round and went on to make it to the Super Bowl.

Heading into the offseason ahead of the 2025 NFL season, there’s no reason to believe the Baltimore Ravens won’t be in the thick of the AFC playoff race again next season.

They are coming off a year where they dominated teams on the offensive side of the ball, with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry creating nightmares for opposing coordinators. Then there’s Jackson’s ability to beat defenses through the air through the play-action game or RPOs, so it’s obvious why the Ravens ended up with the No. 1 overall defense in the NFL.

The Ravens should have nearly every top offensive weapon from the 2024 squad again in 2025 — and OC Todd Monken who was getting consideration for head coaching jobs — just signed an extension to stay in Baltimore.

WR Zay Flowers emerged as a true No. 1 pass-catcher, and while the Ravens have been linked to another weapon for Jackson like Cooper Kupp — but the tight end duo of Mark Andrews and Isaiah likely are a major part of the Ravens offense.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens struggled early in the year as they adapted to a new system and coordinator. Eventually, they decided to use Kyle Hamilton in more of a hybrid role and make some other key personnel changes, and Baltimore finished the year with the No. 10 defense in the NFL.

The Baltimore Ravens gave up 324.4 yards per game during the regular season and were even better in the playoffs, allowing 276.5 yards in the postseason.

While the Ravens have a few key decisions to make on defense this offseason, the Bleacher Report scouting department believes they will trade for a familiar face who spent one season in Baltimore in 2023 where he had 9.5 sacks.

BR believes the Ravens will trade a 5th-round drat pick for Panthers DE Jadeveon Clowney:

The Ravens really don’t need to blow things up. A few more defensive pieces could have been the difference in their Divisional Round loss to the Buffalo Bills, and they will bring back much of their core next season. We already know that Jadeveon Clowney can be a difference-maker on their defense. He had 9.5 sacks and 62 pressures with Baltimore in 2023.

He bolted for Carolina in free agency, but his numbers took a hit and the Panthers were still one of the worst teams in the league. That could leave the soon-to-be 32-year-old on the outside looking in on Carolina’s rebuild plan under general manager Dan Morgan. The Ravens have 11 picks in the upcoming draft, so using one of those to add more pass-rushing firepower wouldn’t hurt.