Lamar Jackson says he’ll be back, and I’m certainly not ready to throw in the towel on the 2026 season. There’s still a lot of football left to play, and the Ravens need to find a way to stack some wins while their franchise quarterback works his way back. If Lamar can return and the fellas can keep themselves in the hunt, who knows what happens? We’ve seen stranger things in the NFL.
That said, I think there’s another conversation worth having as we work our way through the second half of the season. Regardless of how things shake out in the standings, the Ravens have some pretty important decisions coming up, and these next few months should give us a better idea of where things stand with certain players.
One thing I’ve always believed is that good football teams need to know who their foundational pieces are. Who are the young guys you can build around? Who has earned a second contract? And perhaps most importantly, who are you comfortable committing significant money to over the next four or five years? The Ravens have some talented young players on this roster, but talent alone doesn’t guarantee a big payday. At some point, you need to see consistent production on the field.
And that’s where I want to focus today. There are three players in particular who I think have a lot to prove over the remainder of the season. All three have some pretty important questions surrounding their futures in Baltimore, and with contract decisions looming, the next several weeks could carry a lot of weight.
