Ravens make biggest jump in ESPN’s power rankings after bombshell offseason

The Baltimore Ravens crushed the 2026 NFL Draft. Baltimore made several excellent additions during the draft, headlined by guard Olaivavega Ioane in the first round. The national media has apparently taken notice of those moves, praising the Ravens for their strong offseason following the draft.

ESPN’s NFL nation reporters ranked every team in the league in a recent article. The reporters ranked each team and compared it to their way-too-early ranking from earlier in the offseason.

Baltimore was the team to take the biggest jump in this exercise, rising four spots to 10th in the NFL. ESPN’s Jamison Hensley explained how the Trey Hendrickson addition highlighted an excellent offseason for the Ravens.

“The Ravens are looking to get to the quarterback more often after signing Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million deal in free agency and then drafting Missouri’s Zion Young in the second round,” Hensley wrote. “Hendrickson has the third-most sacks (39) in the NFL over the past three years, and Young had the fifth-best pressure rate (15.4%) in the SEC last season.”

Baltimore famously brought in Hendrickson after backing out of the Maxx Crosby trade. Those moves, paired with the selection of Zion Young in the draft, show how big of a need pass rusher was for the Ravens this offseason.

“Baltimore’s pass rush needed a boost after the Ravens had 30 sacks last season, which was tied for 28th in the NFL and tied for their second fewest in team history,” Hensley added.

The 2026 season will be a year of change for the Ravens, with Jesse Minter replacing John Harbaugh at head coach. As such, Minter’s defense should be under the microscope since it is his specialty.

Hopefully Baltimore’s additions on defense help turn that unit around during the 2026 season.

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